https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Programming/How-cmpres-function-works/m-p/632871#M187685 <P>The %CMPRES function removes multiple spaces, as well as leading and trailing spaces. However, it will preserve single spaces in between.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Try the following:</P><PRE><CODE class=" language-sas">%let a= abcd efgh ijkl ; %put %sysfunc(compress(&amp;a));</CODE></PRE><P>&nbsp;</P> Wed, 18 Mar 2020 06:54:43 GMT jvdl 2020-03-18T06:54:43Z https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Programming/How-cmpres-function-works/m-p/632858#M187678 %let a= abcd efgh ijkl ;<BR /><BR />%put %cmpres(&amp;a) ;<BR /><BR />Above a macro variable not compressing.<BR />The %cmpres how works <BR />I need value like abcdefghijkl Wed, 18 Mar 2020 05:42:54 GMT https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Programming/How-cmpres-function-works/m-p/632858#M187678 thanikondharish 2020-03-18T05:42:54Z https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Programming/How-cmpres-function-works/m-p/632862#M187683 <P>Either run code preceding with <STRONG>options mprint symbolgen;</STRONG> and post the log</P> <P>Or change code to<STRONG> %compress</STRONG>(&amp;a);</P> Wed, 18 Mar 2020 06:17:44 GMT https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Programming/How-cmpres-function-works/m-p/632862#M187683 Shmuel 2020-03-18T06:17:44Z https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Programming/How-cmpres-function-works/m-p/632871#M187685 <P>The %CMPRES function removes multiple spaces, as well as leading and trailing spaces. However, it will preserve single spaces in between.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Try the following:</P><PRE><CODE class=" language-sas">%let a= abcd efgh ijkl ; %put %sysfunc(compress(&amp;a));</CODE></PRE><P>&nbsp;</P> Wed, 18 Mar 2020 06:54:43 GMT https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Programming/How-cmpres-function-works/m-p/632871#M187685 jvdl 2020-03-18T06:54:43Z https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Programming/How-cmpres-function-works/m-p/632933#M187706 <P>Note that system macro is ancient.&nbsp; You can use %SYSFUNC() now and avoid those macro loops.&nbsp; To get similar results to %CMPRES() use %SYSFUNC(COMPBL()).&nbsp; To remove all spaces use %SYSFUNC(COMPRESS()).</P> <PRE>152 %let a= abcd efgh ijkl ; 153 154 %put a |&amp;a| ; a |abcd efgh ijkl| 155 %put cmpress |%cmpres(&amp;a)| ; cmpress |abcd efgh ijkl| 156 %put compbl |%sysfunc(compbl(&amp;a))| ; compbl |abcd efgh ijkl| 157 %put compress |%sysfunc(compress(&amp;a))| ; compress |abcdefghijkl| </PRE> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>If you want to see how CMPRES works you can read the code.</P> <PRE><CODE class=" language-sas">%macro cmpres(text); %*********************************************************************; %* *; %* MACRO: CMPRES *; %* *; %* USAGE: 1) %cmpres(argument) *; %* *; %* DESCRIPTION: *; %* This macro returns the argument passed to it in an unquoted *; %* form with multiple blanks compressed to single blanks and also *; %* with leading and trailing blanks removed. *; %* *; %* Eg. %let macvar=%cmpres(&amp;argtext) *; %* *; %* NOTES: *; %* The %LEFT and %TRIM macros in the autocall library are used *; %* in this macro. *; %* *; %*********************************************************************; %local i; %let i=%index(&amp;text,%str( )); %do %while(&amp;i ne 0); %let text=%qsubstr(&amp;text,1,&amp;i)%qleft(%qsubstr(&amp;text,&amp;i+1)); %let i=%index(&amp;text,%str( )); %end; %left(%qtrim(&amp;text)) %mend;</CODE></PRE> <P>Of course you will also need the code for the %LEFT() and %QTRIM() macros.</P> <PRE><CODE class=" language-sas">%macro left(text); %*********************************************************************; %* *; %* MACRO: LEFT *; %* *; %* USAGE: 1) %left(argument) *; %* *; %* DESCRIPTION: *; %* This macro returns the argument passed to it without any *; %* leading blanks in an unquoted form. The syntax for its use *; %* is similar to that of native macro functions. *; %* *; %* Eg. %let macvar=%left(&amp;argtext) *; %* *; %* NOTES: *; %* The %VERIFY macro is used to determine the first non-blank *; %* character position. *; %* *; %*********************************************************************; %local i; %if %length(&amp;text)=0 %then %let text=%str( ); %let i=%verify(&amp;text,%str( )); %if &amp;i %then %substr(&amp;text,&amp;i); %mend; </CODE></PRE> <PRE><CODE class=" language-sas">%macro qtrim(value); %*********************************************************************; %* *; %* MACRO: QTRIM *; %* *; %* USAGE: 1) %qtrim(argument) *; %* *; %* DESCRIPTION: *; %* This macro returns the argument passed to it without any *; %* trailing blanks in a quoted form. The syntax for its use *; %* is similar to that of native macro functions. *; %* *; %* Eg. %let macvar=%qtrim(&amp;argtext) *; %* *; %* NOTES: *; %* None. *; %* *; %*********************************************************************; %local i; %do i=%length(&amp;value) %to 1 %by -1; %if %qsubstr(&amp;value,&amp;i,1) ne %str( ) %then %goto trimmed; %end; %trimmed: %if &amp;i&gt;0 %then %qsubstr(&amp;value,1,&amp;i); %mend;</CODE></PRE> <P>Which to understand you will have to read the VERIFY macro.</P> <PRE><CODE class=" language-sas">%macro verify(text,target); %*********************************************************************; %* *; %* MACRO: VERIFY *; %* *; %* USAGE: 1) %verify(argument,target) *; %* *; %* DESCRIPTION: *; %* This macro returns the position of the first character in the *; %* argument that is not in the target value. If every character *; %* that is in the argument is also in the target value then this *; %* fuction returns a value of 0. The syntax for its use is *; %* is similar to that of native macro functions. *; %* *; %* Eg. %let i=%verify(&amp;argtext,&amp;targtext) *; %* *; %* SUPPORT: sassmo *; %* NOTES: *; %* Both values to this function must have non-zero lengths or an *; %* error message will be produced. *; %* *; %*********************************************************************; %local i; %if %length(&amp;text)=0 OR %length(&amp;target)=0 %then %do; %put ERROR: ARGUMENT TO VERIFY FUNCTION MISSING.; %goto errout; %end; %do i=1 %to %length(&amp;text); %if NOT %index(&amp;target,%qsubstr(&amp;text,&amp;i,1)) %then %goto verfnd; %end; %verfnd: %if &amp;i&gt;%length(&amp;text) %then 0; %else &amp;i; %errout: %mend;</CODE></PRE> <P>&nbsp;</P> Wed, 18 Mar 2020 12:21:12 GMT https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Programming/How-cmpres-function-works/m-p/632933#M187706 Tom 2020-03-18T12:21:12Z