%GOTO Statement

Branches macro processing to the specified label.

Type:	Macro statement
Alias:	%GO TO
Restriction:	Allowed in macro definitions only
See:	%label Statement

Syntax

Details

Example

Syntax

%GOTO label;

Required Argument

label

is either the name of the label that you want execution to branch to or a text expression that generates the label. A text expression that generates a label in a %GOTO statement is called a computed %GOTO destination.(footnote1)

The following examples illustrate how to use label:

%goto findit;  /* branch to the label FINDIT */

```
%goto &home;   /* branch to the label that is */
               /* the value of the macro variable HOME */
```
CAUTION:

No percent sign (%) precedes the label name in the %GOTO statement.

The syntax of the %GOTO statement does not include a % in front of the label name. If you use a %, the macro processor attempts to call a macro by that name to generate the label.

Details

Branching with the %GOTO statement has two restrictions. First, the label that is the target of the %GOTO statement must exist in the current macro; you cannot branch to a label in another macro with a %GOTO statement. Second, a %GOTO statement cannot cause execution to branch to a point inside an iterative %DO, %DO %UNTIL, or %DO %WHILE loop that is not currently executing.

Example: Providing Exits in a Large Macro

The %GOTO statement is useful in large macros when you want to provide an exit if an error occurs.

%macro check(parm);
   %local status;
   %if &parm= %then %do;
       %put ERROR:  You must supply a parameter to macro CHECK.;
       %goto exit;
   %end;
   more macro statements that test for error conditions 
   %if &status > 0 %then %do;
       %put ERROR:  File is empty.;
       %goto exit;
   %end;
   more macro statements that generate text 
   %put Check completed successfully.;
%exit: %mend check;

FOOTNOTE 1:A computed %GOTO contains % or & and resolves to a label.[return]