Date:         Tue, 9 Aug 2005 16:28:20 +0200
Reply-To:     Andre Wielki <wielki@INED.FR>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Andre Wielki <wielki@INED.FR>
Subject:      Re: comma(,) mask problem: ERROR: Macro function %INDEX has too
              many arguments.
Comments: To: Chang Chung <chang_y_chung@HOTMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <200508091408.j79E8qgo022791@listserv.cc.uga.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Ok Chang
in my too quickly answer, i was making confusion
about the list of spec char including "|" as equivalent to the mnemonic or

but if you try this changing one letter more
  no==> ne  in the parameter passed

could you explain the difference of behavior
between your solution and that with %quote

105  %macro test(leftname=);
106      %put beginning: leftname=&leftname;
107       %let b=%index(&leftname,|);
108        %put b=&b;
109       %let leftname=%qsubstr(&leftname,%index(&leftname,|)+1);
110       %put ok: after first index function: leftname=&leftname;
111       %put check index function after leftname is changed?;
112       %let b=%index((&leftname),|);
113        %put b=&b;      %put  ok: why?;
114   %mend;
115  %test(leftname=%str(||if ne, primary:))
beginning: leftname=||if ne, primary:
b=1
ok: after first index function: leftname=|if ne, primary:
check index function after leftname is changed?
b=2
ok: why?

with   %let b=%index(%quote(&leftname),|);
give us in any case
beginning: leftname=||if ne, primary:
b=1
ok: after first index function: leftname=|if ne, primary:
check index function after leftname is changed?
b=1
ok: why?


Andre



Chang Chung wrote:

>
> A good question! It is important to know the reason why the first %index
> function works fine and the second does not. The lesson here is that:
>
> once quoted, a string remains quoted, unless you unquote it.
>
> Since you are quoting the comma when you invoke the macro using %str(), it
> remains being quoted when the first %index() is called. This is why the
> first %index works fine.
>
> Now, in the middle, you are using %substr() function and it returns
> *unquoted* text. And you are assigning this unquoted text back to the macro
> variable leftname. So, this point on, the leftname has unquoted comma. It
> does not cause any trouble in the %put line, but it does in the second call
> to %index. Since %index now sees two commas.
>
> The remedy I would recommend is to use %qsubstr(), which returns quoted test.
>
> Cheers,
> Chang
>
> %macro test(leftname=);
>   %put beginning: leftname=&leftname;
>   %let b=%index(&leftname,|);
>   %put b=&b;
>   %let leftname=%qsubstr(&leftname,%index(&leftname,|)+1); /* fixed! */
>   %put ok: after first index function: leftname=&leftname;
>   %put check index function after leftname is changed?;
>   %let b=%index(&leftname,|);
>   %put b=&b;
>   %put ok;
> %mend;
> %test(leftname=%str(||IF NO, PRIMARY FOR STUDY COMPLETION:));
> /* on log:
> beginning: leftname=||IF NO, PRIMARY FOR STUDY COMPLETION:
> b=1
> ok: after first index function: leftname=|IF NO, PRIMARY FOR STUDY COMPLETION:
> check index function after leftname is changed?
> b=1
> ok
> */
>


--
Andre Wielki
INED (Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques)
133 Boulevard Davout 75980 Paris Cedex 20
33 (0) 1 56 06 21 54          FRANCE