Find function and Macro quoting function

[bebess]

/* search words in a macro variable list which contains "'" or any special caracters*/

%let source=1028_BUZ%STR(%'); /* i have the apostroph in my list of words and potentially other punctuation or special caracters*/

%let string= 1028_' 1_AAA 1_AAB 1BUZ 14_EUZ;

%macro finddlm(source,string,dlm);

%global result;

%let source=%upcase(%NRSTR(&source));

%let string=%upcase(%NRSTR(&string));

%if &dlm= %then %let dlm=%str( );

%if %sysfunc(indexw(%superq(source),&string,%superq(dlm)))>0 %then %do;

%let result=1;

%end;

%else %do;

%let result=0;

%end;

%mend finddlm;

%finddlm(&source,&string,);

[Astounding]

As you have likely seen, using macro language to solve this introduces complications.  There is the possibility of unmatched quotes and unmatched parentheses in either string.  It would be a whole lot easier to let a DATA step do the searching:

data _null_;

source = symget(source);

string = symget(string);

if ......

then call symput('result', '1');

else call symput('result', '0');

run;

[Kurt_Bremser · Accepted solution]

First of all, you've mixed up source and string in the indexw() function, and you've created a search string that isn't found in the source.

This will give you a result of 1:

%let string=1028_%STR(%');

%let source= 1028_%str(%') 1_AAA 1_AAB 1BUZ 14_EUZ;

%macro finddlm(source,string,dlm);
%global result;
%let source=%upcase(%NRSTR(&source));
%let string=%upcase(%NRSTR(&string));
%if &dlm= %then %let dlm=%str( );
%if %sysfunc(indexw(%superq(source),&string,%superq(dlm)))>0 %then %do;
%let result=1;
%end;
%else %do;
%let result=0;
%end;
%mend finddlm;

%finddlm(&source,&string,);

%put result=&result;

as will this:

%let string=1028_%STR(%');

%let source= 1028_%str(%') 1_AAA 1_AAB 1BUZ 14_EUZ;

data _null_;
result = indexw("&source","&string"," ");
call symputx('another_result',result,'g');
run;

%put result=&another_result;

[bebess]

/* sorry for my mistakes it works more easy with a data step but still understand why my macro program doesn't work , it seems the it is indefinitely runing .....*/

/* i have en error when i submit my code with my example where source and string contains quotation marks or special caracters

i have created the source and string macro variable with proc sql statment using into: separated by ' ' ( space )

*/

%macro control_find_word(source,string,dlm);

　

%let k=1;

%let ID_dim=%scan(&string. , &k ," ");

%do %while (&ID_dim ne );

data _null_;

result = indexw("&source","&string"," ");

call symputx('result',result,'g');

run;

%if &result=0 %then %do;

%let control_dim=1;

%put ERROR: WORD DOES NOT EXIST;

%goto fin;

%end;

%let k=%eval(&k+1);

%let ID_dim=%scan(&string. , &k ," ");

%end;

%FIN : ;

　

%mend;

%control_find_word(&source,&string,);