Write a line to a file that exceeds 32,767 characters

[Zelazny7]

I am trying to output a dataset to a csv flat file. My header record exceeds the 32,767 character limit for a put statement. How can I output a file that contains a header record longer than the lrecl max?  The code below writes the header and inserts a newline once the lrecl limit has been reached.

/* Dummy data */

%macro mk_dummy();

data TEST;

     %let i = 1;

     %do %until(&i = 2000);

          MY_LONG_VARIABLE_NAME_&i = "1";

          %let i = %eval(&i + 1);

     %end;

     output;

run;

%mend

%mk_dummy()

/* Set some macro values */

%let DSET = TEST;

%let fileloc=%str(../data/test.csv);

/* Run proc contents and extract the variable number and name */

proc contents data=&dset

     out=__HEADER_VARS__(keep = VARNUM NAME)

     noprint;

run;

proc sort data=__HEADER_VARS__ ; by VARNUM; run;

/* Store each variable name into its own macro variable */

data _NULL_;

     set __HEADER_VARS__ end=eof;

     call symput(compress(cats("VAR",_N_)), NAME);

     if eof then call symput("NVARS", _N_);

run;

/* loop over the macro variables and write the header record, then write the file */

%macro mk_file();

data _NULL_;

     file "&FILELOC" LINESIZE=32767 DLM=",";    

     if _N_ = 1 then do;

     %let i = 1;

          %do %until(&i > &NVARS);

          %if &i = 1 %then %do;

              put "%trim(&&VAR&i)," @;

          %end;

          %else %if &i = &NVARS %then %do;

               put "%trim(&&VAR&i)";

          %end;

          %else %do;

               put "%trim(&&VAR&i)," @;

          %end;

          %let i = %eval(&i + 1);

     %end;    

     ;

     end;

     set &DSET;

     put (_ALL_)(:);

     format _CHARACTER_ $quote200.;

run;

%mend;

%mk_file

[data_null__ · Accepted solution]

Do it a different way.

data test;
   array MY_LONG_VARIABLE_NAME_[2000] $1;
   retain MY_LONG_VARIABLE_NAME_ '3';
   output;
   output;
   run;
filename FT66F001 temp lrecl=100000;
data _null_;
   set test;
   file FT66F001 dsd;
   if _n_ eq 1 then link names;
   put (_all_)(~);
   return;
names:
   length _name_ $32;
   do while(1);
      call vnext(_name_);
      if upcase(_name_) eq '_NAME_' then leave;
      put _name_ ~ @;
      end;
   put;
   return;
   run;

[Zelazny7]

What sorcery is this!? It worked fantastically. I've never seen the "link" pattern before. Very cool.

[data_null__]

The link is used in this program to keep _NAME_ unknown as the program is compiled, so that when PUT (_ALL_) (~); is compiled the _ALL_ "SAS variable list" contains only the variables from the data set named on the SET statement.

Also the parenthesis around _ALL_ in the PUT statement are important to make _ALL_ a variable list and not the _ALL_ put statement directive.  In other words there is a difference between

put _all_;

and

put (_all_)(=);

although they produce almost identical output.