topic Re: Inserting a single quote via PRXCHANGE? in SAS Procedures

Inserting a single quote via PRXCHANGE?

bluth_family — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 17:08:38 GMT

Hi all - I would like to use a single quote in the PRXCHANGE function as follows:

new_text_field = PRXCHANGE('s/([A-Z]\w+)(?=s)/$1\'/',-1,text_field);

But the above returns an error. It doesn't like that single quote in the pink section. I know these are a pain to read but this would ideally scan text for words that end in 's' and replace them so that they end in 's basically making them possessive. This works if I use a dash instead of a single quote.

Any idea how to make it accept the single quote?

Re: Inserting a single quote via PRXCHANGE?

PGStats — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 17:30:45 GMT

Use double quotes to surround a string with a single quote inside

new_text_field = PRXCHANGE("s/([A-Z]\w+)(?=s)/$1'/", -1, text_field);

Re: Inserting a single quote via PRXCHANGE?

FriedEgg — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 17:32:57 GMT

You are going to get unwanted results unless you modify the regular expression to look for a word boundary too

data have;
input text_field $10.;
cards;
Expression
Tools
;
run;

data want;
set have;
new_text_field=prxchange('s/([A-Z]\w+)(?=s)/$1''/',-1,text_field);
foo_text_field=prxchange('s/([A-Z]\w+)(?=s\b)/$1''/',-1,text_field);
put (text_field new_text_field foo_text_field) (/=);
run;

text_field=Expression
new_text_field=Expres'sion
foo_text_field=Expression

text_field=Tools
new_text_field=Tool's
foo_text_field=Tool's

Re: Inserting a single quote via PRXCHANGE?

bluth_family — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 17:38:22 GMT

Thank you to both!

And yes I have not yet tackled the word boundary issue but I am aware of it. Good advice.

Thank you!

Re: Inserting a single quote via PRXCHANGE?

bluth_family — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 17:40:11 GMT

Well I meant to mark this as the solution. Now I can't undo it. I am a dork.