From time to time I write DATA steps (usually DATA _NULL_) that print fairly elaborate reports to the listing file.

Often, text comes in blocks of several lines that are best kept together on the same page -- things like a multi-line address, patient data and all visits being listed for that patient.

I've been handling this using

FILE PRINT LINESLEFT=SPACE;

and issuing "PRINT _PAGE_;" when space is low. That works when a.) There is a reasonably low limit on the maximum size of a text block: start a new page when there are fewer lines than that limit b.) The number of lines in a text block can be calculated or estimated at the start of a block.

But sometimes there's no easy way to know the size of a block beforehand, for example when you have to start printing at the beginning of a BY group of unknown size.

Is there any trick for putting page breaks in printed output after the fact? I don't think the notion is silly; if you use option N=PAGESIZE on the FILE statement, you can change 'already printed' text on the current page, at least.

Where it is possible to start printing a block over from the beginning, I have toyed with the idea of monitoring the LINESLEFT variable; if it hits zero before the block is finished, go back to the beginning line of the block and overwrite all text with blanks; start a new page, and restart the block. But I'd very much prefer a more elegant solution if one exists.

-Thanks, Richard Ristow

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Richard Ristow AP430001@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU Bitnet: AP430001@BROWNVM Snails - Presently: Permanent: John Carter Brown Library 25 Taber Ave. Brown University Providence, R.I. 02906 Providence, R.I. 02912