SAS Companion for the CMS Environment

Routing to External Files with Commands

You can use the FILE command to copy the contents of many different windows to external files. Issue the FILE command on the command line of the window whose contents you want to copy. For example, to copy the contents of the log window to a sequential data set, issue the following command on the command line of the log window:

file 'logout saslog b'

If the file already exists, a requestor window asks you whether you want to replace it or to append data to the existing file.

Using the PRTFILE and PRINT Commands

You can route the contents of many windows, including the Log, Program Editor, and Output windows, to an external file by using the PRTFILE command followed by the PRINT command.

Normally, the PRINT command is used to send the contents of a window to the printer. When you use the PRINT command, the default destination is controlled by the FORM subsystem. One way to override the default print destination that is established by the FORM subsystem is to use the PRTFILE command.

For example, to route the contents of your Output window to the file 'MYFILE OUTPUT C', you enter the following command from the Output window command line:

prtfile 'myfile output c'

This directs the output from the PRINT command to the external file 'MYFILE OUTPUT C'. Then, you enter the following command from the command line of the Output window:

print

If the file already exists, you are asked if you want to append to or replace the data in the file or cancel the PRINT command. Then, if you actually want to print the file, you enter the following command from the command line:

free

Note: Using the PRTFILE and PRINT commands results in files with carriage returns if you are using the default form for carriage control in the FORM subsystem. See Writing to External Files for more information about writing to print files and nonprint files. Modifying the defaults in the FORM subsystem is discussed in Modifying Your Default Form . [cautionend]

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