Replace spaces in a macro parameter with line returns

[edwolfe]

I'm writing a macro that contains a macro parameter with a list of values, and I want to print each of those values on a separate line of the output file. I've tried using TRNWRD to do this, but the spaces in the list are not being replaced with line returns.

Have:

List=*
1 2 3 4
*

Want:
LIST=*
1
2
3
4
*

When I run the example code, in which I was trying to use TRANWRD to convert spaces to line returns, I get what I thought was the line return code instead of the line returns:

1'0D0A'x2'0D0A'x3'0D0A'x4

Example Code:

%macro test(list);

%Let List2 = %sysfunc(tranwrd(&List,%str( ),'0D0A'x));

data _null_; 
 put
  "LIST=*" /
  "&List2" /
  "*"
;
run;

%mend test;
%test(1 2 3 4);

[edwolfe]

I'm writing a macro that contains a macro parameter with a list of values, and I want to print each of those values on a separate line of the output file. I've tried using TRNWRD to do this, but the spaces in the list are not being replaced with line returns.

Have:

List=*
1 2 3 4
*

Want:
LIST=*
1
2
3
4
*

When I run the example code, in which I was trying to use TRANWRD to convert spaces to line returns, I get what I thought was the line return code instead of the line returns:

1'0D0A'x2'0D0A'x3'0D0A'x4

Example Code:

%macro test(list);

%Let List2 = %sysfunc(tranwrd(&List,%str( ),'0D0A'x));

data _null_; 
 put
  "LIST=*" /
  "&List2" /
  "*"
;
run;

%mend test;
%test(1 2 3 4);

[edwolfe]

Have:

List=*
1 2 3 4
*

Want:
LIST=*
1
2
3
4
*

When I run the example code, in which I was trying to use TRANWRD to convert spaces to line returns, I get what I thought was the line return code instead of the line returns:

1'0D0A'x2'0D0A'x3'0D0A'x4

Example Code:

%macro test(list);

%Let List2 = %sysfunc(tranwrd(&List,%str( ),'0D0A'x));

data _null_; 
 put
  "LIST=*" /
  "&List2" /
  "*"
;
run;

%mend test;
%test(1 2 3 4);

[yabwon]

If it's not a problem you can do it with the call symputX() routine,

%macro test(list);

data _null_;
  call symputx("List2", tranwrd(symget('List')," ",'0D0A'x),"L");
run;

data _null_;
 x = "&list2."; 
 put
  "LIST=*" /
  "&List2" /
  "*" /
  x= $hex32.
;
run;

%mend test;
%test(1 2 3 4);

but don't expect to see "new lines" in the log, SAS ignores them in the log. You have to write it down to external file:

%macro test(list);

data _null_;
  call symputx("List2", tranwrd(symget('List')," ",'0D0A'x),"L");
run;

filename f "%sysfunc(pathname(work))/text.txt";
filename f list;

data _null_;
 file f;
 x = "&list2."; 
 put
  "LIST=*" /
  "&List2" /
  "*" /
  x= $hex32.
;
run;

data _null_;
  infile f;
  input;
  put _N_= "**" _infile_;
run;

%mend test;
%test(1 2 3 4);

[EDIT:]

This technical note my also help:

https://support.sas.com/kb/36/916.html

All the best

Bart

[LeonidBatkhan]

Hi edwolfe,

You can achieve this by the following code:

%macro test(list);
   %put LIST=*;
   %do i=1 %to %sysfunc(countw(&list));
      %put %scan(&list,&i);
   %end;
   %put *;
%mend test;
%test(1 2 3 4);

This code should produce

LIST=*
1
2
3
4
*

Or, if you need to output it to an external file, you can use the following code modification:

%macro test(list);
   data _null_;
      file 'c:\temp\test.txt';
      put 'LIST=*' /
          %do i=1 %to %sysfunc(countw(&list));
            "%scan(&list,&i)" /
          %end;
          '*';
   run;
%mend test;
%test(1 2 3 4);

Hope this helps.

[SASKiwi]

I would strongly advise against adding printing controls in to macro parameters. You are adding complexity to your processing logic which isn't useful and could make it difficult to maintain. @LeonidBatkhan's approach is way better.