Formatting Prompt Values and Generating Macro Variables from Prompts

Macro Variables That Are Generated from Prompts

Macro Variable Generation and Assignment

One or more global macro variables is automatically generated for each prompt when the prompt is executed at run time. The values that are specified for the prompts at run time are assigned to the generated macro variables.

One or more macro variables can be generated from both single-value prompts and multi-value prompts. A prompt can have single or multiple values, depending on what you select for the Number of values field on the Prompt Type and Values tab in the New Prompt or Edit Prompt dialog box in SAS Management Console. The following list describes the macro variables that can be generated. PROMPT-NAME is used to represent the name of the prompt.

A base macro variable is generated for every type of prompt except range prompts. The name of the prompt is used as the name of the base macro variable.

Note: Macro variable names can be no more than 32 characters long. Ensure that you consider this restriction when you name the prompt.
For all multi-value prompts, the following macro variables are generated. Suffixes such as _COUNT or a numeric value are appended to the prompt name to create unique names for these macro variables.

PROMPT-NAME_COUNT

The value of this macro variable is the number of values that are specified for the prompt. If no value is specified for a multi-value prompt, then PROMPT-NAME_COUNT is set to 0.

PROMPT-NAME0

The value of this macro variable is the same as the value of PROMPT-NAME_COUNT. If no value or only one value is specified for a multi-value prompt, then this macro variable is not generated.

PROMPT-NAMEn

When a multi-value prompt has more than one value specified for it, then each value is stored in a macro variable with the name PROMPT-NAMEn where n is the ordinal number of the value in the list of prompt values. The value of PROMPT-NAME1 is the same as the value of the base macro variable. If only one value is specified for a multi-value prompt, then no PROMPT-NAMEn macro variables are generated.

Note: Macro variable names can be no more than 32 characters long. Ensure that you consider this restriction and the length of the suffix when you name the prompt. The length of the suffix is included as part of the 32 characters.

If any of the following special values are specified for a prompt, then the corresponding base macro variable or PROMPT-NAMEn macro variable is assigned a value as follows:

Generated Macro Variables for Special Values
Special Value	Macro Variable Value
(all possible values)	_ALL_VALUES_
(missing values) for numeric, date, time, and timestamp prompts	.
(missing values) for character prompts	[space]

Additional macro variables are generated for certain types of prompts (see the Quick Reference for a list of these macro variables). Suffixes such as _REL, _MIN, and _MAX are appended to the prompt name to create unique names for these macro variables. The following list describes the macro-variables that can be generated. SUFFIX is used to represent the various suffixes.

PROMPT-NAME_SUFFIX

This macro variable is generated for both single-value and multi-value prompts.

PROMPT-NAME_SUFFIXn

These macro variables are generated when a multi-value prompt has more than one value specified for it. The n is the ordinal number of the value in the list of prompt values. The value of PROMPT-NAME_SUFFIX1 is the same as the value of PROMPT-NAME_SUFFIX. If only one value is specified for a multi-value prompt, then no PROMPT-NAME_SUFFIXn macro variables are generated.

Note: Macro variable names can be no more than 32 characters long. Ensure that you consider this restriction and the length of the suffix when you name the prompt. The length of the suffix is included as part of the 32 characters.
If no value is specified for a prompt, then an empty base macro variable is generated. For range prompts, which do not have base macro variables, the PROMPT-NAME_MIN and PROMPT-NAME_MAX macro variables are empty.

Example: Single Macro Variable Generation

The following example shows the macro variable that is generated for a single-value text prompt.

Generated Macro Variables for a Single-Value Text Prompt
Prompt Name	Prompt Value	Macro Variable Name	Macro Variable Value
MYPROMPT	Hello World!	MYPROMPT	Hello World!

Examples: Multiple Macro Variable Generation

The following example shows the macro variables that are generated for a single-value time prompt.

Generated Macro Variables for a Single-Value Time Prompt
Prompt Name	Prompt Value	Macro Variable Name	Macro Variable Value
MYTIME	09:59:55 AM	MYTIME	9:59:55
MYTIME	09:59:55 AM	MYTIME_LABEL	9:59:55 AM

In the preceding example, two macro variables were generated for the single prompt value. If the prompt value had been a relative time value (such as Yesterday), then a third macro variable named MYTIME_REL would have been generated.

The following example shows the macro variables that are generated for a multi-value text prompt.

Generated Macro Variables for a Multi-value Text Prompt
Prompt Name	Prompt Value	Macro Variable Name	Macro Variable Value
RESPONSE	Yes No Undecided (missing values)	RESPONSE	Yes
		RESPONSE_COUNT	4
		RESPONSE0	4
		RESPONSE1	Yes
		RESPONSE2	No
		RESPONSE3	Undecided
		RESPONSE4

In the preceding example, seven macro variables were generated for the four prompt values. The macro variables RESPONSE and RESPONSE1 both contain the first prompt value. The macro variables RESPONSE_COUNT and RESPONSE0 both contain the number of values that were specified for the prompt. The macro variables RESPONSE2 and RESPONSE3 contain the second and third prompt values, respectively. RESPONSE4 contains a single blank space, which represents the special value (missing values).

The following example shows the macro variables that are generated for a multi-value date prompt.

Generated Macro Variables for a Multi-value Date Prompt
Prompt Name	Prompt Value	Macro Variable Name	Macro Variable Value
MYDATE	Today Tomorrow September 04, 2008	MYDATE_COUNT	3
		MYDATE0	3
		MYDATE	02Sep2008
		MYDATE1	02Sep2008
		MYDATE2	03Sep2008
		MYDATE3	04Sep2008
		MYDATE_LABEL	Today
		MYDATE_LABEL1	Today
		MYDATE_LABEL2	Tomorrow
		MYDATE_LABEL3	September 04, 2008
		MYDATE_REL	D0D
		MYDATE_REL1	D0D
		MYDATE_REL2	D1D

In the preceding example, 13 macro variables were generated for the three prompt values.

The macro variables MYDATE_COUNT and MYDATE0 contain the number of values that were specified for the prompt.
The macro variables MYDATE and MYDATE1 both contain the specific date that the first relative date (Today) resolves to. The macro variable MYDATE2 contains the specific date that the second relative date (Tomorrow) resolves to. The macro variable MYDATE3 contains the third prompt value.
The macro variables MYDATE_LABEL, MYDATE_LABEL1, and MYDATE_LABEL2 contain the relative dates that were specified for the prompt. MYDATE_LABEL3 contains the long form of the specific date that was selected for the prompt.
The macro variables MYDATE_REL and MYDATE_REL1 contain the internal representation of Today. The macro variables MYDATE_REL2 contains the internal representation of Tomorrow.

Quick Reference

The following table lists, by prompt type, the macro variables that are generated and how their values are determined. Examples of the generated macro variables are also provided.

Note: If your application or software feature enables you to create custom types of prompts, then the application or software feature determines which macro variables are generated for those prompts. For information about macro variables for custom types of prompts, see the documentation for your application or software feature. [cautionend]

Generated Macro Variables by Prompt Type for Prompt MYPROMPT
Prompt Type	Macro Variable	Prompt Value	Macro Variable Name	Macro Variable Values
Text	The PROMPT-NAME macro variable contains the value of the prompt. No additional macro variables are generated for single-value prompts. For more information about the macro variables that are generated for multi-value prompts, see Macro Variable Generation and Assignment.	Hello World!	MYPROMPT	Hello World!
Numeric	The PROMPT-NAME macro variable contains the value of the prompt. No additional macro variables are generated for single-value prompts. For more information about the macro variables that are generated for multi-value prompts, see Macro Variable Generation and Assignment.	12	MYPROMPT	12
Text range, Numeric range	A base macro variable is not generated for range prompts.
	The PROMPT-NAME_MIN macro variable contains the lower boundary of the specified prompt range.	From: 23 To: 45	MYPROMPT_MIN	23
	The PROMPT-NAME_MAX macro variable contains the upper boundary of the specified prompt range.	From: 23 To: 45	MYPROMPT_MAX	45
Date (Day)	The PROMPT-NAME macro variable contains the value of the prompt in the format ddmmmyyyy.¹ Here is an explanation of the syntax: dd specifies a two-digit integer that represents the day of the month. mmm specifies the first three letters of the month. yyyy specifies a four-digit integer that represents the year. For more information about the macro variables that are generated for multi-value prompts, see Macro Variable Generation and Assignment.	April 04, 2008	MYPROMPT	04Apr2008
	The PROMPT-NAME_LABEL macro variable contains one or more of the following values: for the relative date values, the relative date (for example, Tomorrow. for specific date values, the date in the format month-namedd, yyyy. Here is an explanation of the syntax: month-name specifies the full name of the month. dd specifies a two-digit integer that represents the day of the month. yyyy specifies a four-digit integer that represents the year. For the macro variables that are generated for multi-value prompts, see Macro Variable Generation and Assignment.	April 04, 2008	MYPROMPT_LABEL	April 04, 2008
	The PROMPT-NAME_REL macro variable contains the internal representation of the relative date that is specified for the prompt. This macro variable is generated only when the prompt value is a relative date. For more information about the macro variables that are generated for multi-value prompts, see Macro Variable Generation and Assignment.	Current day of last year	MYPROMPT_REL	D0D-1Y
Date (Week, Month, Quarter, Year)	The PROMPT-NAME macro variable contains the first day of the week, month, quarter, or year² that is specified for the prompt. The format of the macro variable value is ddmmmyyyy.¹ Here is an explanation of the syntax: dd specifies a two-digit integer that represents the day of the month. mmm specifies the first three letters of the month. yyyy specifies a four-digit integer that represents the year. For more information about the macro variables that are generated for multi-value prompts, see Macro Variable Generation and Assignment.	Week 36 2008	MYPROMPT	01Sep2008
	The PROMPT-NAME_END macro variable contains the last day of the week, month, quarter, or year² that is specified for the prompt. See the above base macro variable entry for the format that is used.¹ For more information about the macro variables that are generated for multi-value prompts, see Macro Variable Generation and Assignment.	Week 36 2008	MYPROMPT_END	07Sep2008
	The PROMPT-NAME_LABEL macro variable contains one or more of the following week, month, quarter, or year² values: for the relative date values, the relative date (for example, Current week. for specific date values, the date in the following formats: Week wwyyyy month-nameyyyy quarter-name quarter yyyy yyyy Here is an explanation of the syntax: ww specifies a two-digit integer that represents the week of the year. month-name specifies the full name of the month. quarter-name specifies the quarter of the year (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th). yyyy specifies a four-digit integer that represents the year. For the macro variables that are generated for multi-value prompts, see Macro Variable Generation and Assignment.	Week 36 2008	MYPROMPT_LABEL	Week 36 2008
	The PROMPT-NAME_REL macro variable contains the internal representation of the relative date that is specified for the prompt. This macro variable is generated only when the prompt value is a relative date. For more information about the macro variables that are generated for multi-value prompts, see Macro Variable Generation and Assignment.	Current week of last year	MYPROMPT_REL	W0W-1Y
Date range (Day)	A base macro variable is not generated for range prompts.
	The PROMPT-NAME_MIN macro variable contains the lower boundary of the specified prompt range. See the base macro variable entry for date prompts for the format that is used.¹	From: August 31, 2008 To: September 06, 2008	MYPROMPT_MIN	31Aug2008
	The PROMPT-NAME_MAX macro variable contains the upper boundary of the specified prompt range. See the base macro variable entry for date prompts for the format that is used.¹	From: August 31, 2008 To: September 06, 2008	MYPROMPT_MAX	06Sep2008
	The PROMPT-NAME_MIN_LABEL macro variable contains the lower boundary of the specified prompt range in the format that is specified for the PROMPT-NAME_LABEL macro variable entry for date (day) prompts.	From: August 31, 2008 To: September 06, 2008	MYPROMPT_MIN_LABEL	August 31, 2008
	The PROMPT-NAME_MAX_LABEL macro variable contains the upper boundary of the specified prompt range in the format that is specified for the PROMPT-NAME_LABEL macro variable entry for date (day) prompts.	From: August 31, 2008 To: September 06, 2008	MYPROMPT_MAX_LABEL	September 06, 2008
	The PROMPT-NAME_MIN_REL macro variable contains the internal representation of the relative date that is specified for the lower boundary. This macro variable is generated only when the prompt value is a relative date.	From: Today To: Current day of next month	MYPROMPT_MIN_REL	D0D
	The PROMPT-NAME_MAX_REL macro variable contains the internal representation of the relative date that is specified for the upper boundary. This macro variable is generated only when the prompt value is a relative date.	From: Today To: Current day of next month	MYPROMPT_MAX_REL	DOD1M
Date range (Week, Month, Quarter, Year)	A base macro variable is not generated for range prompts.
	The PROMPT-NAME_MIN macro variable contains the first day of the lower boundary of the specified prompt range. See the base macro variable entry for date prompts for the format that is used.¹	From: September 2008 To: June 2009	MYPROMPT_MIN	01Sep2008
	The PROMPT-NAME_MAX macro variable contains the first day of the upper boundary of the specified prompt range. See the base macro variable entry for date prompts for the format that is used.¹	From: September 2008 To: June 2009	MYPROMPT_MAX	01Jun2009
	The PROMPT-NAME_MIN_LABEL macro variable contains the lower boundary of the specified prompt range in the formats that are specified for the PROMPT-NAME_LABEL macro variable entry for date (week, month, quarter, year) prompts.	From: September 2008 To: June 2009	MYPROMPT_MIN_LABEL	September 2008
	The PROMPT-NAME_MAX_LABEL macro variable contains the upper boundary of the specified prompt range in the formats that are specified for the PROMPT-NAME_LABEL macro variable entry for date (week, month, quarter, year) prompts.	From: September 2008 To: June 2009	MYPROMPT_MAX_LABEL	June 2009
	The PROMPT-NAME_MIN_END macro variable contains the last day of the lower boundary of the specified prompt range . See the base macro variable entry for date prompts for the format that is used.¹	From: September 2008 To: June 2009	MYPROMPT_MIN_END	30Sep2008
	The PROMPT-NAME_MAX_END macro variable contains the last day of the upper boundary of the specified prompt range. See the base macro variable entry for date prompts for the format that is used.¹	From: September 2008 To: June 2009	MYPROMPT_MAX_END	30Jun2009
	The PROMPT-NAME_MIN_REL macro variable contains the internal representation of the relative date that is specified for the lower boundary. This macro variable is generated only when the prompt value is a relative date.	From: Current week To: Current week of next year	MYPROMPT_MIN_REL	W0W
	The PROMPT-NAME_MAX_REL macro variable contains the internal representation of the relative date that is specified for the upper boundary. This macro variable is generated only when the prompt value is a relative date.	From: Current week To: Current week of next year	MYPROMPT_MAX_REL	W0W1Y
Time	The PROMPT-NAME macro variable contains the value of the prompt in the format hh:mm:ss.¹ Here is an explanation of the syntax: hh specifies a one-digit or two-digit integer that represents the hour of a 24-hour day. mm specifies a two-digit integer that represents the minute of the hour. ss specifies a two-digit integer that represents the second of the minute.	02:05:28 PM	MYPROMPT	14:05:28
	The PROMPT-NAME_LABEL macro variable contains one of the following values: for relative time values, the relative time (for example, Current time). for specific time values, the time in the format hh:mm:ssAM \| PM. Here is an explanation of the syntax: hh specifies a two-digit integer that represents the hour of a 12-hour day. mm specifies a two-digit integer that represents the minute of the hour. ss specifies a two-digit integer that represents the second of the minute. AM or PM specifies either the time period 00:01-12:00 noon (AM) or the time period 12:01-12:00 midnight (PM).	02:05:28 PM	MYPROMPT_LABEL	02:05:28 PM
	The PROMPT-NAME_REL macro variable contains the internal representation of the relative time that is specified for the prompt. This macro variable is generated only when the prompt value is a relative time (such as Next minute).	Next minute	MYPROMPT_REL	m1m
Timestamp	The PROMPT-NAME macro variable contains the value of the prompt in the format ddmmmyyyyhh:mm:ss.¹ Here is an explanation of the syntax: dd specifies a two-digit integer that represents the day of the month. mmm specifies the first three letters of the month. yyyy specifies a four-digit integer that represents the year. hh specifies a one-digit or two-digit integer that represents the hour of a 24-hour day. mm specifies a two-digit integer that represents the minute of the hour. ss specifies a two-digit integer that represents the second of the minute.	September 02, 2008 02:07:03 PM	MYPROMPT	02Sep2008 14:07:03
	The PROMPT-NAME_LABEL macro variable contains one of the following values: for relative timestamp values, the relative timestamp (for example, Current date and time). for specific time values, the time in the format month-namedd, yyyyhh:mm:ss AM \| PM. Here is an explanation of the syntax: month-name specifies the full name of the month. dd specifies a two-digit integer that represents the day of the month. yyyy specifies a four-digit integer that represents the year. hh specifies a two-digit integer that represents the hour of a 12-hour day. mm specifies a two-digit integer that represents the minute of the hour. ss specifies a two-digit integer that represents the second of the minute. AM or PM specifies either the time period 00:01-12:00 noon (AM) or the time period 12:01-12:00 midnight (PM).	September 02, 2008 02:07:03 PM	MYPROMPT_LABEL	September 02, 2008 02:07:03 PM
	The PROMPT-NAME_REL macro variable contains the internal representation of the relative timestamp that is specified for the prompt. This macro variable is generated only when the prompt value is a relative timestamp (such as Current date and time).	Current date and time	MYPROMPT_REL	T0m
Time range, Timestamp range	A base macro variable is not generated for range prompts.
	The PROMPT-NAME_MIN macro variable contains the lower boundary of the specified prompt range. See the base macro variable entries for time and timestamp prompts for the formats that are used.¹	From: 01:13:04 AM To: 02:13:14 PM	MYPROMPT_MIN	1:13:04
	The PROMPT-NAME_MAX macro variable contains the upper boundary of the specified prompt range. See the base macro variable entries for time and timestamp prompts for the formats that are used.¹	From: 01:13:04 AM To: 02:13:14 PM	MYPROMPT_MAX	14:13:14
	The PROMPT-NAME_MIN_LABEL macro variable contains the lower boundary of the specified prompt range in the formats that are specified for the PROMPT-NAME_LABEL macro variables for time and timestamp prompts.¹	From: October 29, 2008 10:12:12 AM To: February 14, 2009 12:25:36 PM	MYPROMPT_MIN_LABEL	October 29, 2008 10:12:12 AM
	The PROMPT-NAME_MAX_LABEL macro variable contains the lower boundary of the specified prompt range in the formats that are specified for the PROMPT-NAME_LABEL macro variables for time and timestamp prompts.¹	From: October 29, 2008 10:12:12 AM To: February 14, 2009 12:25:36 PM	MYPROMPT_MAX_LABEL	February 14, 2009 12:25:36 PM
	The PROMPT-NAME_MIN_REL macro variable contains the internal representation of the relative time or timestamp that is specified for the lower boundary. This macro variable is generated only when the lower boundary is a relative time or timestamp (such as Beginning of next hour).	From: Beginning of next hour To: End of next hour	MYPROMPT_MIN_REL	t1HBH (for time) T1HBH (for timestamp)
	The PROMPT-NAME_MAX_REL macro variable contains the internal representation of the relative time or timestamp that is specified for the upper boundary. This macro variable is generated only when the upper boundary is a relative time or timestamp (such as End of next hour).	From: Beginning of next hour To: End of next hour	MYPROMPT_MAX_REL	t1HEH (for time) T1HEH (for timestamp)
Color	The PROMPT-NAME macro variable contains the value of the prompt in the format cxrrggbb. Here is an explanation of the syntax: rr specifies the red component. gg specifies the green component. bb specifies the blue component.	CXFF0000 (bright red)	MYPROMPT	cxff0000
Data source	The PROMPT-NAME macro variable contains the value of the prompt in the format /folder-name-1/<.../folder-name-n/>data-source-name(type). Here is an explanation of the syntax: /folder-name-1/<.../folder-name-n/> specifies the location of the data source. data-source-name specifies the name of the data source. type specifies the type of data source (Table, InformationMap, or Cube).	/Shared Data/Tables/MYDATA(Table)	MYPROMPT	/Shared Data/Tables/MYDATA(Table)
Data source	PROMPT-NAME_TYPE contains the type of the data source, represented by the following numbers: 1 represents a table 2 represents a cube 4 represents a relational information map 8 represents an OLAP information map	/Shared Data/Tables/MYDATA(Table)	MYPROMPT_TYPE	1
File or directory	The PROMPT-NAME macro variable contains the value of the prompt in the format directory-specification<filename> Here is an explanation of the syntax: directory-specification specifies the location of the file or directory in the file system of the SAS Workspace Server that was specified for the prompt. filename specifies the name of the file. This value is available only if the prompt is a file prompt.	C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\myfile.txt	MYPROMPT	C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\myfile.txt
File or directory	The PROMPT-NAME_SERVER macro variable contains the name of the SAS server that was specified for the prompt.	C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\myfile.txt	MYPROMPT_SERVER	SASApp - Logical Workspace Server
Data library	The PROMPT-NAME macro variable contains the libref of the library that is specified for the prompt.	/Shared Data/Libraries/SASHELP(Library)	MYPROMPT	SASHELP
Data library	The PROMPT-NAME_PATH macro variable contains the name and location of the library. The format of the macro variable value is /folder-name-1/<.../folder-name-n/>library-name(Library).	/Shared Data/Libraries/SASHELP(Library)	MYPROMPT_PATH	/Shared Data/Libraries/SASHELP(Library)
1 Relative date, relative time, and relative timestamp values are resolved to specific date, time, and timestamp values, respectively, for this macro variable. 2 All dates are based on the Gregorian calendar. Each year begins with the month of January, and each week begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, regardless of locale.

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