Lists that
are not declared as LIST type are treated by the
compiler as numeric types in order to maintain compatibility with Version
6. However, the more accurate specification of LIST should be used, particularly
when using lists in conjunction with method overloading. For example, suppose
you use the list MYLIST as an argument for a method that has one version that
takes a numeric argument and another that takes a list argument. If MYLIST
is not declared as LIST type, then it is treated as a numeric type and the
wrong method is called: the one that takes the numeric argument, instead of
the one that takes the list argument.
When a list with type LIST is passed as an argument
to a method, SCL seeks a method that accepts a LIST argument. If no exact
type match is found, the list is passed to a method that accepts an numeric
argument. For example, if MYLIST is declared as LIST type and is passed as
an argument to method MYMETHOD, SCL will first search for a MYMETHOD that
accepts lists as arguments. If none is found, SCL will pass MYLIST to a MYMETHOD
that accepts numeric arguments.
Copyright © 2009 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.
