topic Help with macro function in SAS Programming

Help with macro function

pp2014 — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 15:46:57 GMT

I am trying to assign the file name to the variable. I am getting error saying that symbolic variable names must be 32 or fewer character long. Which macro function I should be using so that I do not have to worry about the length of the file?

%let fname = my_file_name_is_xyz_20150202090056.txt;

data abc;

src_file_nm = symget("&fname.");

run;

Re: Help with macro function

Astounding — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 16:03:20 GMT

Just get rid of SYMGET:

src_file_nm = "&fname.";

Re: Help with macro function

LinusH — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 16:03:56 GMT

You are mixing styles. Symget will resolve the value in the data step variable.

&fname will resolve the value in place.

So either remove the & in symget(), or skip symget().

Re: Help with macro function

Haikuo — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 16:08:05 GMT

%let fname = my_file_name_is_xyz_20150202090056.txt;

data abc;

src_file_nm = symget("fname");

run;

You don't need & to refer a macro variable in symget(). Doing so will resolve first, then resolving outcome will become a macro variable name for symget to process. In this case the macro variable name is my_file_name_is_xyz_20150202090056.txt, which violates two rules of naming convention for SAS variable/macro variable: 1. The length <=32 char 2. only alphabetic and _ can be part of the name, here you have dot .