42267 - Macro parameters using recursion causes a warning

Usage Note 42267: Macro parameters using recursion causes a warning

If a macro parameter is set equal to itself, then the following type of warning message is issued and the macro variable is set to null:

   WARNING: The text expression &AA contains a recursive reference to the 
   macro variable AA.  The macro variable will be assigned the null value.

Here is the code that would cause the warning above:

   %macro test(aa=&aa);
     %put &aa; 
   %mend test; 
                                       
   %test(aa=100)

Even if the macro variable AA existed before running the code above, the warning is still issued, and the value is set to null.

The only way to avoid the warning would be to avoid the recursion, for example:

   %macro test(aa=);
     %put &aa; 
   %mend test; 
                                       
   %test(aa=100)

Receiving this warning is the correct and expected behavior.

If you want to suppress the warning message, issue the following OPTIONS statement AFTER applying the hotfix:

options NOMWARNDEFAULTARGRECURSION;

Click the Hot Fix tab in this note to access the hot fix for this issue.

Operating System and Release Information

Product Family	Product	System	SAS Release
Product Family	Product	System	Reported	Fixed*
SAS System	Base SAS	z/OS	9.2 TS2M0	9.4 TS1M0
		Microsoft® Windows® for 64-Bit Itanium-based Systems	9.2 TS2M0
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter 64-bit Edition	9.2 TS2M0
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise 64-bit Edition	9.2 TS2M0
		Microsoft Windows XP 64-bit Edition	9.2 TS2M0
		Microsoft® Windows® for x64	9.2 TS2M0	9.4 TS1M0
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition	9.2 TS2M0
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition	9.2 TS2M0
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition	9.2 TS2M0
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for x64	9.2 TS2M0
		Microsoft Windows Server 2008 for x64	9.2 TS2M0	9.4 TS1M0
		Microsoft Windows XP Professional	9.2 TS2M0
		Windows Vista	9.2 TS2M0
		Windows Vista for x64	9.2 TS2M0
		64-bit Enabled AIX	9.2 TS2M0	9.4 TS1M0
		64-bit Enabled HP-UX	9.2 TS2M0	9.4 TS1M0
		64-bit Enabled Solaris	9.2 TS2M0	9.4 TS1M0
		HP-UX IPF	9.2 TS2M0	9.4 TS1M0
		Linux	9.2 TS2M0	9.4 TS1M0
		Linux for x64	9.2 TS2M0	9.4 TS1M0
		OpenVMS on HP Integrity	9.2 TS2M0	9.4 TS1M0
		Solaris for x64	9.2 TS2M0	9.4 TS1M0

* For software releases that are not yet generally available, the Fixed Release is the software release in which the problem is planned to be fixed.

Date Modified:	2012-02-17 09:30:43
Date Created:	2011-02-02 13:47:30

Type:	Usage Note
Priority:

Support

Usage Note 42267: Macro parameters using recursion causes a warning

Operating System and Release Information