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%LOCAL |
Type: | Macro statement |
Restriction: | Allowed in macro definitions only |
See also: | %GLOBAL |
Syntax | |
Details | |
Comparisons | |
Example | |
Using a Local Variable with the Same Name as a Global Variable |
Syntax |
%LOCALmacro-variable(s); |
Details |
The %LOCAL statement creates one or more local macro variables. A macro variable created with %LOCAL has a null value until you assign it some other value. Local macro variables are variables that are available only during the execution of the macro in which they are defined.
Use the %LOCAL statement to ensure that macro variables created earlier in a program are not inadvertently changed by values assigned to variables with the same name in the current macro. If a local macro variable already exists and you specify that variable in a %LOCAL statement, the existing value remains unchanged.
Comparisons |
Example |
%let variable=1; %macro routine; %put ***** Beginning ROUTINE *****; %local variable; %let variable=2; %put The value of variable inside ROUTINE is &variable; %put ***** Ending ROUTINE *****; %mend routine; %routine %put The value of variable outside ROUTINE is &variable;
Submitting these statements writes these lines to the SAS log:
***** Beginning ROUTINE ***** The value of variable inside ROUTINE is 2 ***** Ending ROUTINE ***** The value of variable outside ROUTINE is 1
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