Date:         Wed, 18 Jun 2003 19:21:09 +0200
Reply-To:     Michael.Eckhardt@T-SYSTEMS.COM
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Michael.Eckhardt@T-SYSTEMS.COM
Subject:      AW: Macro qoutation was: length of the macro variable
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"

Two points to clear the fog.
Macro expressions (macro var content) always are strings that will substitute the macro code at runtime.

If you define:
%LET a = x;
%PUT &a;
at runtime you will simply read x;

The dot '.' is the delimiter of a macro variable to distinguish macro text from other text expressions.

expanding the little example above

with

%LET a1 = y;

%PUT &a1;
%PUT &a.1;

&a1 is substituted by y, but &a. (note the macro var delimiter) will change to x and therefore &a.1 resolves to x1

Quotes, unless treated by one of the many %quote()-Functions (RTFM for these), are interpreted as plain text.
So let's see again what we can count with %LENGTH:

(Referring to the original example now).

5024  %LET smth= acc111;
5025  %PUT %LENGTH(&smth);
6
5026  %PUT %LENGTH(&smth.);
6
5027  %PUT %LENGTH("&smth");
8
5028  %PUT %LENGTH("&smth.");
8


mit freundlichen Grüssen
Regards

Michael Eckhardt
Berater Business Intelligence
T-Systems GEI GmbH
Geschäftsstelle Darmstadt/FDL Mitte
Frankfurter Str. 27
65760 Eschborn
Telefon: +49 (6196) 961-540
Fax:      +49 (6196) 961-517
E-Mail:  Michael.Eckhardt@t-systems.com <mailto:Michael.Eckhardt@t-systems.com>
Mobil:    + 49 (171) 5762151
Internet: http:\\www.t-systems.de


-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: Huang, Ya [mailto:yhuang@AMYLIN.COM]
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 18. Juni 2003 18:33
An: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Betreff: Re: length of the macro variable


The extra two are from the double quote and '.' ?

4    %let smth= acc111;
5    %let smth1=%length (%trim(&smth));
6    %put ==>&smth1<==;
==>6<==


-----Original Message-----
From: Ira Roberts [mailto:ir10@MAIL.COM]
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2003 9:06 AM
To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: length of the macro variable


Dear SAS-L'ers,

why the length of the macro var is greater than its actual length (even
after I trimmed it?

74   %let smth= acc111;
75   %let smth1=%length (%trim("&smth."));
76   %put &smth1.;
8                           *<**** it is always [(the actual length) + 2 ];
77   %put ==>&smth.<==;
==>acc111<==

Thanks,
IRa