Date:         Wed, 25 May 2011 08:39:09 -0700
Reply-To:     "Jfh@alumni.stanford.org" <jfh@STANFORDALUMNI.ORG>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Jfh@alumni.stanford.org" <jfh@STANFORDALUMNI.ORG>
Subject:      Re: How to count the number of a particular character in a
              string?
Comments: To: "DUELL, BOB (ATTCINW)" <bd9439@ATT.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <AC5F423B9AB19C43BE62C86BAF8113CC083EFC@WABOTH9MSGUSR8C.ITServices.sbc.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Have you looked at the CountC function?
--
Sent from my Android phone with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

"DUELL, BOB (ATTCINW)" <bd9439@ATT.COM> wrote:

Hi, I was asked today how to count how many of a particular character was in a string and came up with the following: data _null_; tester = 'alphabet characters'; do check_for = 'a','z'; count = ifn(index(tester,check_for),length(compress(tester,check_for,'k')),0); put check_for= count=; end; run; This certainly works but it involves a lot of function calls. Any better (more efficient) ideas? Thanks, Bob