Date:         Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:36:57 -0400
Reply-To:     Bucher Scott <SBucher@SCHOOLS.NYC.GOV>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Bucher Scott <SBucher@SCHOOLS.NYC.GOV>
Subject:      Re: tip: Macro Design Checklist
In-Reply-To:  A<482249F865060740AE33815802042D2F01643D00@LTA3VS012.ees.hhs.gov>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I use positional parameters with macro functions that I use frequently
and that have arguments that are few and relatively intutitive, e.g.
%wordcount(). If the macro functions has more than 3 arguments, I use a
combination of positional parameters and keyword parameters with default
values. I think the examples cited within the sasautos library were also
macro functions.

Regards,
Scott Bucher


-----Original Message-----
From: SAS(r) Discussion [mailto:SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Fehd, Ronald J. (CDC/CCHIS/NCPHI)
Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 9:05 AM
To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: tip: Macro Design Checklist

> From: RolandRB
>
> On Jul 28, 10:06 pm, r...@CDC.GOV ("Fehd, Ronald J. (CDC/CCHIS/
> NCPHI)") wrote:
> > I have updated my Macro Design Checklist page
> >
> > http://www.sascommunity.org/wiki/Macro_Design_Issues_Checklist
>
> Your first tip is "always use named parameters".

> This is a bad general tip to give

My 20 years experience says otherwise.

> as it depends on the circumstances.

imnsho, those circumstances are usually that the macro is in a program.

\begin{quote}
Note: These recommendations are for project and site macros, i.e. macros
not in a program, but in separate files.
\end{quote}

> The SAS Institute
> itself does not follow this recommendation.

<sigh> yes, I know.
From my perspective on the HelpDesk
SAS Institute creates more problems for itself and its customers by
publishing Reeeeally! Bad Examples both in OnLine Doc, paper manuals,
and training courses.

> Check out the %trim and
> %left macros that they distribute with their sasautos library.

There are 500 macros provided in 300 files in 13 folders in the sasautos
library.
The only thing that I would recommend about them is that they have a
fairly consistent header for their documentation.

Ron Fehd      the documentation maven
          and the macro maven  CDC Atlanta GA USA RJF2 at cdc dot gov