Date:         Wed, 12 Jul 2000 09:24:30 -0700
Reply-To:     "Harmon, Laura" <harmonl@WSIPP.WA.GOV>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Harmon, Laura" <harmonl@WSIPP.WA.GOV>
Subject:      Help with using the RX character string functions
Content-Type: text/plain

I need some help using the RX character string functions (rxparse,
rxmatch, and rxsubstr).  I would like to use these functions to compare
the contents of two variables, namea and nameb.  I have written some
code that scores how closely names match, but my algorithm could be
improved.  I thought I should figure out these functions and see if I
could use them in my algorithm.  I have read the online documentation ,
but I just don't get how to do this, can anyone help?


Thanks.

data test;
input namea $1-11 nameb $13-23;
cards;
CHRIS       CHRISTOPHER
GUSTAV      GUSTAUV
HOANG       HONG
JOHNNY      JOHN
DAVID       DAVE
TIM         TIMOTHY
DEBRA       DEBRA
;
RUN;


Laura Harmon
Washington State Institute for Public Policy
harmonl@wsipp.wa.gov