Referencing a Linux invisible file

[gphunt]

In Linux a file can be made "invisible" by adding a period to a filename.  For example a file xx is visible whereas .xx is invisible to a GUI.  My goal is to make a view that references an invisible file such as:

libname claims '/local/claimfiles/';

data claims.vw_claim_a / view=claims.vw_claim_a;  /* this is the visible view */

1.    set claims.invisible_claim_a;                               /* this is the invisible file */

       ...pgm code...;

run;

data view_result;

    set claims.vw_claim_a;

    ...pgm code...

run;

In this example line "1." above, the file "invisible_claim_a" is ACTUALLY an invisible file defined as ".invisible_claim_a" with the leading period.  If I just write the statement "1." above as it is, I get the error that "invisible_claim_a" does not exist.  Of course this is correct because it is really named ".invisible_claim_a" (with the preceeding period).  How do I get around this to point the DATA VIEW to the invisible file?

[Kurt_Bremser]

A dot is not valid in SAS names, except with system option validmemname=extend and the use of a name literal.

So, with

options validmemname=extend;

this might work:

set claims.'.invisible_claim_a'n;

if the file is named

.invisible_claim_a.sas7bdat

[SASKiwi]

This also might work:

data want;
  set '/local/claimfiles/.invisible_claim_a';
run;

[gphunt]

This still resulting in an error "is not a valid SAS member name".  When I look at the SAS documentation for OPTIONS VALIDMEMNAME=EXTEND, one of the rules is that the name cannot begin with a ".";

[Tom]

It won't work. Even with VALIDMEMNAME=EXTEND set you cannot have a period in a member name.

[gphunt]

Thanks, that's what I just found out.  So is there no way to make a Linux "invisible" file accessible by SAS?

[SASKiwi]

SAS would be able to read in invisible data files using INFILE and INPUT. The restriction only applies to SAS files like datasets.