topic Re: Can you trigger a macro by using a %include ?? in SAS Programming

Can you trigger a macro by using a %include ??

KevinC_ — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 15:56:24 GMT

Hello Everyone,

I am looking at a code and trying to understand how the macro gets triggered. Program A has a %include that references program B. Program B has 3 macros in it. Nowhere in Program A or Program B do I see those 3 macros being referenced with %macro_name.

Based on what I understand, a macro gets executed when you use %macro_name to trigger it. I don't see the 3 macro names referenced in any program. How does the code trigger the 3 macros in this case? Please let me know if I am not clear.

Thank you!

Re: Can you trigger a macro by using a %include ??

RW9 — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 16:06:02 GMT

They don't. You can create the template for the macro code as much as you like:

%macro XYZ ();

%mend XYZ;

But if nowhere in the code does: %XYZ (); appear then that macro does not get executed. There is not trigger to insert the macro code anywhere.

Re: Can you trigger a macro by using a %include ??

ballardw — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 16:11:33 GMT

The macros would get compiled though so would be ready in that SAS session in case another program needed them.

Re: Can you trigger a macro by using a %include ??

Astounding — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 17:04:33 GMT

Chances are, they are not executed. Perhaps the %INCLUDE statement was merely copied from another program that did actually use the macros. But other possibilities exist.

Another %INCLUDE statement might bring in code that executes %MACRO_NAME.

Another macro might execute, which executes %MACRO_NAME.

If it's a short-running program, you might just remove the %INCLUDE, run the program, and see what happens.

Good luck.

Re: Can you trigger a macro by using a %include ??

vmurali — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 00:38:39 GMT

Also you may wanna look for any 'Call execute' statement which also could be used to invoke a macro program from a DATA step.

Re: Can you trigger a macro by using a %include ??

Kurt_Bremser — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 06:32:42 GMT

To check, add a statement to the macros in program B like %put 'Macro executed now';

Then look in the log for this message.

It may well be that the same macros or any statements that have the same effect are already executed in/from the autoexec.sas

Also consider using options mlogic to see when a macro is being executed and what it does.