SAS Component Language Dictionary

LETTER

Displays the FSLETTER window or sends a letter that was created with the FSLETTER procedure

Category:

Utility

Syntax
Details
Examples
See Also

Syntax

CALL LETTER(letter-entry<,open-mode<,table-name>>);

letter-entry

is a catalog containing one or more LETTER, FORM, or EDPARMS entries. A one- or two-level name is assumed to be catalog or libref.catalog. The catalog is created if it does not already exist.

Type: Character

open-mode

specifies the type of access to the FSLETTER window:

'BROWSE': opens the catalog or letter-entry for browsing.
'EDIT': opens the catalog or letter-entry for editing. (This is the default.)
'PRINT': prints a letter for each row in the SAS table specified by table-name. The SEND window is not displayed for the items that are printed. PRINT mode is valid only when the specified entry is a letter.
'SEND': displays the FSLETTER SEND window for one row (or letter), enabling a user to customize the letter. To use this option, you do not have to specify a value for table-name. If a table name is provided, the letter is displayed in the SEND window with the fields filled with values from the first row in the table. This mode is valid only when the specified entry is a letter.

Type: Character

table-name

is the SAS table containing values for the fill-in fields. Use the syntax <libref.>member-name<(SAS-data-set-options)>. If you omit libref, the default SAS data library, WORK, is used.

Specify '' to use the _LAST_ table. If no _LAST_ table exists, the program halts.

You can add a list of SAS data set options following the table name. The list must be enclosed in parentheses. Valid data set options include DROP, KEEP, RENAME, WHERE, and CNTLLEV. See SAS Language Reference: Dictionary for a list of data set options and their descriptions.

Type: Character

Details

The LETTER routine displays the FSLETTER window or sends a letter.

Note: The FSLETTER window is not displayed if a PRINT argument is used. [cautionend]

If the value supplied for letter-entry is a three- or four-level name, the user is returned to the calling application when the FSLETTER window is closed. If a one- or two-level name is supplied, the user is returned directly to the calling application when the SAS Explorer window is closed.

SAS data set options can be specified by enclosing them within parentheses immediately following the table-name argument, as in the following example:

call letter('my.letters.subscrib','print',
    'personal(where=(name="John"))');

In order to use the LETTER routine, SAS/FSP Software must be installed. For more information about the commands that are available in the FSLETTER procedure, see the SAS/FSP Procedures Guide.

Examples

Open the FSLETTER window to edit a document named SUBSCRIB:
```
call letter('my.letters.subscrib');
```
Send a copy of the SUBSCRIB letter for each row in the SAS table SUBSCRIB.DATA. Direct FSLETTER output to a print file when you use CALL LETTER.
```
rc=filename ('myfile',fname);
call execcmdi('prtfile myfile');
call letter('my.letters.subscrib','print','subscrib.data');
```
Send a copy of the SUBSCRIB letter for the first row in the SAS table SUBSCRIB.DATA:
```
call letter('my.letters.subscrib','send','subscrib.data');
```

SEND mode for the letter SUBSCRIB accepts user input.