A beginner's question about the macro variable

[humenghu]

Hi all, I wanted to write the string 'the input value is xxx' in the SAS log, using the following macro. My question is why the following does not work and how can I fix it.

%macro test(num=5);

data;

put 'the input value is &num';

/* alternatively I can use an addtional variable to get the desired result*/

a=#

put 'the input value is ' a;

/*but why the first attempt using  '&num ' does not work?*/

%mend test;

%test()

[art297 · Accepted solution]

Macro variables, if contained in quotes, won't resolve unless they are enclosed in double (i.e., ") quotes.

[humenghu]

Thanks for the hint.