fixing time date value in a character string

[jenim514]

Hi!  I have compressed date/time variables in a character string with values that now look like this:

312140AUG07

311415MAY08

092105MAR07

The first two numbers are the day(date). 3-6 is the time.  THen month and year....

I would like it to look like this format DDMMMYY:HHMM

What I am doing is not working.  Appreciate your help!!

data rr.datetime2006 (keep=Inc Alert Launch OnSce Locate Recov Deliv RTB);
    set rr2006labels;
        array change _character_;
        do over change;
        change=compress(change,'');
        day=substr(change,1,2);
        time=substr(change,3,4);
        month=substr(change,7,3);
        year=substr (10,2);
            date=catt(day,month,year);
            change=catt(date,time);  *want this to look like DDMMMYY:HHMM;
end;
    run;

[Astounding · Accepted solution]

Presumably, you have thought this through and it would be satisfactory to keep the time of day but get rid of the day itself.  In any case, you need just one statement in your DO OVER loop:

change = substr(change, 7, 5) || ':' || substr(change, 3, 4);

[jenim514]

@astounding  I do need to keep the day in this.  I see what your saying though - correction I need the end format to be DDMMMYY:HHMM.  But even removing the day- i received an error in your code (Invalid third argument to function SUBSTR)

[jenim514]

Hi @Astounding . So keeping the day, I tried this and got an error:

data rr.datetime2006 (keep=Inc Alert Launch OnSce Locate Recov Deliv RTB);
set rr2006labels;
array change _character_;
do over change;
change=compress(change,'');
change=substr(change,1,2)||substr(change,7,5)||':'||substr (change,3,4);
end;
run;

[Astounding]

The code is correct.  I suspect that _CHARACTER_ is incorrect and includes some character variables that contain fewer than 12 characters.  If that's the case, you might have to replace _CHARACTER_ with a list of just the appropriate variable names.

[jenim514]

@Astounding. you were correct. That worked perfectly! Thank you!

[HB]

year=substr (change,10,2);