Date:         Mon, 19 Oct 1998 11:47:48 -0400
Reply-To:     Douglas Dame <dougdame@HPE.UFL.EDU>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
From:         Douglas Dame <dougdame@HPE.UFL.EDU>
Subject:      Re: macro question
Comments: To: hwang@ZSASSOCIATES.COM
In-Reply-To:  <862566A2.00497CE1.00@zsserver3.zsassociates.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hongjie Wang wrote:
>
>
> Dear friends, I have a macro question, do the following two segments of
> code equivalent?
>
> (1). %macro test(datset);
>        data _null_;
>       if &datset eq " " then call symput('datset,', '_LAST_');
>       run;
>      ...
>     ...
>
> (2). %macro test(datset);
> %if %datset eq %str() %then %let datset=_LAST;
>  ...
> ...
 
 
So why not do
 
  (3)  %macro test(dataset=_LAST_);
 
 
That way the macro just defaults to using _LAST_, unless it's invoked with
something different specified.
 
i.e.,
 
   %TEST;    ==> uses _LAST_
but
   %TEST(dataset=PERM.CUSTOMRS);   ==> uses PERM.CUSTOMRS
 
 
HTH
 
Douglas Dame
Shands HealthCare
Gainesville FL
----------------------------------------
"The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in
insidious encroachment by men of zeal,
well-meaning but without understanding."
   Judge Louis Brendeis, 1928
 
(sort of like my SAS coding, in fact.)