SAS Macro : Count number of variables assigned in a macro variable

Suppose you need to identify the number of variables user input in a macro variable.

Option I

%macro nvars (ivars);
%let n=%sysfunc(countw(&ivars));
%put &n;
%mend;
%nvars (X1 X2 X3 X4);

Option II

%macro nvars (ivars);

%let n=1;
%do %until ( %scan(&ivars,&n)= );
%let n=%EVAL(&n + 1);
%end;

%let n=%eval(&n-1);
%put &n;
%mend;

%nvars ( X1 X2 X3 X4);

About Author:
Deepanshu Bhalla

Deepanshu founded ListenData with a simple objective - Make analytics easy to understand and follow. He has over 10 years of experience in data science. During his tenure, he worked with global clients in various domains like Banking, Insurance, Private Equity, Telecom and HR.

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