macro loop %if %then not evaluating correctly

[mhodge20]

This is within a macro function.

Example termdate = 01/01/2007

%do II = 0 %to 11;
			%let x = %sysfunc(intnx(month,&termdate.,&ii,B),Date9.);
			%let t = %str(%')&x.%str(%')d;
			%put &t.;
			%put ⅈ


					%if %sysevalf(&t.) ge '01FEB2018'd %then %do;

the %put &t. produces:

'01JAN2007'd

but then when I use it in the %if statement below

it evaluates to TRUE when using Mlogic option. 

It should be False.

This is how it should look when the macro variable has been resolved.

%if '01JAN2007'd ge '01FEB2018'd %then %do;

Should be false but it comes out true.

[novinosrin · Accepted solution]

try :

%if %sysevalf(&t. ge '01FEB2018'd) %then %do;

[Astounding]

Macro language doesn't understand dates.  It understands character strings.  If you want to force it to make the "right" comparison, you can do it with:

%if %sysevalf(&t.) ge %sysevalf('01FEB2018'd) %then %do;

[Reeza]

Is that all your code? If so, you should use a data step and data step loop, not a macro loop. 

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@mhodge20 wrote:

This is within a macro function.

Example termdate = 01/01/2007

%do II = 0 %to 11;
			%let x = %sysfunc(intnx(month,&termdate.,&ii,B),Date9.);
			%let t = %str(%')&x.%str(%')d;
			%put &t.;
			%put ⅈ


					%if %sysevalf(&t.) ge '01FEB2018'd %then %do;

the %put &t. produces:

'01JAN2007'd

but then when I use it in the %if statement below

it evaluates to TRUE when using Mlogic option. 

It should be False.

This is how it should look when the macro variable has been resolved.

%if '01JAN2007'd ge '01FEB2018'd %then %do;

Should be false but it comes out true.

---

[ballardw]

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@mhodge20 wrote:

This is within a macro function.

Example termdate = 01/01/2007

the %put &t. produces:

'01JAN2007'd

but then when I use it in the %if statement below

it evaluates to TRUE when using Mlogic option. 

It should be False.

This is how it should look when the macro variable has been resolved.

%if '01JAN2007'd ge '01FEB2018'd %then %do;

Should be false but it comes out true.

---

No it shouldn't. Strings are compared one character at a time until a difference (if any) is found: 0=0, 1=1 but J>F.

for added fun check on this

%if '01JAN2007'd ge '01feb2018'd %then %do;

[Tom]

The condition in a %IF is normally evaluated using the %EVAL() macro function.  That function does not handle floating point numbers or literals.  So you need to generate your own test using the %SYSEVALF() macro function instead if you are comparing date literals.

Also you need to convert your date like string into a date value, either an actual number of days or a date literal, before you can compare dates.

%let datenumber = %sysfunc(intnx(month,&termdate.,&ii,B));
%let dateliteral = "%sysfunc(intnx(month,&termdate.,&ii,B),Date9.)"d;
%if %sysevalf(&datenumber. ge '01FEB2018'd) %then %do;
%if %sysevalf(&dateliteral. ge '01FEB2018'd) %then %do;