Date:         Thu, 7 Nov 2002 18:31:06 +0100
Reply-To:     Peter Crawford <peter.crawford@DB.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Peter Crawford <peter.crawford@DB.COM>
Subject:      Re: Advice in writing an Utility Macro
Comments: To: "Gerstle, John" <yzg9@CDC.GOV>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Hi John

ask yourself whether you need to work on variable values or variable names.

The macro compiler doesn't see values "in" observations.

A construct like %let var1 = %mac(3298);
requires that %mac() does not generate code
that would "go through a statement boundary".

Hope it's useful

Peter






Datum:         07/11/2002 17:20
An:            SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU




Antwort an:    "Gerstle, John" <yzg9@CDC.GOV>

Betreff:       Advice in writing an Utility Macro
Nachrichtentext:

Folks,

I've been wrestling with a macro I've written that I need some direction.  I
want to figure this out myself to better my understanding of what I'm doing,
so I'm going to save the code for right now and just ask a question or two.

When writing an utility macro, one that will provide a value for a simple
'var1 = %mac(var2);' statement within a data step instead of the macro
creating new SAS code, what are the things you have to check and double
check?  I know that the semicolon after the value should not be there, but
what else?

The main problem I'm having is that, while my macro will run in open code
given an explicit value (i.e. %let var1 = %mac(3298); %put &var1; ) , when I
try to use it within a datastep (i.e. var1 = %mac(var2);), where var2 has
(character) values, the macro does not resolve properly - using the text of
the variable name 'var2' as the value to use instead of the actual values of
the variable 'var2'.

Does this question make since?  If it does, can someone suggest what I may
be doing wrong?

I think my problem is something little, like a mistake in quoting or not
quoting.


John Gerstle
       Biostatistician
CDC Information Technical Services (CITS)
Contractor Support to NCHSTP
Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
HIV/AIDS Incidence and Case Study Branch (HICSB)
Phone:   404-639-3980          Fax:     404-639-2980
Cell:     770-639-5060          Email:  jgerstle@cdc.gov





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