Phil,

Harry is correct in that %scan was built for this. Also you dont need to create another macro variable. Consider the following:

%Let Table1 = Mocca.Sep05 ;

Title2 "Reference period = %scan(&Table1,2,.)" ;

I think you will find this way more stable, easier to code, maintain, and read.

Toby Dunn

From: phillip.anderra@GMAIL.COM Reply-To: phillip.anderra@GMAIL.COM To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU Subject: Substr from macro value Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 16:49:23 -0800

Hi group,

This is probably embarrassingly elementary but I can't get a result. Am trying to get a string from a simple macro value into a Title statement eg

%Let Table1 = Mocca.Sep05;

The month value varies so I want to take the five right side characters into another macro to use in a Title statement. eg

%Let mnth = substr(&Table1,7,5); Title2 "Reference period = &mnth.";

However everything I've tried crashes on the period in the Table1 macro value, the log saying; "...Variable names of the form X.X must be either FIRST.X or LAST.X."

Can someone please help an incompetent out on this?

Phil