topic Re: macro that won't run in New SAS User

macro that won't run

rhaley1821 — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 15:08:31 GMT

Hi everyone,

I am a newer SAS user and am working on a project that requires me to create macro that creates a histogram with a variety of macros inside. I have created the following code, but although I get no errors or warnings in my log, I get no results. Can anyone help?

Thanks so much.

my code:

%MACRO mymacro ( DSNm = , Vbl = , Stats = N MEAN STDDEV ,
Ndec = 1);
TITLE1 "title1";
proc sgplot data = work.&DSNm;
histogram &Vbl/N MEAN STDDEV;
run;
%MEND title2;

%( DSNm = , Vbl = , Stats = N MEAN STDDEV , Ndec = 1);

Re: macro that won't run

rhaley1821 — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 06:24:41 GMT

my goal is to produce a histogram that looks like this:

Re: macro that won't run

Kurt_Bremser — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 06:48:53 GMT

The first thing you need to do: get the code to work correctly without any macro coding.

Re: macro that won't run

SASKiwi — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 07:04:52 GMT

Here is one possible problem. Add spaces like below.

histogram &Vbl / N MEAN STDDEV;  * Add spaces;

Re: macro that won't run

rhaley1821 — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 15:09:01 GMT

I got it all running, thanks for the feedback!

Re: macro that won't run

ballardw — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 15:41:14 GMT

@rhaley1821 wrote:

Hi everyone,

I am a newer SAS user and am working on a project that requires me to create macro that creates a histogram with a variety of macros inside. I have created the following code, but although I get no errors or warnings in my log, I get no results. Can anyone help?

Thanks so much.

my code:

%MACRO mymacro ( DSNm = , Vbl = , Stats = N MEAN STDDEV ,
Ndec = 1);
TITLE1 "title1";
proc sgplot data = work.&DSNm;
histogram &Vbl/N MEAN STDDEV;
run;
%MEND title2;

%( DSNm = , Vbl = , Stats = N MEAN STDDEV , Ndec = 1);

The code you show does not call the macro at all and I would expect you to get a number of errors from the statement:

%( DSNm = , Vbl = , Stats = N MEAN STDDEV , Ndec = 1);

Best practice when having any question about the results, or lack of results, is to copy the submitted code from the LOG and paste the copied text into a text box opened on the forum with the </> icon. Include the Code, notes, messages and errors for the section in doubt.

If you actually properly called the macro using

%mymacro( DSNm = , Vbl = , Stats = N MEAN STDDEV , Ndec = 1);

Then you did not provide a data set name or variable so the code created by this line

proc sgplot data = work.&DSNm;

would resolve to:

proc sgplot data = work. ;

with all sorts of "what data set to use" results.

The line

histogram &Vbl/N MEAN STDDEV;

Would resolve to

histogram    /N MEAN STDDEV;

which if there were a data set available would plot ALL numeric variables.

The Parameter values are placed in the CODE where they macro variable names are used. If you don't provide a value then nothing appears in the code.

Re: macro that won't run

kbauphealth20 — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 15:59:18 GMT

I think there is too much information being compiled in different statements.

Example:

"proc sgplot data = work.&DSNm;"

should be

"proc sgplot data = &DSNm;"

&DSNm is already going to specify a data set, so adding work. to it will mess things up.

"histogram &Vbl/N MEAN STDDEV;" is a mouthful of a histogram. A basic histogram shows one variable at a time.

Instead...

"histogram &Vbl;" should be sufficient.

Re: macro that won't run

Deanna_Payne — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 00:22:52 GMT

Don't forget that even in a Macro you need to close off your titles and your subtitles. And you ask SAS to mend title 2 but Mend wouldn't apply to a regular title but to the macro name (i.e. MyMacro)

%MACRO mymacro ( DSNm = , Vbl = , Stats = N MEAN STDDEV ,
Ndec = 1);
TITLE1 "title1";
proc sgplot data = work.&DSNm;
histogram &Vbl/N MEAN STDDEV;

title;
run;

TITLE2 "Title2"

DATA_STEP_HERE

Title;

%MEND Mymacro