topic ODS Excel - want hyperlinks to change color in Excel after followed in SAS Programming

ODS Excel - want hyperlinks to change color in Excel after followed

slpinnnell — Fri, 26 May 2023 20:55:09 GMT

With ODS Excel (SAS version 9.4), I'm able to successfully create hyperlinks to individual subject tabs within my Excel spreadsheet with the following code:

    proc report data = subjects split = "`";
        columns subject;
        define subject / "Subject" style(column) = {textdecoration = underline foreground = blue};
        compute subject;
            urlstring = "#'" || strip(subject) || "'!A1";
            call define (_col_, 'url', urlstring);
        endcomp;
    run;

The hyperlinks are even blue underlined by using the style options for the SUBJECT column. Is there a way to format these hyperlinks in the Excel file so that they change color after they have been followed, similar to what Excel would do if the Hyperlink style was applied?

Here's what my current Excel file looks like:

This is what I'd like hyperlinks to look like after they've been followed (first subject) :

Re: ODS Excel - want hyperlinks to change color in Excel after followed

Ksharp — Sat, 27 May 2023 10:21:40 GMT

Maybe @Cynthia_sas knew it !

Re: ODS Excel - want hyperlinks to change color in Excel after followed

Cynthia_sas — Sun, 28 May 2023 15:42:59 GMT

Hi:

ODS HTML supports 2 style attributes: ACTIVELINKCOLOR and VISITEDLINKCOLOR, but they only sort of work in HTML output and don't work in other destinations. I doubt they will work in ODS EXCEL, since OSD is creating is a proprietary MIcrosoft XML format.

This YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qufMuSNkLYM seems to indicate that changing hyperlink colors in Excel involves changing a Microsoft theme, as shown in this screen snippet from the video:

I don't know whether a Microsoft theme can be implemented or translated to an ODS style template. And IF some of a theme can be implemented in an ODS style template (a big IF), I don't know whether hyperlink colors is one of the changeable attributes. ODS documentation still lists ACTIVELINKCOLOR and VISITEDLINKCOLOR as being ODS HTML style attributes. So, I think that these would be questions better addressed with SAS Tech Support.

Cynthia