Date:         Fri, 11 Feb 2000 08:28:39 -0500
Reply-To:     Lary Jones <ljones@BINGHAMTON.EDU>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Lary Jones <ljones@BINGHAMTON.EDU>
Subject:      Re: DATA STEP: CSV AND LEADING SPACES
Comments: To: andy blissett <andy.blisset@ROYALMAIL.CO.UK>
In-Reply-To:  <950259704.804047@igateway.postoffice.co.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 08:49 AM 2/11/2000 +0000, andy blissett wrote:
>Hi....
>
>I am reading in a data file that has delimeters (say a comma).  When I read
>in the file using the following example code:
>
>...
>format a b c $char200.;
>input a b c;
>...
>and the file loooks like this (note the leading spaces on each var)
>
>         hello,       mum, happy bday
>
>Then the variable a is set to 'hello' NOT '         Hello'

Andy,

Your problem is primarily that you specified a FORMAT (output), and not an
INFORMAT.  Also, I strongly recommend using the ATTRIB statement, by which
you can specify the length, format, informat, and label of your variables
in one place.  Attrib provides good internal documentation.  My version of
your code would be:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1          Data test;
2          infile datalines dlm=',' dsd;
3          attrib a b c
4                 Length=$40
5                 informat=$Char40.
6                   format=$Char40.
7                 ;
8          input a b c;
9          put a ;
10         datalines;

         hello
   here
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Notice that I do not need to add a format on the put statement.  The
specification of a format within the ATTRIB takes care of that.

Hope this helps,
lary
_______________________________________________________
Lary Jones          %     Statistical Computing Analyst
Computing Services     %     ..........................
Binghamton University    %        LJones@Binghamton.EDU
Binghamton, NY 13902-6000   %            (607) 777-2614