Can't you simply compress the ASCII text character for the carriage return ('OD'x) out of the variable after reading in the file?

Sincerely yours,

Mark J. Lamias

-----Original Message----- From: Ian Whitlock [mailto:WHITLOI1@WESTAT.COM] Sent: Friday, September 12, 2003 4:25 PM To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU Subject: Re: Data with Carriage return where I don't want it.

Howard,

Thanks for the needed correction.

Ian

-----Original Message----- From: Howard Schreier [mailto:Howard_Schreier@ITA.DOC.GOV] Sent: Friday, September 12, 2003 4:15 PM To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU; Ian Whitlock Subject: Re: Data with Carriage return where I don't want it.

I was thinking along the same lines. I suggest the following modifications to the first DATA step, to avoid duplicate observations, to handle wrapping beyond a second line, and to pick up the last observation:

Code END=DONE on the INFILE statement. This precludes the use of inline (CARDS;) data. Instead the records must be in an external file.

Eliminate the first PUT statement.

Insert the statements

if done then put line; run;

at the end.

On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 15:04:19 -0400, Ian Whitlock <WHITLOI1@WESTAT.COM> wrote:

>jsl, > >I would make it a two step process, one to fix the file and one t read >the fixed file. This works with the data given. You may need to >change lengths >when more data is considered. If one logical record is more than two >lines then the first step will need more changes. > >filename temp temp ; >data _null_ ; > length line $ 200 ; > retain line ; > infile cards firstobs = 2 ; > input ; > file temp ; > if substr(_infile_,1,2) ^= " " then > do ; > line = trim(line) || _infile_ ; > put line ; > end ; > else > do ; > if _n_ > 1 then put line ; > line = left(_infile_) ; > end ; >cards ; >.......... >; > >data w ; > infile temp dsd dlm = "/" ; > input name :$30. age :5. title :$70. remuneration :$20. ; run ; > >IanWhitlock@westat.com >-----Original Message----- >From: jsl [mailto:nospam@NOSPAM.COM] >Sent: Friday, September 12, 2003 2:44 PM >To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU >Subject: Data with Carriage return where I don't want it. > > >I have a very large "text file" data set that has a bunch of pockets of >information that looks like the attached text file. I have been able >to read it just fine for the most part keying off words in the first >line, but I can't figure out the easiest way to deal with the unwanted >hard return. That is, given the source of the data, I have no control >over the unwanted carriage return within a record. However, I do know >that the first two columns are always blank unless it's a record that >wrapped. Anybody have simple suggestion on how to keep those lines >together? Thanks, Jim