topic Re: Using Call Symput to Change a Macro Variable's Value in SAS Programming

Using Call Symput to Change a Macro Variable's Value

emikea — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 18:16:05 GMT

Hello- I'm clearly missing something simple here. Any idea why the following code will not change the value of the macro variable?

%SYMDEL MACRO1;

DATA _NULL_;

%GLOBAL MACRO1;

%LET MACRO1 = 0;

%PUT MACRO1 IS NOW &MACRO1.;

CALL SYMPUTX('MACRO1',1, 'G');

%PUT MACRO1 IS NOW &MACRO1.;

RUN;

Re: Using Call Symput to Change a Macro Variable's Value

SASKiwi — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 18:33:58 GMT

In your example there is no need to use a DATA step or call symputx. The main use of call symputx is to write a DATA step variable to a macro variable.

%GLOBAL MACRO1;

%LET MACRO1 = 0;

%PUT MACRO1 IS NOW &MACRO1.;

%LET MACRO1 = 1;

%PUT MACRO1 IS NOW &MACRO1.;

If you want to use call symputx then the value of macro1 will only change after the DATA step boundary as it is an executable DATA step statement.

DATA _NULL_;

%GLOBAL MACRO1;

%LET MACRO1 = 0;

%PUT MACRO1 IS NOW &MACRO1.;

CALL SYMPUTX('MACRO1',1, 'G');

RUN;

%PUT MACRO1 IS NOW &MACRO1.;

Re: Using Call Symput to Change a Macro Variable's Value

emikea — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 18:39:38 GMT

Thank you!