topic Re: converting date to character string keeping same format in SAS Programming

converting date to character string keeping same format

Aidaan_10 — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 17:26:16 GMT

Hi,

I have a date variable with the value as '7/30/2019 14:43' and I want to convert it into a character variable keeping the same format how do I do this? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Re: converting date to character string keeping same format

PaigeMiller — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 17:32:05 GMT

Character variables cannot have the same format as numeric variables.

If you want the character variable to appear the same as the formatted numeric variable ... why? What is the benefit of changing the variable type from numeric to character if it appears the same to us humans?

Re: converting date to character string keeping same format

Kurt_Bremser — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 17:32:46 GMT

Look which format is used to display this datetime variable and use that in a put() function.

Re: converting date to character string keeping same format

Reeza — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 20:41:06 GMT

new_var = putn(old_var, vformat(old_var));
new_var2 = vvalue(old_var);

Use PUTN() to convert it to a character variable.

Use VFORMAT() to get the format that was displaying the variable and apply it in the conversion.

or Use VVALUE to get the formatted value into a character.

EDIT: Modified as per @Tom suggestions

@Aidaan_10 wrote:

Hi,

I have a date variable with the value as '7/30/2019 14:43' and I want to convert it into a character variable keeping the same format how do I do this? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Re: converting date to character string keeping same format

Tom — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 17:40:22 GMT

Huh? If it is a DATETIME value then you would need PUTN() instead of PUTC() as the N/C refers in the data type that is being formatted. The output of applying a format is always character.

Note that you can use the VVALUE() function to see the formatted value of a variable without first having find out what format, if any, is attached to it.

Re: converting date to character string keeping same format

Aidaan_10 — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 18:34:05 GMT

new_var=vvalue(old_var) worked very well. Thank you so much