Should %eval evaluate the FIND function?

[saras]

When I run the following code (simplified from my original problem) I get the following error message : 

     ERROR: Required operator not found in expression: find("apple", "a")
     ERROR: The macro TEST will stop executing.

Is there any reason I cannot use the %eval on the find function?

%macro test();
%let a=apple;
%let b=a;
%let c=%eval(find("&a", "&b"));
%put &c;
%mend test;
%test(); 

[Reeza · Accepted solution]

%EVAL() is for integer calculations primarily or condition checks. For functions you want %SYSFUNC() which you need to wrap around each SAS function to differentiate it from text. 

You can use %SYSEVALF() to do decimal math.

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@saras wrote:

When I run the following code (simplified from my original problem) I get the following error message : 

     ERROR: Required operator not found in expression: find("apple", "a")
     ERROR: The macro TEST will stop executing.

Is there any reason I cannot use the %eval on the find function?

%macro test();
%let a=apple;
%let b=a;
%let c=%eval(find("&a", "&b"));
%put &c;
%mend test;
%test(); 

---

[ChrisNZ]

%EVAL() is for integer calculations primarily or condition checks. For functions you want %SYSFUNC() which you need to wrap around each SAS function to differentiate it from text. 

You can use %SYSEVALF() to do decimal math.

Additionally,

%eval (and %sysevalf) can be used for boolean evaluations.

%sysevalf can interpret SAS dates strings correctly.

%put => %eval(%sysfunc(findw(bb ba,ba))>0); 
%put => %sysevalf('01jan1990'd); 

=> 1
=> 10958

[ballardw]

When running strictly macro code as you are the values of variables should seldom be inside quotes at all:

%macro test();
%let a=apple;
%let b=a;
%let c=%sysfunc(find("&a", "&b"));
%put Test value of c is &c;
%mend test;
%test(); 

%macro test2();
%let a=apple;
%let b=a;
%let c=%sysfunc(find(&a, &b));
%put Test2 value of c is &c;
%mend test2;

%test()
%test2()

[FreelanceReinh]

Also, if there's a suitable macro function, you don't need to call a DATA step function:

%let c=%index(&a, &b);