Date:         Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:45:14 -0500
Reply-To:     "Howard Schreier <hs AT dc-sug DOT org>"
              <schreier.junk.mail@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Howard Schreier <hs AT dc-sug DOT org>"
              <schreier.junk.mail@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Multiple variable length text files

On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:08:22 -0500, Ian Whitlock <iw1sas@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

>Howard wrote in part:
>
>>How about following up on an earlier suggestion to use the
>>@[character-literal] mechanism. This works:
>
>
>>data two;
>>  infile csv("*.csv") dsd;
>>  input @'Spreadsheet: xyz'    ID $3. time $2.
>>        @'"Average",'          (2*   AvgSatCals    AvgProtein)($)
>>        @'"% Recommendation",' (2*PctRecSatCals PctRecProtein)($)
>>        ;
>>   run;
>
>I was most surprised to see that the "2*" notation worked on the INPUT
>statement.  It is documented for the PUT statement,

and there only preceding a character literal, I believe

>but is there any hint of its working on INPUT?
>
>Apparently it also work in this context, albeit not so useful.
>
>   data _null_ ;
>      input @3*'-' x ;
>      put x= ;
>   cards ;
>   1 2 ---3 4
>   ;

It also seems to work on informats. I run this

   data _null_;
   input (Var1-Var6)( 2 * 1.  2 * $1.  2 * date9. );
   put    Var1-Var6;
   cards;
34ab01Jan196024Dec2008
   ;

I see: 3 4 a b 0 17890

>
>
>--
>Ian Whitlock