Date:         Thu, 19 Feb 2004 15:30:29 -0500
Reply-To:     diskin.dennis@KENDLE.COM
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Dennis Diskin <diskin.dennis@KENDLE.COM>
Subject:      Re: Pointer line control problem
Comments: To: Helen <sunchunkui@HOTMAIL.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Helen,

When you use the # pointer with constants, SAS is smart enough to figure
out how big to make the  buffer to hold all the lines you might address in
on pass of the datastep, but when you use a variable, SAS does not know
what values it may take on. To remedy this we have th N= option on the
file statement where you  specify the maximum value your index value may
take on.
In your second example, just use : file out print n=20; and you should be
fine.
Too large a value for N should not normally matter.

HTH,
Dennis Diskin





Helen <sunchunkui@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sent by: "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
02/19/2004 03:08 PM
Please respond to Helen


        To:     SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
        cc:
        Subject:        Pointer line control problem


Dear SAS-L,

I have a macro to do some report output and have line pointer control
problem like the following(seems numeric-variable doesn't work):

1---the follwing codes works,and output like:
column1 line1                column2 line1
column1 line2                column2 line2
column1 line3

filename out 'c:\temp\wrap test.txt';

data _null_;
file out print ;
/*
do index=1 to 10;
col='column1 line'||trim(put(index,2.));
put #index @1 col @;
end;

do index=1 to 5;
col='column2 line'||trim(put(index,2.));
put #index @30 col @;
end;*/

index=1;
put #1 @1 'column1 line1' @;
index=2;
put #2  @1 'column1 line2' @;
index=3;
put #3  @1 'column1 line3' @;
index=1;
put #1  @30 'column2 line1' @;
index=2;
put #2  @30 'column2 line2' @;

put;
run;


2--When use 'index' variable ,it didn't work and result like the
following:
column1 line1
column1 line2
column1 line3
column2 line1
column2 line2

filename out 'c:\temp\wrap test.txt';

data _null_;
file out print ;
/*
do index=1 to 10;
col='column1 line'||trim(put(index,2.));
put #index @1 col @;
end;

do index=1 to 5;
col='column2 line'||trim(put(index,2.));
put #index @30 col @;
end;*/

/* index=1;
put #1 @1 'column1 line1' @;
index=2;
put #2  @1 'column1 line2' @;
index=3;
put #3  @1 'column1 line3' @;
index=1;
put #1  @30 'column2 line1' @;
index=2;
put #2  @30 'column2 line2' @;
*/
index=1;
put #index @1 'column1 line1' @;
index=2;
put #index  @1 'column1 line2' @;
index=3;
put #index  @1 'column1 line3' @;
index=1;
put #index  @30 'column2 line1' @;
index=2;
put #index  @30 'column2 line2' @;

put;
run;

Could someone help me here?  Thanks in advance.

Helen