Hi Kevin, Try adding a %unquote to the string, and you also don't need some of the extra %'s in there (at least, our stuff doesn't have them):

put %unquote(%str(%'[select("r&start.c2:r&end.c6")]%'));

Hope this helps, Nancy

Nancy Brucken Development Informatics Pfizer Global Research & Development, Ann Arbor (734) 622-5767 E-mail address: Nancy.Brucken@pfizer.com

-----Original Message----- From: Kevin Viel [mailto:kviel@EMORY.EDU] Sent: Friday, January 24, 2003 10:07 AM To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU Subject: Macro resolution of Excel commands via DDE

Greetings,

I am attempting to write a macro that sends formatting functions to Excel via DDE.

I have the following line:

put %str(%'[select%(%")r&start.c2:r&end.c6 %str(%"%)]%');

which should resolve to:

'[select("r6c2:r30c6")]'

I obtained the above line by using %PUT instead of PUT. When I use PUT I get the following error:

MPRINT(SECTION_FORMAT): put '[workbook.activate("sheet1")]'; NOTE: Line generated by the invoked macro "SECTION_FORMAT". 5 put '[select("r&start.c2:r&end.c6 ")]'; * put '[select("r1c2:r1c6 ")]'; - - 22 76 ERROR 22-322: Syntax error, expecting one of the following: a name, a quoted string, arrayname, #, (, +, /, //, ;, @, @@, OVERPRINT, _ALL_, _BLANKPAGE_, _ODS_, _PAGE_.

ERROR 76-322: Syntax error, statement will be ignored.

- 200 ERROR 200-322: The symbol is not recognized and will be ignored.

Please not that on line 5 above, the commented section resolves. What am I overlooking? The entire macro follows my signature.

Thank you,

Kevin

____________________________________

Kevin Viel Department of Epidemiology Rollins School of Public Health Emory University Atlanta, GA 30329

%macro section_format; /* Determine how many cells per Project / SNP */ data _null_; cnt+1; do i=1 by 1 until (last.sort); set all_review end=end; by proj sort; end; call symput("Sec" || put(cnt,3. -L), put(i-1, 8.)); if end then call symput("Sections", put(cnt, 8.)); run;

%let start=6; %let end=0;

data _null_; file xl_sys; put '[error(false)]'; put '[workbook.activate("sheet1")]'; %do i=1 %to &sections.; %let end=%eval(&start.+&&&sec&i.-1); put %str(%'[select%(%")r&start.c2:r&end.c6 %str(%"%)]%'); * put %str(%'[select%(%")r1c2:r1c6 %str(%"%)]%'); put '[format.font("Arial", 10, true, false, false, false, 0, false, false)]'; put '[alignment(3)]'; put '[format.number("@")]'; %let start=%eval(&end.+7); %end; run;

%global all_end; %let all_end=&end.; %mend section_format;

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