topic Re: Broken automated macro list generating code in SAS Programming

Broken automated macro list generating code

P_2 — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 18:30:25 GMT

This is my code so far:

options mlogic mprint symbolgen spool NOQUOTELENMAX ;

%macro schlub (num1=, num2=);

data temp;

test = %str(%')

%do i = &num1. %to 9;

%str("000&i.",)

%end;

%do i = 10 %to 99;

%str("00&i.",)

%end;

%do i = 100 %to &num2.;

%str("0&i.",)

%end; %str(%')

;

call symput("list", test);

run;

%mend schlub;

%schlub(num1=0001, num2=0101);

it produces this error:

NOTE: Numeric values have been converted to character values at the places given by: (Line):(Column).

1761:30

NOTE: The SAS System stopped processing this step because of errors.

WARNING: The data set WORK.TEMP may be incomplete. When this step was stopped there were 0 observations and 1

variables.

WARNING: Data set WORK.TEMP was not replaced because this step was stopped.

NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time):

real time 0.22 seconds

cpu time 0.15 seconds

It should more or less create this:

data temp;

test = ' "0001", "0002", "0003", "0004", "0005", "0006", "0007", "0008", "0009", "0010", "0011",

"0012", "0013", "0014", "0015", "0016", "0017", "0018", "0019", "0020", "0021", "0022", "0023", "0024", "0025", "0026",

"0027", "0028", "0029", "0030", "0031", "0032", "0033", "0034", "0035", "0036", "0037", "0038", "0039", "0040", "0041",

"0042", "0043", "0044", "0045", "0046", "0047", "0048", "0049", "0050", "0051", "0052", "0053", "0054", "0055", "0056",

"0057", "0058", "0059", "0060", "0061", "0062", "0063", "0064", "0065", "0066", "0067", "0068", "0069", "0070", "0071",

"0072", "0073", "0074", "0075", "0076", "0077", "0078", "0079", "0080", "0081", "0082", "0083", "0084", "0085", "0086",

"0087", "0088", "0089", "0090", "0091", "0092", "0093", "0094", "0095", "0096", "0097", "0098", "0099", "0100", "0101"';

call symput("list", test);

run;

I know I need to add a little logic to remove the comma at the last number, but I am trying to resolve this error first.

Thanks,

Paul

Re: Broken automated macro list generating code

slchen — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 19:00:52 GMT

data _null_;

length list $1000.;

do i=1 to 101;

list=catx(',',list,quote(put(i,z4.)));

end;

call symputx('list',list);

run;

%put &list;

Re: Broken automated macro list generating code

Reeza — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 19:34:58 GMT

You generally don't need comma's between characters for IN clauses so you can skip that step.

Shenglin's solution is better and you can macrotize that if required.

Re: Broken automated macro list generating code

Tom — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 22:00:17 GMT

What are you actually trying to do?

%macro schlub (num1=, num2=,len=4);

%local i sep;

%do i=&num1 %to &num2 ;

%*;&sep."%sysfunc(putn(&i,Z&len))"%*;

%let sep=,;

%end;

%mend schlub;

%let list=%schlub(num1=1, num2=101);

%put &list;

Re: Broken automated macro list generating code

P_2 — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 13:08:42 GMT

Thank you all . Both Tom and Shenglin's methods perfectly accomplish what I am trying to do. I wanted to easily create a macro list from a range of codes, inputting two numbers. In this case, 0001 through 0101.

Re: Broken automated macro list generating code

RW9 — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 13:27:07 GMT

Yes, there is no need to use macro code at all:

data want;

length test $2000;

do i=1 to 101;

test=catx(",",test,put(i,z4.));

end;

run;

Re: Broken automated macro list generating code

Quentin — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 14:30:59 GMT

Hi Tom,

I am intrigued by the trailing %*; in your macro. I've seen the leading %*; as a way to avoid white space, but never seen the trailing %*;.

I thought it must be unnecessary, but then found when I removed it the macro wouldn't compile. But interestingly if I changed to &sep"%sysfunc(putn(&I,Z&len))" it would compile. So removing the extraneous (in a sense) dot after &sep makes the trailing %*; unnecessary. This seems like an odd macro compiler bug to me, do you agree? Any understanding of what causes it?

Below is some sample code, where I replicate the problem, then test different workarounds. Seems to me like the problem only happens when you have a macro var reference with traling dot followed but a string in double quotes which includes a macro invocation. Ugh.

options mcompilenote=all;

*wont compile without trailing macro comment;
%macro doesnotcompile(dummy); 
  %local sep;
  &sep."%sysfunc(putn(1,Z2))"
%mend; 

*Recover;
*";%mend; 

*Compiles with trailing macro comment;
%macro compiles(dummy); 
  %local sep;
  &sep."%sysfunc(putn(1,Z2))"%*;
%mend; 

*Compiles without trailing macro comment, no dot after &sep;
%macro compiles(dummy); 
  %local sep;
  &sep"%sysfunc(putn(1,Z2))"
%mend; 

*Compiles without trailing macro comment, so quote marks are part of cause;
%macro compiles(dummy); 
  %local sep;
  &sep.%sysfunc(putn(1,Z2))
%mend; 

*Compiles without trailing macro comment, so macro call is part of cause;
%macro compiles(dummy); 
  %local sep;
  &sep."HiMom"
%mend;

Re: Broken automated macro list generating code

Tom — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 14:37:52 GMT

I put it there because it made it work. Originally I had the %DO;...%END all on one line and it worked. But when I reformatted it to look pretty it broke.

I am not sure why. Perhaps it is stuck looking to see there is going to be a letter after the quote to indicate a literal type? Ie "01JAN1960"d

Re: Broken automated macro list generating code

Quentin — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 15:35:39 GMT

Sigh, was hoping you'd be able to make my head stop hurting over this. : ) I don't think it's just looking for a date literal. That wouldn't explain why removing the dot after the macro variable reference avoids the problem. Thanks for mentioning %do/%end. Definitely seems like white space after the closing quote is part of the problem. Very odd. Will think more on Friday, maybe start a new thread.

%macro doesnotcompile(dummy);
&sep."%upcase(q)" %mend;

*remove dot;
%macro compiles(dummy);
&sep"%upcase(q)" %mend;

*with dot but remove white space after closing quote;
%macro compiles(dummy);
&sep."%upcase(q)"%mend;