TEMPLATE Procedure: Managing Template Stores

LINK Statement

Creates a link to an existing item.

LINK item-path-1 TO item-path-2 </ option(s)>;

Creating a link to an item has the same effect as creating a new item that inherits its characteristics from another item (see the discussion of PARENT= statement). However, using a link is more efficient than using inheritance, because linking does not actually create a new item.

Required Arguments

item-path-1

specifies the path of the item to create. PROC TEMPLATE creates the item in the first template store in the path that you can write to.

item-path-2

specifies the path of the item to link to. If the same item exists in multiple template stores, PROC TEMPLATE uses the one from the first template store in the current path that you can read.

Tip:	PROC TEMPLATE does not confirm that item-path-2 exists when it compiles the item.

Options

NOTES= 'text'

specifies notes to store in the item.

Requirement:	Enclose the text in quotation marks.
Tip:	Notes of this type become part of the compiled item, which you can view with the SOURCE statement, whereas SAS comments do not.

STORE=libref.template-store

specifies the location where the link will be created.

Restriction:	The STORE= option syntax does not become part of the compiled item.
Tip:	The link always points to the first item with the same name that it finds in the ODS path.

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