topic Re: dCreate returns empty string in SAS Programming

dCreate returns empty string

Frn747 — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 08:18:09 GMT

Hi there.

I am trying to create a folder for my output reports and I have tried all of these options:

%put NOTE: creating folder (%sysfunc(dcreate(Reports, ParentDir)));

%put NOTE: creating folder (%sysfunc(dcreate('Reports', 'ParentDir')));

%put NOTE: creating folder (%sysfunc(dcreate("Reports", "ParentDir")));A

At least, one of them should be correct but in all of the cases, the output is the same:

NOTE: creating folder ()

No output directory, no errors, no nothing. Just a blank string (and of course, the folder has not been created).

I am working in a pretty restricted environment (SAS 9.3) and I can't use either shell escape commands (like X or SysExec). Probably my problem is due to some other admin restriction but: no output at all? nothing? not an error or a warning?

Any clue?

Thanks in advance!

Re: dCreate returns empty string

andreas_lds — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 08:43:34 GMT

The documentation of dcreate says: "If the directory cannot be created, then DCREATE returns an empty string."

If you are using dcreate with %sysfunc, you need to use macro-variables, if "ParentDir" is a dataset-variable, don't use %sysfunc.

Re: dCreate returns empty string

Frn747 — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 09:10:24 GMT

Thanks Andreas for your reply.

I already tried with macro-variables and with a data step with the same result:

%let newdir = 'Reports';
%let parentdir = 'C:\Users\Public\Documents\SAS Learning\';
%put NOTE: creating folder (%sysfunc(dcreate(&newdir, &parentdir)));

data _null_;
	new = dcreate('Reports', 'C:\Users\Public\Documents\SAS Learning\');
	put "NOTE: creating folder (" new ")";
run;

I have rights in that folder. I have no clues why the directory cannot be created!

Re: dCreate returns empty string

Kurt_Bremser — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 11:26:48 GMT

@Frn747 wrote:

I have rights in that folder.

Did you check that by logging on to the SAS server and testing md from the commandline?

Re: dCreate returns empty string

Frn747 — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 11:33:12 GMT

No, I didn't.
I only use Enterprise Guide and I don't think I can log on to the SAS server (or at least, I don't know how to).

Re: dCreate returns empty string

Kurt_Bremser — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 12:23:43 GMT

Then from where do you take it that you have the necessary permissions, or that the path exists at all?

Re: dCreate returns empty string

Tom — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 12:27:54 GMT

Don't put quotes into macro variables, unless you need the quotes in the strings you are generating.

Make sure that the parent directory exists on the machine where SAS is running. Try FILEEXIST(). And is a directory and not a normal file try DOPEN().

Re: dCreate returns empty string

andreas_lds — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 12:43:21 GMT

@Frn747 wrote:

Thanks Andreas for your reply.

I already tried with macro-variables and with a data step with the same result:
%let newdir = 'Reports';
%let parentdir = 'C:\Users\Public\Documents\SAS Learning\';
%put NOTE: creating folder (%sysfunc(dcreate(&newdir, &parentdir)));

data _null_;
	new = dcreate('Reports', 'C:\Users\Public\Documents\SAS Learning\');
	put "NOTE: creating folder (" new ")";
run;
I have rights in that folder. I have no clues why the directory cannot be created!

The first try won't work due to using quoted strings, as @Tom already said. The data-null-step should work, if the path C:\Users\Public\Documents\SAS Learning\ exists on the server. The blank in "SAS Learning" could cause trouble, that's why i hardly every use blanks in filenames or directory-names.

Re: dCreate returns empty string

Frn747 — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 15:17:31 GMT

Thank all for your suggestions.

I think that the key information and probably I don't explain it clearly enough is that I am trying to create the folder in my local machine, not in the server!

I already have the reports generated in the server but I need to download them to my local machine. I am using the "Copy Files" add-in but it needs the folder to exist and I can't figure out how to ensure the folder exist and if not, create it.

Re: dCreate returns empty string

Tom — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 15:23:39 GMT

@Frn747 wrote:

Thank all for your suggestions.

I think that the key information and probably I don't explain it clearly enough is that I am trying to create the folder in my local machine, not in the server!

I already have the reports generated in the server but I need to download them to my local machine. I am using the "Copy Files" add-in but it needs the folder to exist and I can't figure out how to ensure the folder exist and if not, create it.

Then you need to edit the code of the Copy Files add-in. Which is NOT SAS code.

Re: dCreate returns empty string

Reeza — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 15:34:38 GMT

@Frn747 wrote:

Thank all for your suggestions.

I think that the key information and probably I don't explain it clearly enough is that I am trying to create the folder in my local machine, not in the server!

That is a fairly key distinction, EG is likely on your server and cannot see or access your local machine. So you cannot pass commands to your local machine in this manner, UNLESS you can select run locally in EG. Even then you cannot have local and server processes in the same process flow.