how to use %index to get the position of bracket?

[deleted_user]

Please see the following code, can anyone tell me why put 0 since &x does contain the brackets?

%let x = a(b);
%put %index(&x, ());

I want to use the code like this in macros, and how to check if a string contains brackets?
%* if brackets contained, then ... ;
%if %index(&x, ()) %then ...

[Robert_Bardos]

Please read the section on Macro Quoting in and around e.g. http://support.sas.com/onlinedoc/913/getDoc/de/mcrolref.hlp/a001061290.htm

[ArtC]

The index function looks for the second argument exactly not as individual characters. For that you need the INDEXC function. Try:
[pre]%let x = a(b);
%put %sysfunc(indexc(&x,()));
[/pre]
Of course the parentheses are a particularly unfortunate character to have to work with.

[deleted_user]

> The index function looks for the second argument
> exactly not as individual characters. For that you
> need the INDEXC function. Try:
> [pre]%let x = a(b);
> %put %sysfunc(indexc(&x,()));
> [/pre]
> Of course the parentheses are a particularly
> unfortunate character to have to work with.

Oh...yes. %index finds string not characters from given string. I was supposed to know this......a bit dizzy
Thanks a lot.

[PatrickG]

Try looking for them separately, e.g. find the first one...

12 %let q = %str(%();
13 %put &q;
(
14 %let x = a(b);
15 %put %index(&x, &q);
2