SAS/IML(R) 9.2 User's Guide

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Product	Release
SAS/IML	9.2

Programming Statements

PAUSE Statement

The general form of the PAUSE statement is as follows:

PAUSE < message > < * > ;

The PAUSE statement does the following:

stops execution of the module
remembers where it stopped executing
prints a pause message that you can specify
puts you in immediate mode within the module environment. This mode uses the module's local symbol table. At this point you can enter more statements.

A RESUME statement enables you to continue execution at the place where the most recent PAUSE statement was executed.

You can use a STOP statement as an alternative to the RESUME statement to remove the paused states and return to the immediate environment outside the module.

You can specify a message in the PAUSE statement to display a message as the pause prompt. If no message is specified, IML displays the following default message:

  
    paused in module \ob XXX\obe

where XXX is the name of the module containing the pause. To suppress the display of any messages, use the * option, as follows:

  
    pause *;

The following are examples of PAUSE statements with operands:

  
    pause "Please enter an assignment for X, then enter RESUME;"; 
  
    msg ="Please enter an assignment for X, then enter RESUME;"; 
    pause msg;

When you use the PAUSE, RESUME, STOP, or ABORT statement, you should be aware of the following details:

The PAUSE statement can be issued only from within a module.
IML diagnoses an error if you execute a RESUME statement without any outstanding pauses.
You can define and execute modules while paused from other modules.
A PAUSE statement is automatically issued if an error occurs while statements are being executed inside a module. This gives you an opportunity to correct the error and resume execution of the module with a RESUME statement. Alternately, you can submit a STOP or ABORT statement to exit from the module environment.
You cannot reenter or redefine an active (paused) module; you will get an error for recursive module execution.
In paused mode, you can run another module that, in turn, pauses; the paused environments are stacked.
You can put a RESUME statement inside a module. For example, suppose you are paused in module A and then run module B, which executes a RESUME statement. Execution is resumed in module A and does not return to module B.
IML supports stopping execution while in a paused state in both subroutine and function modules.
If you pause in a subroutine module that has its own symbol table, then the immediate mode during the pause uses this symbol table rather than the global one. You must use a RESUME or a STOP statement to return to the global symbol table environment.
You can use the PAUSE and RESUME statements, in conjunction with the PUSH, QUEUE, and EXECUTE subroutines described in Chapter 15, to execute IML statements that you generate within a module.

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