TL;DR
SAS has officially released a VS Code SAS programming code extension. The extension is available on SAS’ Visual Studio Marketplace, and we’ve also created the sas-vscode-extension repository on sassoftware GitHub.
As of 01May2024, the most recent release of the SAS Extension for VS Code is v1.90. It supports connections to any modern SAS environment, including:
- SAS Viya
- SAS 9.4 Remote (using IOM, Windows only)
- SAS 9.4 Remote (using SSH)
- SAS 9.4 Local (on Windows, when VS Code is on Windows)
See this video introduction from @DavidHD to get started.
See also David's update about the most recent additional features.
VS Code SAS Extension Introduction
In 2019 a survey on Stack Overflow listed VS Code as the IDE of choice for 50% of the developers surveyed. That number jumped to 74% in 2023. Moral of the story: VS Code is popular in the developer community and is still growing in adoption. Rather than asking developers to log into, and code in, the SAS UI, we’ve developed the VS Code SAS Extension. The tool offers users an integration point for adding SAS programs and code into their work, without having to switch applications. The tool also offers the ability to connect directly to SAS Viya and run code.
Repeat for those who skipped TL;DR: The extension is available on SAS’ Visual Studio Marketplace, and we’ve also created the sas-vscode-extension repository on sassoftware GitHub. The extension can connect to SAS Viya and SAS 9.4 to edit and run code, and can be used standalone as a powerful development tool for SAS programmers.
Features
The extension offers the following features.
| SAS Syntax Highlighting |
Color Themes |
Code Completion |
| Pop-up Syntax Help |
Snippets |
Code Folding and Code Outline |
| Configuring the SAS Extension |
Running SAS Code |
VS Code for the web compatible |
| VS Code Notebooks |
Data Viewer |
Libraries and Data set navigation |
The list above is not exhaustive and we're just at the beginning. We plan on adding more features over time. I will not go through the specific features in this article. Rather, I’ll offer some background on why SAS created the tool, how it can benefit users, run through a short use case, and challenge you to be creative in using the extension.
Who are we trying to reach?
The extension is open for use by anyone using VS Code; however, there is certainly a user base that would be more apt to adopt it. We’re a data-driven company. Numbers don’t lie. Based on the Stack Overflow survey results, it’s clear developers do their work in VS Code. We need to meet these users where they are. Consider the scenario below and see how the extension benefits developers.
The developer using VS Code
If during the day you write Python, then some JavaScript, and then some SAS, and VS Code is your favorite place to be… now you can write your SAS code there too. Our goal is to meet your SAS programming needs by supporting the number one code editor in the industry today. Our new VS Code extension for SAS is lightweight, runs anywhere, and allows you to integrate SAS and other languages.
Let’s also consider other potential users.
The SAS Studio user
We’re not suggesting SAS programmers alter what they do in SAS Studio, in any way. The VS Code extension offers an alternative, if the need arises, to be flexible with a new integration point.
What about other users?
Additionally, students, companies that support the use of VS Code in their tech stack, and Microsoft’s Azure DevOps customer base will have the opportunity to make use of the SAS extension.
Project development and support
While the initial contribution of core functionality is by SAS R&D, we expect and encourage continued contributions by SAS developers, partners, and consultants. In fact, we’ve already seen issues logged and conversations occur in the Marketplace and on GitHub.
SAS has a commitment to support the community contribution effort through code reviews and assistance with critical bugs. We also expect this to be a popular topic in the SAS Support Community. A conversation on this subject in the Developers Community has over 6k views and comments from several users wanting to contribute.
Install, configure, and feature use
Video format
In the following video, I cover extension installation, configuration, and highlight multiple features.
Text format
Let's take a look at installation and functionality using this simple use case.
- install the extension
- add SAS Code to a programming window in VS Code
- configure connection to SAS Viya instance
- run the code and verify the results
Install the extension
Two ways to accomplish this:
- Go to the SAS page on Visual Studio Marketplace and click Install.
- This should open VS Code and install the extension for you.
- Open VS Code, navigate to Extensions and enter SAS in the filter.
- Make sure to find/install the extension with the description Official SAS Language Extension for VS Code.
Configure the SAS theme
This setting enables things like SAS programming color coding, type ahead, the 'SAS running man' icon, and other SAS-specific features.
- Navigate to File-> Preferences, Color Theme
- Choose one of three SAS themes: SAS Light, SAS Dark, or SAS High Contrast
Enter SAS code
- Open a new programming window by selecting File-> New Text File, click Select a language, and choose SAS from the list.
- Enter SAS code (you can use the following test code or use your own).
data race;
pr =probnorm(-15/sqrt(325));
run;
proc print data=race;
var pr;
run;
Establish connection
For more information about the authentication process, please see the blog post Authentication to SAS Viya: a couple of approaches.
You can create a Profile with connection information to SAS Viya. You have the ability to create multiple profiles to connect to different SAS Viya environments. Profile configuration depends on your SAS Viya version.
Connecting to SAS Viya, release 2022.11 and later
Connections to SAS Viya use an authorization code and the pre-loaded vscode client id.
- Press F1 to kick off the 'SAS: Add New Connection Profile' wizard
- Enter a profile name
- Provide the SAS Viya url, e.g., https://sasserver.sas.com
- When prompted to enter client id, PRESS Enter, do not provide a client id.
Connecting to SAS Viya, prior to release 2022.11 (including Viya 3.5)
Connections to SAS Viya use an authorization code and a client id created by a SAS Admin
- Press F1 to kick off the 'SAS: Add New Connection Profile' wizard
- Enter a profile name
- Provide the SAS Viya url, e.g., https://sasserver.sas.com
- When prompted to enter client id, enter a valid client id (see documentation for client registration steps)
- Enter a client secret
More information on profile creation is in the preceding blog post link and on GitHub. If you hit connection issues, refer to the FAQ on GitHub.
Run code
The extension uses the current profile to connect to SAS Viya. On the initial connection to SAS in a VS Code session follow these steps:
- Click on the SAS running man in the upper-right-hand corner of the code window.
- A SAS login screen appears
- Log in using your SAS credentials
- If prompted, authorize access for all scopes
- Copy the generated authorization code
- Paste the authorization code in VS Code
- Results should be displayed in the Results tab.
See the Running SAS Code section of the README for more details.
Note: subsequent calls in the same VS Code session will connect directly to SAS Viya. You do not need to repeat the authorization code steps.
Use cases needed
Want to become a star? Ready to impress everyone? Here’s where you can help. You'll hear plenty from SAS about the new VS Code extension; however, oftentimes our users come up with the best ideas for use of our software and tools. If you have a use case that’s more interesting than what’s outlined above (a simple code example, only using SAS), we’d love to hear about and feature it.
Finally
Is this project complete? Absolutely not. We're adding additional functionality and making improvements based on user feedback. We've also processed multiple pull requests on GitHub incorporating changes from the field. We want to continue providing proper functionality, responding to user concerns, and facilitating the use of our new extension. Try it out and tell us what you think.
