Date:         Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:27:22 -0500
Reply-To:     Joe Matise <snoopy369@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Joe Matise <snoopy369@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Generating line of variable names
Comments: To: Andrew.Clapson@statcan.gc.ca
In-Reply-To:  <F433BF18D811E745B79191E749A6DAF10151EF99@stcem16.statcan.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

PROC CONTENTS with the OUT= option, or one of the dictionary tables:
proc sql; create table test as select * from dictionary.columns where
libname='WORK'; run;
to see what's available, or
proc sql; select name into :namelist separated by ' ' from
dictionary.columns where libname='WORK' and memname="&DSNAME"; quit;
puts it in a macro variable you can use as:
%put &namelist;
as well as into the output window.

You can limit it in the WHERE statement to drop out undesired column names.

Not sure about assigning to a function key.

-Joe

On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 2:45 PM, Andrew Clapson <
Andrew.Clapson@statcan.gc.ca> wrote:

> Hey all,
>
> In the process of sifting through variables in a data set I'm working on
> - one for which someone decided to use rather cumbersome variable names
> - I thought how much easier it would be to simply paste a spaced line of
> the different variable names, and then just delete the ones that I want
> to drop (or keep, as the case may be).
>
> Is there any way to get SAS to print a line of variable names for a
> given dataset?
> Some variant of a PROC CONTENTS perhaps?
> Even better would be assigning this process to a function key (via a
> recorded macro, maybe?), to print the full list of variables at a
> keystroke for a KEEP, DROP, or RETAIN command.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
>
> Andy Clapson
>