topic Find and Replace a word in SAS Programming

Find and Replace a word

Nira — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 12:36:51 GMT

Replace from one word to another word in a long string of more than 200 characters

Re: Find and Replace a word

Nira — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 12:41:15 GMT

Can anybody help to solve ? Since TRANWRD function limits to only 200 characters. Thanks

Re: Find and Replace a word

ed_sas_member — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 12:48:01 GMT

Hi @Nira

Maybe you can try to use a pearl regular expression :

Var2 = Prxchange('s/ /*expr to find*/ / /*replacement text*/ /', -1, Var1);

Best,

Re: Find and Replace a word

data_null__ — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 13:02:58 GMT

@Nira wrote:
Can anybody help to solve ? Since TRANWRD function limits to only 200 characters. Thanks

RTM

Length of Returned Variable

In a DATA step, if the TRANWRD function returns a value to a variable that has not previously been assigned a length, then that variable is given a length of 200bytes. You can use the LENGTH statement, before calling TRANWRD, to change the length of the value.

Re: Find and Replace a word

Nira — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 13:05:08 GMT

Hi
Sorry I don’t understand Could you explain that?

Re: Find and Replace a word

Nira — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 13:06:52 GMT

Could you send me any sample using length

Re: Find and Replace a word

Nira — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 13:52:53 GMT

You are saying that if that variable length is not defined previously then it will take length as 200 bytes. So you said to use length function before tranwrd function. Did I understand your point correctly?

Re: Find and Replace a word

Kurt_Bremser — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 14:24:11 GMT

@Nira wrote:
Could you send me any sample using length

See here: LENGTH Statement

Re: Find and Replace a word

Tom — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 14:30:28 GMT

@Nira wrote:
Can anybody help to solve ? Since TRANWRD function limits to only 200 characters. Thanks

That is not true (unless you are using SAS version 6). Why do you think that there is such a limit?

Re: Find and Replace a word

Nira — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 03:02:35 GMT

I code as you said
Var2 = PRXCHANGE(‘s/ $ DTEAPNTMT / Strip(APNTMT_DATE) /‘, 1, TXT);

But got error as variables within regular expressions are not supported

Re: Find and Replace a word

ChrisNZ — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 03:45:53 GMT

> Did I understand your point correctly?

Yes. That's what the manual says too.

Re: Find and Replace a word

ChrisNZ — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 03:48:25 GMT

> But got error as variables within regular expressions are not supported

You may not be ready to use Regular Expressions yet.

This is *not* one of the first things a programmer learns, and you seem to be a novice programmer.

Re: Find and Replace a word

Nira — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 06:05:35 GMT

My input string length 500. In that String 3 variables need to be replaced. Since TRANWRD allows only 200 , from 201 positiong string is not displayed in the output.

Re: Find and Replace a word

Nira — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 06:06:49 GMT

Yes. I am new to SAS. But can understand the existing code by google.

Re: Find and Replace a word

Patrick — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 06:28:37 GMT

@Nira

TRANWRD() works for variables longer than 200 characters. It's just that if you use the tranwrd() function and assign the result to a new variable then this variable gets by default created with a length of 200 characters. That's why in below code variable want_string gets first created with a length statement so it can hold the full string.

data have(keep=have_string);
  infile datalines truncover;
  input str $100.;
  length have_string $500;
  retain have_string;
  have_string=catx(' ', have_string,str);
  if _n_=5 then output;
datalines;
Replace from one word to another word in a long string of more than 200 characters
You are saying that WORD if that variable length is not defined previously then it will take 
length as 200 bytes. So you said to use WORD length function before tranwrd function. 
Did I understand your point correctly?
But got error as variables within WORD regular expressions are not supported
;

data want;
  set have;
  length want_string $500;
  want_string=tranwrd(have_string,'WORD','OTHERWORD');
run;

proc print data=want;
run;

Re: Find and Replace a word

Patrick — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 06:27:49 GMT

@Nira wrote:
My input string length 500. In that String 3 variables need to be replaced. Since TRANWRD allows only 200 , from 201 positiong string is not displayed in the output.

See my previous post. That should explain it to you.

If you use syntax like: new_variable = tranwrd(....); and this is the first time that new_variable has been listed in your code then this new_variable gets created with a default length of 200 - which in your case is too short and the source string gets truncated.

In such cases: Use a length statement at the beginning of your code -> length new_variable $500; Now you've got what you need and things will work.

Re: Find and Replace a word

Nira — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 08:23:45 GMT

Thanks for the clear explanation. Another problem why it truncated was due to SYMGET function. But not sure why it truncates. So i declare length function for that symget varible and Also for new variable as you said. After that i got correct outptut. But want to know the reason Why symget truncates the string

Re: Find and Replace a word

Kurt_Bremser — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 08:33:29 GMT

From the documentation of the SYMGET Function:

If the SYMGET function returns a value to a variable that has not yet been assigned a length, by default the variable is assigned a length of 200.

There is a VERY BIG reason why Maxim 1 (Read the Documentation) is number one. It is the most important and most helpful rule for people working with SAS.

Re: Find and Replace a word

Nira — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 08:42:12 GMT

Re: Find and Replace a word

Nira — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 08:43:47 GMT

Thankyou.