topic %unquoting a macro variable containing a directory path in SAS Programming

%unquoting a macro variable containing a directory path

bentleyj1 — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 17:17:50 GMT

There are quite a few questions about unquoting but none provide a solution for my problem. I have a macro variable containing a directory string that is created in the SAS desktop environment and passed to a server via %syslput. %syslput requires that the macro variable be %bquoted or else it will return an 'unrecognized options' error because of the / delimiters. That's ok.

When I use the macro variable in the server environment in an X-Command it works just fine but SYMBOLGEN returns the "Some characters in the above value which were subject to macro quoting have been unquoted for printing." message. Using the %unquote function doesn't make the message go away. I'm wondering how to make it go away, other than use NOSYMBOLGEN. This does not run inside a macro.

%let dirFieldList=/risk/data/201808/filelist.txt;

%syslput dirFieldList=%bquote(&dirFieldList);

RSUBMIT;

options symbolgen;

x rm %unquote(&dirFileList);

** Returns same message when &dirFileList is not inside " " ;

496 options symbolgen;

497

498 x rm %unquote("&dirFileList");

SYMBOLGEN: Macro variable DIRFILELIST resolves to /sasapp/credrisk/wfdscrdm/filelist.txt

SYMBOLGEN: Some characters in the above value which were subject to macro quoting have been unquoted for printing.

Re: %unquoting a macro variable containing a directory path

Vince_SAS — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 19:04:57 GMT

I don't know if you can selectively suppress SYMBOLGEN messages, but perhaps a different method would work - system environment variables. Untested code:

RSUBMIT;

options symbolgen;
options set=DIRFILELIST '/risk/data/201808/filelist.txt';

x 'rm $DIRFILELIST';

Vince DelGobbo

SAS R&D

Re: %unquoting a macro variable containing a directory path

bentleyj1 — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 19:09:10 GMT

Thanks Vince! Yeah, this could work for me. I'll give it a spin.

I just want to get rid of the message. Unexpected notes and messages make some people nervous, and I don't like them in my logs even when they're harmless.

John