Determine the column type (DATE, DATETIME, TIME) based on the SAS format

[DavePrinsloo]

As of SAS release 9.4m3 it is possible to determine the "type" or category of a  SAS column by using the FMTINFO function. 

Examples 

%let fmttype=%sysfunc(fmtinfo(DATE,cat));   returned value: date
%let fmttype=%sysfunc(fmtinfo(DATETIME20.2,cat));  returned value: UNKNOWN
%let fmttype=%sysfunc(fmtinfo(DATETIME,cat));  returned value: datetime

[Quentin]

Design question:

Why do you have two parameters posfmt and format= ? 

%macro ut_fmt2type(posfmt,format=, lognote=N);

%local _this_fmt_type varfmt ;
/* allow positional and named parameter, prefer named parameter */
%let varfmt=%sysfunc(coalescec(&format.,&posfmt.));

It looks like this is a positional parameter and a keyword parameter for the same parameter, so that a user can call in either manner.

But even if you define a parameter as positional, a user is still free to call it as a keyword parameter, which is a really nice feature of the macro language.  So I would think you could do this as:

%macro ut_fmt2type(format, lognote=N);

[DavePrinsloo]

I have been using SAS for 30+ years and I never knew that, Thanks!
I will modify the macro and repost. (But I need to leave to go to a drive-in Coronavirus test in 30 minutes, so that will have to wait!)

[Quentin]

Good luck with your test!

[Tom · Accepted solution]

Why not just use the CAT type value from the FMTINFO() function?

%macro fmtcat(format);
%local i base;
%if %length(&format) %then %do;
  %let i=%sysfunc(verify(%qsysfunc(reverse(&format)),.0123456789));
  %if &i %then %let base=%sysfunc(substrn(&format,1,%length(&format)-&i+1));
  %else %let base=F;
  %sysfunc(fmtinfo(&base,cat))
%end;
%mend fmtcat;

Examples:

195  %put %fmtcat(datetime24.3);
datetime
196  %put %fmtcat(time8.);
time
197  %put %fmtcat(best);
num
198  %put %fmtcat($char);
char
199  %put %fmtcat(32.);
num
200  %put %fmtcat(F);
num
201  %put %fmtcat($);
char
202  %put %fmtcat($10);
char
203  %put %fmtcat($10.);
char
204  %put %fmtcat();

205  %put %fmtcat(xyz);
UNKNOWN