Date:         Mon, 5 Jan 2004 16:33:16 -0700
Reply-To:     Jack Hamilton <JackHamilton@FIRSTHEALTH.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Jack Hamilton <JackHamilton@FIRSTHEALTH.COM>
Subject:      Re: Odd format behavior and workaround
Comments: To: c-jeff.voeller@MCI.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

"Jeff Voeller" <c-jeff.voeller@MCI.COM> wrote:

>I strongly agree with you about the utility of "other", especially
with
>character formats.  I hadn't done it in this case because the real
program
>(obviously I posted only a simplified excerpt) created the format via
a
>CNTLIN dataset with a numeric START variable.  Makes it difficult to
append
>a final record with 'other' as the value in the same variable!

Not too difficult, but it is a bother.

I've argued for years that it should be possible to use code like
this:

=====
proc format cntlin=abc other='X'; run;
=====

which would cause PROC FORMAT to assign X as the other label for all
formats in cntlin.

If you think that would be useful (or have an alternate syntax to
suggest), please send mail to <suggest@sas.com>.



--
JackHamilton@FirstHealth.com
Manager, Technical Development
Metrics Department, First Health
West Sacramento, California USA