Isolate records with double blank, then comma; or comma then double blank

[Walternate]

Hi,

I have a name variable where most values are Last, First. 

I want to examine records where the name value contains two blanks followed by a comma OR a comma followed by two blanks (ie, the comma has two blanks on at least one side). This is what I have set up:

proc print data = have;

    var namevar;

    where index(namevar, ',')>0 and (index(namevar, '  ,') >0 or index(namevar, ',  ')>0));

run;

The step ran but did not produce what I thought it would. I didn't see what I was looking for: a double blank followed by a comma, or a comma followed by a double blank. Instead I only saw one or zero blanks adjacent to the columns.

Should this be working? If not, is there a different approach?

[novinosrin]

Hi @Walternate   Try Regex. A sample data for us to play with would have been nice.

For two blanks followed by a comma

Regex would be : \s (any white space)  quantifier needed is 2 , so regex {2} followed by a comma ,

Something like the below

\s{2}, 

[PGStats · Accepted solution]

proc print data = have;
var namevar;
where prxMatch("/  ,|,  /", namevar);
run;