topic Illegal reference to the array Symptoms in SAS Procedures

Illegal reference to the array Symptoms

lady8506 — Thu, 25 May 2017 13:31:41 GMT

Can anyone tell me what is wrong here?

334 DATA Felibertiloop; set Felibertiloop;
335 array Symptoms[3] Symptoms1-Symptoms3;
336 **Output if all symptoms are missing;
337 IF max( of Symptoms(*)) = . then output;
338 ELSE DO I=1 to 3;
339 **Only output when sides are not missing;
340 Symptoms=Symptoms(i);
ERROR: Illegal reference to the array Symptoms.
341 IF not missing(Symptoms) then output;
ERROR: Illegal reference to the array Symptoms.
342 end;
343 drop i;
344 RUN;

Re: Illegal reference to the array Symptoms

Kurt_Bremser — Thu, 25 May 2017 13:48:58 GMT

Symptoms=Symptoms(i);

The left side of the assignment misses the necessary index for the array element.

Same happens in the next line.

Re: Illegal reference to the array Symptoms

Astounding — Thu, 25 May 2017 13:50:07 GMT

Once you have an array named Symptoms, you can't use that name to represent anything else. In this case, you are trying to create a variable named Symptoms as well, which SAS finds illegal. Change the variable name to something else.

SAS is so fussy about reusing an array name that you would also get an error for this:

array symptoms {3} symptom1-symptom3;

Re: Illegal reference to the array Symptoms

lady8506 — Thu, 25 May 2017 14:15:44 GMT

Actually figured it out right after I posted this. Tried to delete post, forgot to press "Confirm". Too late now. Thanks anyway.