topic Re: Macro Variable Issue and PDF in ODS and Base Reporting

Macro Variable Issue and PDF

RobertNYC — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:20:15 GMT

Hi all--

I’m having trouble generating a macro value in a dataset I use to create a title page in a PDF.

The macro variable is agyname:

%let agyname="Agency ABC";

So instead for the title reading “Agency ABC” the program prints “&agyname”

Below is where I create a dataset for the title page. Notice where I have written the macro variable &agyname.

data work.title;

drop i;

length line $200;

do i = 1 to 6 by 1;

line = ' ';

output;

end;

line = "^S={font_size=16pt}2012 Agency Regular Medical Review";

output;

line = '^S={font_size=15pt}'

||'&agyname^S={}';

output;

line = "^S={background=black cellheight=.5pt font_size=1pt cellpadding=0}"

||' '||"^S={}";

output;

do i = 1 to 2 by 1;

line = ' '; output;

end;

output;

line = '^S={font_size=13pt font_face=Arial}'

||'Medical Unit'

||'^S={}';

output;

line = '^S={font_size=13pt font_face=Arial}'

||"Administration "

||'^S={}';

output;

do i = 1 to 2 by 1;

line = ' ';

output;

end;

run;

Below is the proc report statement I use to bring in the title data for the the pdf report

proc report data=work.title noheader nowd

style={rules=none frame=void just=c

cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4pt};

column line;

define line /

style(column)={just=c font_weight=bold

font_face=Arial

foreground=black};

ods pdf startpage=no;

run;

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Re: Macro Variable Issue and PDF

Cynthia_sas — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:40:13 GMT

Hi:

Macro variables do NOT resolve within single quotes:

line = '^S={font_size=15pt}' ||'&agyname^S={}';

so I'd suggest that you try to replace your single quotes with double quotes:

line = '^S={font_size=15pt}' || "&agyname^S={}" ;

cynthia

Re: Macro Variable Issue and PDF

Tom — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:41:23 GMT

Macro variable references do not resolve inside of single quotes.

%let agyname="Agency ABC";

So where you have :

line = '^S={font_size=15pt}'||'&agyname^S={}';

You are setting the value of the dataset variable LINE to

'^S={font_size=15pt}&agyname^S={}'

But you probably want it to instead be this value:

'^S={font_size=15pt}Agency ABC^S={}'

You already included double quotes around your macro variable's value so you can write that statement this way:

line = '^S={font_size=15pt}'||&agyname||'^S={}';

If you removed the quotes from around the value of the macro variable in your %LET statement then you would want to write the assignment statement this way:

line = '^S={font_size=15pt}'||"&agyname"||'^S={}';

Re: Macro Variable Issue and PDF

Cynthia_sas — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:43:16 GMT

Oh, good eyes, Tom!

I didn't notice the double quotes on the %LET statement. Good catch!

cynthia