topic Re: ODS PDF: dynamic column width in ODS and Base Reporting

ODS PDF: dynamic column width

vineet7878_gmail_com — Thu, 18 May 2017 19:25:08 GMT

I am trying to replicate the functionality present in ods RTF for ODS PDF, where if style with width=100% is specified in proc template or in proc report statement, the columns spread to occupy 100% of space, without any gaps between the columns.

I am unable to get the same functionality for pdf. E.g. for a landscape page, I am specifying 2 columns with widths 1 inch each along with width=100% in proc report statement. This creates big gap between two columns and after the end of last column.

Can these gaps between the columns and after the last column be eliminated such that the columns widths automatically spreadout for ODF pdf. I am using SAS 9.3

Thanks.

Vineet

Re: ODS PDF: dynamic column width

Cynthia_sas — Thu, 18 May 2017 19:57:17 GMT

Hi:
I find it difficult in ODS PDF to "overcontrol" the widths. PDF will sometimes do what you want, but not always. My recommendation is to use WIDTH=100% and then NOT control the individual columns OR to control the individual columns, but not the width of the whole report. One or the other technique works best for me, but not both.

cynthia

Also, ODS PDF has the UNIFORM option, so that will cost you some overhead in pre-processing, but on a multipage report should serve to make the columns uniform across all pages without even fiddling with width.

For example, this works quite nicely for me without overcontrolling the individual column widths.

cynthia

options orientation=landscape topmargin=.25in bottommargin=.25in
        leftmargin=.25in rightmargin=.25in;

ods pdf file='c:\temp\test_uniform_with_width.pdf' notoc uniform;
title;
proc report data=sashelp.cars 
     style(report)={width=100%};
  column make model type origin cylinders enginesize msrp invoice;
run;
ods pdf close;

Re: ODS PDF: dynamic column width

vineet7878_gmail_com — Thu, 18 May 2017 19:54:53 GMT

Thanks Cynthia, for quick reply. I wish ODS pdf & RTF were designed such that these options worked interchangeably in same way.