Printing out percentages in email

[scolitti1]

Hi!

I am trying to code an automatic email for a daily report I do. I can get most of it to work, however, I can't seem to get the percentages to print out in the correct format once it is sent out.

Please see code below (Please note I redacted sensitive information):

Data bullet1;
Set test;
CALL SYMPUT ('bullet1',prop_new);
CALL SYMPUT ('DIF_bullet1', DIF_bullet1);
KEEP today_s_date prop_new DIF_bullet1;
Run;

OPTIONS EMAILSYS=smtp Emailhost = amail.placeholder.org EMAILPORT=25 EMAILID="s@placeholder.org"; 
FILENAME Mailbox EMAIL ATTACH=("T:Filepath");
FILENAME Mailbox EMAIL ATTACH=("T:Filepath");

Data _NULL_;
FILE Mailbox TO=('C@placeholder.org')
CC=('S@Placeholder.org')

SUBJECT="Report &today";

PUT "The &today Report.";
PUT " ";
PUT "• As of &today, The proportion of beds is &bullet1.% (&DIF_bullet1.% change from the previous day).";
PUT "• Placeholder.";
PUT "• Placeholder.";
PUT "• Placeholder";
PUT "• Placeholder";
PUT "• Placeholder";
PUT "• Placeholder.";
PUT "• Placeholder";
PUT "• Placeholder.";

proc printto;
RUN;

How the email outputs:

The 15SEP2022 Report.

•   As of 15SEP2022, The proportion of beds is 0.0342627711% (-0.000806103% change from the previous day).

[PaigeMiller · Accepted solution]

What is the correct format? You didn't tell us.

However, you can assign whatever format you want in your CALL SYMPUT (which should really be CALL SYMPUTX). For example:

CALL SYMPUTX('DIF_bullet1', put(DIF_bullet1,yourformatgoeshere.));

assuming variable DIF_bullet1 is numeric.

If you use the PERCENT. format, you don't even need to append a percent sign later in the PUT statement.

Lastly, may I be so bold as to comment on your choice of words? Here:

As of 15SEP2022, The proportion of beds is 0.0342627711%

Proportions should NOT have a percent sign afterwards. Percents (which is the proportion times 100) should have a % sign afterwards. And so the sentence should read (I think)

As of 15SEP2022, The percent of beds is 3.42627711%