Date:         Wed, 12 May 2004 09:17:55 -0400
Reply-To:     Quentin McMullen <quentin_mcmullen@BROWN.EDU>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Quentin McMullen <quentin_mcmullen@BROWN.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Scope of Macro Variables
Comments: To: Paul Walker <walker.627@COMCAST.NET>

On Tue, 11 May 2004 23:45:51 -0400, PCW <walker.627@COMCAST.NET> wrote:

>I want to create a macro variable during a macro execution using call
>symput.  Then, I want this macro variable to be available AFTER the macro
>has executed, say for use in a second macro.  IS THIS POSSIBLE?
>
>For sake of illustration, here is some code.  Suppose that the following
>macro %first is stored in an autocall library (important).
>
>%macro first;
>  data temp;
>    x=257;
>  run;
>
>  data _null_;
>    set temp;
>    call symput('mynumber',x);
>  run;
>%mend first;
>
>Now suppose that I call the macro.
>
>  %first
>
>Now suppose that I want to see what macro variables are available on the
>macro symbol table.
>
>  %put _all_;
>
>I find that the macro variable &mynumber is not available.  Even if I add
>the line "%global mynumber;" to the macro definition, &mynumber is still
>not available outside of the macro.
>
>Is there a way to make &mynumber available for later use outside of the %
>first macro???


Hi,

I appreciate your taking the time to post simple example code.  But in
this case, I think you may have simplified too much?  When I run the code
you submitted, the macro *does* create a global macro variable &mynumber.
This has to do with peculiarities in the way that symput handles issues of
scope (because %first does not have a local symbol table, and symput
cannot create a local symbol table, symput writes to global symbol table).

Of course, as others have written, %global should also work.  %gloabal
will NOT work if MYNUMBER is a parameter of %first.

Below is a log of my running your posted coode:


1    %macro first;
2      data temp;
3        x=257;
4      run;
5
6      data _null_;
7        set temp;
8        call symput('mynumber',x);
9      run;
10   %mend first;
11
12   %first

NOTE: The data set WORK.TEMP has 1 observations and 1 variables.
NOTE: DATA statement used:
      real time           1.70 seconds
      cpu time            0.06 seconds



NOTE: Numeric values have been converted to character values at the places
given by:
      (Line):(Column).
      1:89
NOTE: There were 1 observations read from the data set WORK.TEMP.
NOTE: DATA statement used:
      real time           0.40 seconds
      cpu time            0.00 seconds


13   %put _user_;
GLOBAL MYNUMBER          257

Kind Regards,
--Quentin