What does a value of -1 for the times argument specify in the PRXCHANGE function?

In the context of the PRXCHANGE function in SAS, a value of -1 for the times argument signifies that the search should continue until the end of the source string is reached. This means that the function will look for all occurrences of the specified pattern and apply the substitution for each match found throughout the entire input string.

Using -1 allows for comprehensive data manipulation, which is particularly useful when the goal is to replace multiple instances of the pattern rather than just the first occurrence. In scenarios where it is necessary to have a complete transformation of the input string based on a regex pattern, specifying -1 ensures that no matches are missed and every applicable substitution is executed.

This behavior contrasts with other values that would limit the search to a defined number of matches or restrict it to searching in a certain direction, highlighting the significance of understanding the implications of different arguments within the PRXCHANGE function.