topic Re: datalines, embedded tabs, interactive vs batch in SAS Programming

datalines, embedded tabs, interactive vs batch

jdmarino — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 18:32:45 GMT

data here.knownSecType;

input secType $;

datalines;

cmn

option

;

run;

The 2 datalines each have 2 tab characters before the string. When I run it interactively, the resulting dataset has no tabs in the secType field (e.g. "cmn"). When I run it in batch mode, I get tabs (e.g." cmn"). Can anyone explain this?

(It's an issue because I'm helping a colleague develop some code and we want to work from one codebase. He works interactively; I work in batch. Subsequent joins with this table work for him and not for me.)lk

Re: datalines, embedded tabs, interactive vs batch

jdmarino — Thu, 01 May 2014 21:14:24 GMT

I'm surprised no one has responded. Too simple? This kind of basic stuff sometimes vexes me.

Re: datalines, embedded tabs, interactive vs batch

Tom — Thu, 01 May 2014 23:51:51 GMT

It does not convert the tabs on submission when using the old style PGM window in SAS 9.2 on a Unix machine.

17 data _null_;

18 input secType $;

19 list;

20 datalines;

RULE: ----+----1----+----2----+----3----+----4----+----5----+----6----+----7----+----8----+----9----+----0

21 CHAR ..cmn

ZONE 00666222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222

NUMR 993DE000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

22 CHAR ..option

ZONE 00677666222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222

NUMR 99F049FE000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time):

real time 0.00 seconds

cpu time 0.00 seconds

23 ;

24 run;

Are you using the "enhanced" editor?

The "enhanced editor" will also honor the tab stops you have set in the options when converting these tabs to spaces. So with tab stops set at 4 characters you get this:

2730 data _null_;

2731 input secType $;

2732 list;

2733 datalines;

RULE: ----+----1----+----2----+----3----+----4----+----5----+----6----+----7----+----8---

2734 cmn

2735 option

NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time):

real time 0.00 seconds

cpu time 0.00 seconds

2736 ;

2737 run

Re: datalines, embedded tabs, interactive vs batch

Ksharp — Fri, 02 May 2014 02:37:33 GMT

Add it :

data here.knownSecType;

infile cards expandtabs;

input secType $;

datalines;

cmn

option

;

run;

Xia Keshan

Re: datalines, embedded tabs, interactive vs batch

jakarman — Fri, 02 May 2014 06:40:35 GMT

@jdmarino, As now you have been surprised by smart editor behavior. Just using old style Single-byte encoding.
Try this type of effects using UTF8 session encoding and more of those. You will be really surprised.

Re: datalines, embedded tabs, interactive vs batch

jdmarino — Fri, 02 May 2014 11:18:02 GMT

Worked like a charm. I have to say, after I read the help on the infile statement (where the expandtabs option help is), there is no way I would have expected it to solve this problem, so your reply was valuable. Thanks.

Re: datalines, embedded tabs, interactive vs batch

jdmarino — Fri, 02 May 2014 11:23:49 GMT

My colleague is the one who runs things interactively. I use notepad++ to edit a file and run it in batch mode: no problems!

Re: datalines, embedded tabs, interactive vs batch

jdmarino — Fri, 02 May 2014 11:25:24 GMT

My colleague is the interactive one. I'm 47 years old, so I use batch mode. All that pointing and clicking bugs me.

Re: datalines, embedded tabs, interactive vs batch

jakarman — Fri, 02 May 2014 12:06:29 GMT

Jdmarino, the last reply about age is too tempting, you are still a youngster. I like the interactive approaches, the encoding challenges etc.
As you are using Notepad++ it also there with a nice indication for encoding. If you ever hit the BOM indicator you will see what I mean.
Strange the fixed 8 position translation with SAS. If you do this in notepad++ it are 4 positions, however you can change it to a personal value.

Re: datalines, embedded tabs, interactive vs batch

Tom — Fri, 02 May 2014 13:07:20 GMT

Whatever editor you use I find that is causes problems to include tabs inside the program file.

In whatever editor you are using take advantage of the settings they have to convert the tabs to spaces. Most editors will let you do this. You can still use the tab key when typing to make things align but your saved files will not have those nasty tabs interspersed in random places in the text.

Re: datalines, embedded tabs, interactive vs batch

jdmarino — Fri, 02 May 2014 13:19:09 GMT

I agree. And I do that (have my editor convert tabs to spaces). And I wrote to my colleague to warn him that "tabs are EVIL".