Date:         Thu, 15 Oct 1998 09:19:48 -0400
Reply-To:     John Iwaniszek <jiwanisz@QCHN.QUINTILES.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
From:         John Iwaniszek <jiwanisz@QCHN.QUINTILES.COM>
Subject:      input( var, ? 8.) not producing expected results
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I am trying to use the input function question mark modifier to
unobtrusively detect the type of data contained in a character field.  I
expected, based on the SAS manual, that
 
numvar=input( charvar, ? 8.);
 
would set _error_ to one when charvar contained nonvalid numeric data and
no invalid data line or input line would be printed to the log.  However
the input lines of all the records where charvar contained a non-numeric
character were put to the log, along with the embarrassing _error_=1
notation.
 
Has anyone experienced this?  Is there a problem with the manual or is it,
the more likely scenario, that I don't understand how to use this feature?
 
John Iwaniszek