Date:         Fri, 15 Nov 2002 22:55:11 GMT
Reply-To:     "Richard A. DeVenezia" <radevenz@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Richard A. DeVenezia" <radevenz@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Organization: EarthLink Inc. -- http://www.EarthLink.net
Subject:      Re: Translate Function with Hex Characters
Content-Type: text/plain;

"Michael S. Zdeb" <msz03@HEALTH.STATE.NY.US> wrote in message
news:OF136CCF6B.4DFA431F-ON85256C72.00797D22@health.state.ny.us...
> Hi.  If I understand the TRANSLATE function correctly, one can list a
> series of characters in the TO and FROM arguments.  If I use HEX notation
> within  both TO and FROM, this works....
>
> data _null_;
> input;
> _infile_ = translate(_infile_,"'31'x'31'x","'32'x'33'x");
> put _infile_;
> datalines;
> 11111222222333333
> ;
> run;
>
> I end up with a string of 1's.  If I replace the TO string with non-HEX
> characters...
>
> data _null_;
> input;
> _infile_ = translate(_infile_,"11","'32'x'33'x");
> put _infile_;
> datalines;
> 11111222222333333
> ;
> run;
>
> the 2's are replaced with BLANKS, while the 3's are replaced with 1's.
> This is the ASCII world (on a PC).  Can anyone offer an explanation?
>
>
> Mike Zdeb
> New York State Department of Health
> ESP Tower - Room 1811
> Albany, NY   12237
> P/518-473-2855  F/630-604-1475

The translate function operates positionally upon the characters in the
string values passed to it.
Looking vertically on the left of -> you will see the third arg of
translate, the second arg appears to the right.

translate(_infile_,"'31'x'31'x","'32'x'33'x") sets up this replacement rule

from character -> to character
single quote -> single quote
3 -> 3
2 -> 1

single quote -> single quote
x -> x
single quote -> single quote
3 -> 3
3 -> 1
single quote -> single quote
x -> x

If you want to operate on just two hexadecimally indicated characters you
should
translate(_infile_,"3131"x,"3233"x)

> _infile_ = translate(_infile_,"11","'32'x'33'x") sets up this replacement
rule

single quote -> 1
3 -> 1
2 -> blank

single quote -> blank
x -> blank
single quote -> blank
3 -> blank
3 -> blank
single quote -> blank
x -> blank

--
Richard A. DeVenezia
http://www.devenezia.com/downloads/sas/macros/#FindFiles
Get file information from Windows