TYPE:  Print a text file to SAS output window/.lst file or log

Programmer:  Dan Blanchette ()
Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Duke University's Fuqua School of Business
Durham, NC  USA
Developed at Research Computing at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Date:  26February2008
Last updated:  26February2008

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Print an ASCII text file SAS output window or ".lst " file or log

%type("filen name and location", options );

The TYPE SAS macro is just like the Stata command (and DOS command) type.  It just prints your text file to the SAS output window or ".lst" file or SAS log.  It even has the starbang option that Stata's type command has that prints only lines that start with "*!".

NOTE:  The parameters have to be specified in the order of this list.

Parameters	Explanation
(1st) file name	Needs to be the text file name and location to print to SAS output or log.
(2nd) Options	Explanation
-starbang	It specifies to only print lines that start with "*!"
-log	It specifies to print to the SAS log.  The default is to print to the SAS output window/.lst file.

Using the TYPE macro requires that you understand how to use the %include SAS statement and that you know how to call a SAS macro.

  %include "LOCATION AND NAME OF A FILE THAT CONTAINS SAS CODE";

For example, if you have copied this file to "c:\SASmacros", then you tell SAS about this macro by adding the following line to your SAS program:

  %include "c:\SASmacros\type.sas"; 

The include statement makes SAS aware of the TYPE SAS macro which is in the file type.sas.  To use the macro you have to make a call to it.  To do that you add a line like the following to your SAS program:

   %type("folder & name of an ASCII text file", [options]);

The information inside the parentheses is passed on to the TYPE macro.  The first string of information is the ASCII text file you want to submit to Stata.  The second string of information after the comma is the options you wish to pass on to the TYPE macro.

 
    %include "C:\SASmacros\type.sas"; ** Include macro once in a SAS session and call it **;
                                       *  as many times as you like in that session.     **;
  
   ** print the text file my_file.txt to SAS output: **;
   *%type( file name and location, options ) **;
    %type("C:\MyData\my_file.txt",         );


   ** print the text file my_file.txt to SAS log: **;
   *%type( file name and location, options ) **;
    %type("C:\MyData\my_file.txt", -log    );


   ** only print lines that start with a star and a bang "*!" **;
   ** in the file C:\MyData\my_file.txt  **;
   %type("C:\MyData\my_file.txt", -starbang);