I have a program that starts SAS programs with SYSTASK. It uses SET to create and set variables that are used by the programs that are started with SYSTASK.

On 10/8/09, Kevin Myers <kmyers1@clearwire.net> wrote: > Null, > > I have long known about the SET system option, but never thought about using > it in an OPTIONS statement after SAS has already started. I always use the > SET option on the command line to start SAS, or in a SAS configuration file. > Even after receiving your message, I had some doubt as to whether this would > work for my current purposes. I suspected that it would merely create some > internal SAS pseudo-environment variable, rather than a true system > environment variable in the copy of the system environment belonging to the > SAS process. > > I am ecstatic to say, boy was I wrong!!! Using SET in an OPTIONS statement > worked absolutely perfectly, and helped solved a SAS-related problem that > has been driving me nuts for quite a while. I really owe you one! > > Regards, > Kevin M. > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Data _null_;" <iebupdte@gmail.com> > To: "Kevin Myers" <kmyers1@clearwire.net> > Cc: <SAS-L@listserv.uga.edu> > Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2009 20:38 > Subject: Re: Set Environment Variable Value from SAS > > > > SET System Option: Windows > > Defines a SAS environment variable Default: none > Valid in: configuration file, SAS invocation, OPTIONS statement, SAS > System Options window > Category: Environment control: Files > PROC OPTIONS GROUP= ENVFILES > Windows specifics: Values intended to represent files or paths must be > valid under Windows > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Syntax > Details > See Also > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Syntax > -SET SAS-variable "value" | ("value-1"...<"value-n">) > SET=SAS-variable "value" | (" value-1"...<"value-n">) > > > > SAS-variable > specifies the environment variable to define. > > value > specifies the value or set of values to assign to the environment > variable. If value is a pathname that contain spaces, enclose value in > quotation marks. > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Details > > > This is analogous to defining a Windows environment variable with the > Windows SET command. One way to use the SET system option is to set up > environment variables that represent commonly used external files. For > example, the following code defines an environment variable for the > sample source library: > > -set sampsrc (!sasroot\base\sample > !sasroot\stat\sample > !sasroot\graph\sample) > > When you refer to SAMPSRC as a library name during your SAS session, > SAS automatically assigns the library with the directories listed. > Note that !sasroot is also a SAS environment variable that represents > the root directory of your SAS installation, and is typically assigned > in the SAS configuration file. > > Environment variables can only be used as a libref if you use the SET > system option at SAS invocation and not in an OPTIONS statement. > > If you specify SET on the command line when you start SAS, the > variable will be set only for that SAS session. To set an environment > variable for repeated use, either add the SET system option to your > configuration file or create a Windows environment variable. > > > > On 10/8/09, Kevin Myers <kmyers1@clearwire.net> wrote: > > I need to set the value of an existing system environment variable from > within SAS under Windows. This value needs to be set in the SAS copy of the > environment, NOT in the copy of the environment for a child process, and not > in the environment of the process that started SAS. So simply executing an > operating system SET command won't work. The environment that needs to be > accessed is the same copy of the environment from which %SYSGET() and the > SYSGET() data step function obtain their values. But I need to go the other > way, with something that might be thought of as %SYSPUT or SYSPUT(), except > that those functions don't appear to exist. > > > > I could swear that I have done this in the past, but I can't remember how, > and I haven't been able to come up with anything by looking through the docs > or searching the web. > > > > Anyone out there know how to accomplish this? > > > > Thanks, > > Kevin M. > > > > > >