topic Re: update an exist text file in SAS Programming

update an exist text file

GeorgeSAS — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 17:33:48 GMT

Hello everyone,

I can use data _null_; file filename to update/overwrite an txt file

also I can use mod option to append to text file.here is the code:

filename old "c:\temp\test\old";
data _null_;
file old;
put 'this is row 1';
put 'this is row 2';
put 'this is row 3';
put 'this is row 4';
put 'this is row 5';
put 'this is row 6';
put 'this is row 7';
put 'this is row 8';
put 'this is row 9';
put 'this is row 10';
run;
 
data a;
new="I want row number 6 to be updated";
run;

data _null_;
set a;
file old mod ;
put new;
run;

the result of old is:

this is row 1
this is row 2
this is row 3
this is row 4
this is row 5
this is row 6
this is row 7
this is row 8
this is row 9
this is row 10
I want row number 6 to be updated

My question is I don't want string new append on the old file, I want the string new update the 6th row of old file.

the result should like this:

this is row 1
this is row 2
this is row 3
this is row 4
this is row 5
I want row number 6 to be updated
this is row 7
this is row 8
this is row 9
this is row 10

Please help!

Thanks!

Re: update an exist text file

Reeza — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 17:36:18 GMT

What's your OS? It's best, IMO, to use either Unix or Windows line commands to do this rather than to use SAS.

And do you have XCMD enabled?

Re: update an exist text file

GeorgeSAS — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 18:50:45 GMT

Windows,how to do that?

Re: update an exist text file

Reeza — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 19:12:47 GMT

Search "Powershell replace line item in text file" for starters. I had this issue and posted this question earlier this year, so if you can search my questions you should see a similar answer on here.

Re: update an exist text file

art297 — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 19:36:29 GMT

You could do it with just using SAS. e.g.:

filename old "c:\temp\test\old.txt";
data _null_;
  file old;
  put 'this is row 1';
  put 'this is row 2';
  put 'this is row 3';
  put 'this is row 4';
  put 'this is row 5';
  put 'this is row 6';
  put 'this is row 7';
  put 'this is row 8';
  put 'this is row 9';
  put 'this is row 10';
run;
 
data a;
  new="I want row number 6 to be updated";
run;

data have;
  infile old dsd truncover;
  input text $100.;
run;

data _null_;
  set have;
  if _n_ eq 1 then set a;
  if _n_ eq 6 then text=new;
  file old;
  put text;
run;

Art, CEO, AnalystFinder.com

Re: update an exist text file

Reeza — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 20:47:05 GMT

@art297 that requires you to process the entire file, the command line tools are more powerful, but it is a different language...

Re: update an exist text file

art297 — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 22:42:30 GMT

@Reeza: I agree! But, for a small file requiring such a minor one-time change, I think the learning curve would cost more than the processing time required by the method I suggested.

Art, CEO, AnalystFinder.com

Re: update an exist text file

Reeza — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 22:45:24 GMT

@art297 wrote:

@Reeza: I agree! But, for a small file requiring such a minor one-time change, I think the learning curve would cost more than the processing time required by the method I suggested.

Art, CEO, AnalystFinder.com

100% agree, but there's also the logic if you never take the time to learn it, it will never be the faster method. Up to the OP to make that decision really at the end of the day. I wish I'd spent more time learning command line tools at the beginning of my career, they're the fast for manipulating text files and really powerful.

Re: update an exist text file

ChrisNZ — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 03:03:31 GMT

Have you looked at the sharebuffers option?

http://support.sas.com/documentation/cdl/en/lestmtsref/69738/HTML/default/viewer.htm#n1rill4udj0tfun1fvce3j401plo.htm#p1wh3af3k9jgzyn1w0agtn3uj2ed

Re: update an exist text file

GeorgeSAS — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 18:16:21 GMT

I agree with both of you!