I am dealing with some files that need to be FDELETED after they are used.  However, I only get a log message: ERROR: Invalid physical name.   I've discovered I can used brackets in some scenarios by using backslash (\[)...\]) to apparently escape the [ which causes the above error. I recall reading some SAS documentation that [] in filename is used like a regex character class, but I can't find that doc again -- it might have been Viya related, but I am not using Viya.   Example: %let workpath = %sysfunc(pathname(WORK)) ; %let testpath = &workpath/test ; options dlcreatedir ; libname testpath "&testpath" ; options nodlcreatedir ; * Create a test file whose name contains brackets ; filename bracket "&testpath/ABC_\[123\]_DEF.txt" ; ata _null_; file bracket; put 'Where do you want these shelves?'; run ; * Process the test file ; data _null_ ; infile bracket ; input; put _infile_; run; * List the files in test folder and try to delete them with FDELETE ; data _null_ ; length dref fref $8 fname $256 msg $200 ; rc = filename (dref, "&testpath") ; did = dopen(dref); msg=sysmsg() ; do i = 1 to dnum(did) ; fname = dread(did, i) ; put 'NOTE: ' i fname ; rc = filename (fref, cats("&testpath",'/',fname)) ; msg = sysmsg() ; put 'NOTE: filename() ' rc= fname= / msg ; rc = FDELETE(fref) ; msg = sysmsg() ; put 'NOTE: fdelete() ' rc= / msg ; if index(fname,'[') then do ; fname = transtrn(fname,'[','\[') ; * try to escape the brackets ; fname = transtrn(fname,']','\]') ; rc = filename (fref, cats("&testpath",'/',fname)) ; msg = sysmsg() ; put 'NOTE: filename() ' rc= fname= / msg ; rc = FDELETE(fref) ; msg = sysmsg() ; put 'NOTE: fdelete() ' rc= / msg ; end ; rc = filename (fref) ; end ; run ; * try delete the escaped filename referenced by bracket; %put NOTE: FDELETE rc=%sysfunc(fdelete(bracket)) ; %put %sysfunc(sysmsg()) ; will log the ERROR: for each way I try to FDELETE 225 %let workpath = %sysfunc(pathname(WORK)) ; 226 %let testpath = &workpath/test ; 227 228 options dlcreatedir ; 229 libname testpath "&testpath" ; NOTE: Libref TESTPATH was successfully assigned as follows: Engine: V9 Physical Name: /saswork/sas_tmp/SAS_work##########/SAS_work##########/test 230 options nodlcreatedir ; 231 232 filename bracket "&testpath/ABC_\[123\]_DEF.txt" ; 233 234 data _null_; 235 file bracket; 236 put 'Where do you want these shelves?'; 237 run ; NOTE: The file BRACKET is: Filename=/saswork/sas_tmp/SAS_work##########/SAS_work##########/test/ABC_\[123\]_DEF.txt, Owner Name=########,Group Name=########, Access Permission=-rw-rw-rw-, Last Modified=17Jul2025:08:27:44 NOTE: 1 record was written to the file BRACKET. The minimum record length was 32. The maximum record length was 32. NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time): real time 0.00 seconds cpu time 0.00 seconds 238 239 data _null_ ; 240 infile bracket ; 241 input; put _infile_; 242 run; NOTE: The infile BRACKET is: Filename=/saswork/sas_tmp/SAS_work##########/SAS_work##########/test/ABC_\[123\]_DEF.txt, Owner Name=########,Group Name=########, Access Permission=-rw-rw-rw-, Last Modified=17Jul2025:08:27:44, File Size (bytes)=33 Where do you want these shelves? NOTE: 1 record was read from the infile BRACKET. The minimum record length was 32. The maximum record length was 32. NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time): real time 0.00 seconds cpu time 0.00 seconds 243 244 * List the files in test folder and try to delete them ; 245 246 data _null_ ; 247 length dref fref $8 fname $256 msg $200 ; 248 rc = filename (dref, "&testpath") ; 249 did = dopen(dref); msg=sysmsg() ; 250 do i = 1 to dnum(did) ; 251 fname = dread(did, i) ; 252 put 'NOTE: ' i fname ; 253 rc = filename (fref, cats("&testpath",'/',fname)) ; msg = sysmsg() ; put 'NOTE: filename() ' rc= fname= / msg ; 254 rc = FDELETE(fref) ; msg = sysmsg() ; put 'NOTE: fdelete() ' rc= / msg ; 255 if index(fname,'[') then do ; 256 fname = transtrn(fname,'[','\[') ; 257 fname = transtrn(fname,']','\]') ; 258 rc = filename (fref, cats("&testpath",'/',fname)) ; msg = sysmsg() ; put 'NOTE: filename() ' rc= fname= / msg ; 259 rc = FDELETE(fref) ; msg = sysmsg() ; put 'NOTE: fdelete() ' rc= / msg ; 260 end ; 261 rc = filename (fref) ; 262 end ; 263 run ; NOTE: 1 ABC_[123]_DEF.txt NOTE: filename() rc=0 fname=ABC_[123]_DEF.txt NOTE: fdelete() rc=20017 ERROR: Invalid physical name. NOTE: filename() rc=0 fname=ABC_\[123\]_DEF.txt NOTE: fdelete() rc=20017 ERROR: Invalid physical name. NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time): real time 0.00 seconds cpu time 0.01 seconds 264 265 * try delete the escaped filename referenced by bracket; 266 267 %put NOTE: macro FDELETE rc=%sysfunc(fdelete(bracket)) ; NOTE: macro FDELETE rc=20017 268 %put %sysfunc(sysmsg()) ; ERROR: Invalid physical name. ... View more

Base SAS has the HTMLENCODE() function, and there is not the same available to Proc DS2, nor Proc FCMP. The HTTP package does not seem to have anything to do the same. Is there any way to trick DS2 into using HTMLENCODE?   Example: The node name needs to be html-encoded in certain situations %let MAX_LEN_PART = 200 ; proc ds2 ; package sasuser.Node / overwrite=yes ; declare varchar(512) name newname ; declare package sasuser.Node parent ; declare package sasuser.Node children ; declare package sasuser.Node next ; method init() ; alias_counter = 0 ; end ; method Node(varchar(512) name, package sasuser.Node parent, in_out double alias_count) ; this.name = name ; this.newname = name ; this.parent = parent ; if verify(name,'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ_0123456789 !#$%&''()+,-.;=@[]^`{}~/') then do ; this.newname = htmlencode(name, '7bit') ; put newname= ; end ; if length(this.newname) > &MAX_LEN_PART then do ; alias_count + 1 ; this.newname = '_migrate_' || put(alias_counter,z4.) ; put newname= ; end ; end ; method Node(varchar(512) name) ; this.name = name ; end ; method get_path() returns varchar(4096) ; if null(parent) then return name ; else return parent.get_path() || '/' || name ; end ; endpackage /* Node */; data _null_; enddata; run ; quit ; But the log shows: ERROR: Compilation error. ERROR: Unknown function htmlencode. NOTE: PROC DS2 has set option NOEXEC and will continue to prepare statements. ... View more

Add the dictionary table FONTS to surface as a table the registry information that is output via   proc registry export=regcheck startat='CORE\PRINTING\FREETYPE\FONTS' ; run ;   ... View more

Consider the requirement to convert numeric variables to same named character variables, and the character values must be the formatted numeric values, and the original column order must be maintained.  More generally, conversion is rendering process.   My first cut is  %macro num_to_char(data=) ; %local vars renames reassigns drops formats; proc contents noprint data=&data out=n2c_contents ; run ; proc sql noprint ; select trim(name)||'$'||cats(ifn(type=1,32,length)) into :vars separated by ' ' from n2c_contents order by varnum ; select cats(name,'=_',varnum), cats(name,'=left(vvalue(_',varnum,'))'), cats('_',varnum) , cats('_',varnum)||' '||ifc(format='','best32.',cats(format,formatl,'.',formatd)) into :renames separated by ' ', :reassigns separated by ';', :drops separated by ' ' , :formats separated by ' ' from n2c_contents where type = 1 ; drop table n2c_contents ; quit ; %if %length(&renames) %then %do ; data &data ; length &vars ; set &data (rename=(&renames)) ; format &formats ; &reassigns ; drop &drops ; run ; %end ; %mend num_to_char; If this macro is for a general library, how much harder should it go? The current implementation has all converted values being stored in a character variable of length $32 (call this the target/container/destination). Which, if any, of these would be worth pursuing? Make the target length match the numeric format length Use format default length in dictionary.formats if not in data set metadata Shortening the target length to only necessary length (max rendered length) For example: binary numeric variables 0/1 do not need $32 when converted With shortened target lengths want to avoid asteriks and truncated results ... View more