Assigns or deassigns a fileref for an external file, directory, or output device.
| Category: | External Files |
| Restriction: | If the SAS session in which you are specifying the FILEEXIST function is in a locked-down state, and the pathname specified in the function has not been added to the lockdown path list, then the function fails and a file access error related to the locked-down data is not generated in the SAS log unless you specify the SYSMSG function. |
| Windows specifics: | device types and host options |
| See: | FILENAME Function in SAS Functions and CALL Routines: Reference |
in a DATA step, specifies the fileref to assign to the external file. In a macro (for example, in the %SYSFUNC function), fileref is the name of a macro variable (without an ampersand) whose value contains the fileref to assign to the external file.
specifies the external file. Specifying a blank filename clears the fileref that was previously assigned.
specifies type of device or the access method that is used if the fileref points to an input or output device or location that is not a physical file. It can be any one of the devices that are listed in FILENAME statement device-type argument . DISK is the default device type.
are options that are specific to Windows. You can use any of the options that are available in the FILENAME statement. See the FILENAME statement host-option-list .
specifies the fileref that is assigned to the directory in which the external file resides.