topic Re: PROC SGSCATTER: MATRIX plot is missing tick values when used with option DIOGANAL=(histogram) in Graphics Programming

PROC SGSCATTER: MATRIX plot is missing tick values when used with option DIOGANAL=(histogram)

A_Kh — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:51:36 GMT

Hello Community,

While creating matrix plot using the option DIOGANAL=(histogram), tick values are disappearing . Trying to use GTL to modify the template, but don't see any available options in the tmplout-generated code or sas documentations. TEMPLATES with/out tick values don't differ.
Is there any SG or GTL option available for the MATRIX statement to display tick values even when using DIOGANAL=(histogram) option?

Please see the below examples.

1. Tick values displayed without DIOGANAL=(histogram) option.

proc sgscatter data=sashelp.iris tmplout='C:\Users\Desktop\matrix1.sas';
  title "Scatterplot Matrix for Iris Data";
  matrix sepallength petallength;
run;
title;

the tmplout created template is:

proc template;
define statgraph sgscatter;
begingraph / designwidth=640 designheight=640;
EntryTitle "Scatterplot Matrix for Iris Data" /;
layout lattice / pad=(top=5);
    ScatterPlotMatrix SepalLength PetalLength / subpixel=off NAME="MATRIX";
endlayout;
endgraph;
end;
run;

2. Tick values disappeared with DIOGANAL=(histogram) option.

proc sgscatter data=sashelp.iris tmplout='C:\Users\Desktop\matrix2.sas';
  title "Scatterplot Matrix for Iris Data";
  matrix sepallength petallength/diagonal=(histogram);
run;
title;

the tmplout created template is:

proc template;
define statgraph sgscatter;
begingraph / designwidth=640 designheight=640 subpixel=on;
EntryTitle "Scatterplot Matrix for Iris Data" /;
layout lattice / pad=(top=5);
    ScatterPlotMatrix SepalLength PetalLength / subpixel=off NAME="MATRIX" diagonal=( histogram );
endlayout;
endgraph;
end;
run;

Re: PROC SGSCATTER: MATRIX plot is missing tick values when used with option DIOGANAL=(histogram)

DanH_sas — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:48:14 GMT

Unfortunately, there is not a good way to achieve what you requested. The histograms have different axis ranges from the scatter plots, so the unified external row/column axes around the matrix cannot be created without negatively impacting the visual. The best you could do would be to create a Layout Lattice in GTL and, using internal axes, add the scatter plots and histograms in the desired order.

Re: PROC SGSCATTER: MATRIX plot is missing tick values when used with option DIOGANAL=(histogram)

Ksharp — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:46:37 GMT

You want this ?

/*Example 1*/
ods listing gpath="%sysfunc(pathname(work))" image_dpi=300 style=htmlblue;
ods graphics / reset=all imagename='sepallength' noborder width=80px height=80px;
ods html exclude sgplot;   
/*generate a histogram graph*/
title;
proc sgplot data=sashelp.iris pad=0  noborder noautolegend;
histogram sepallength ;
xaxis display=none;
yaxis display=none;
run;

ods listing gpath="%sysfunc(pathname(work))" image_dpi=300 style=htmlblue;
ods graphics / reset=all imagename='petallength' noborder width=80px height=80px;
ods html exclude sgplot;   
/*generate a histogram graph*/
title;
proc sgplot data=sashelp.iris pad=0  noborder noautolegend;
histogram petallength ;
xaxis display=none;
yaxis display=none;
run;



%sganno
data sganno;
%SGIMAGE(IMAGE="%sysfunc(pathname(work))\sepallength.png",ANCHOR="topleft",BORDER="FALSE",DRAWSPACE="LAYOUTPERCENT" ,x1=6,y1=93)
%SGIMAGE(IMAGE="%sysfunc(pathname(work))\petallength.png",ANCHOR="topleft",BORDER="FALSE",DRAWSPACE="LAYOUTPERCENT" ,x1=54,y1=48)
run;

ods graphics/reset;
proc sgscatter data=sashelp.iris sganno=sganno;
  title "Scatterplot Matrix for Iris Data";
  matrix sepallength petallength;
run;

Re: PROC SGSCATTER: MATRIX plot is missing tick values when used with option DIOGANAL=(histogram)

A_Kh — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 20:29:22 GMT

Thank you @DanH_sas, it's very helpful!

Re: PROC SGSCATTER: MATRIX plot is missing tick values when used with option DIOGANAL=(histogram)

A_Kh — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 20:35:14 GMT

Hi @Ksharp ,

Thank you for the code, yes this looks like what I needed. Could we drop tick markers around histograms and add labels in the x- and y-axis, like in the example plot below?

Re: PROC SGSCATTER: MATRIX plot is missing tick values when used with option DIOGANAL=(histogram)

Ksharp — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 08:07:18 GMT

OK. This one ?

/*Example 2*/
ods listing gpath="%sysfunc(pathname(work))" image_dpi=300 style=htmlblue;
ods graphics / reset=all imagename='sepallength' noborder width=77px height=77px;
ods html exclude sgplot;   
/*generate a histogram graph*/
title;
proc sgplot data=sashelp.iris pad=0  noborder noautolegend;
histogram sepallength ;
xaxis display=none;
yaxis display=none;
run;

ods listing gpath="%sysfunc(pathname(work))" image_dpi=300 style=htmlblue;
ods graphics / reset=all imagename='petallength' noborder width=77px height=77px;
ods html exclude sgplot;   
/*generate a histogram graph*/
title;
proc sgplot data=sashelp.iris pad=0  noborder noautolegend;
histogram petallength ;
xaxis display=none;
yaxis display=none;
run;



%sganno
data sganno;
%SGIMAGE(IMAGE="%sysfunc(pathname(work))\sepallength.png",ANCHOR="topleft",BORDER="FALSE",DRAWSPACE="LAYOUTPERCENT" ,x1=5,y1=94)
%SGIMAGE(IMAGE="%sysfunc(pathname(work))\petallength.png",ANCHOR="topleft",BORDER="FALSE",DRAWSPACE="LAYOUTPERCENT" ,x1=51,y1=48)

/*get rid of the tick markers around histogram*/
%SGRECTANGLE(X1=10,
     Y1=91.9,
     HEIGHT=2,
     WIDTH=40,
     ANCHOR="TOPLEFT"  ,
     DISPLAY="FILL" ,  /*DISPLAY="ALL"*/
     DRAWSPACE="GRAPHPERCENT",
     FILLCOLOR="white" ,
     HEIGHTUNIT="PERCENT" ,
     WIDTHUNIT="PERCENT" 
     )
%SGRECTANGLE(X1=8.1,
     Y1=90,
     HEIGHT=40,
     WIDTH=2,
     ANCHOR="TOPLEFT"  ,
     DISPLAY="FILL" ,  /*DISPLAY="ALL"*/
     DRAWSPACE="GRAPHPERCENT",
     FILLCOLOR="white" ,
     HEIGHTUNIT="PERCENT" ,
     WIDTHUNIT="PERCENT" 
     )
%SGRECTANGLE(X1=50,
     Y1=10.2,
     HEIGHT=2,
     WIDTH=40,
     ANCHOR="TOPLEFT"  ,
     DISPLAY="FILL" ,  /*DISPLAY="ALL"*/
     DRAWSPACE="GRAPHPERCENT",
     FILLCOLOR="white" ,
     HEIGHTUNIT="PERCENT" ,
     WIDTHUNIT="PERCENT" 
     )
%SGRECTANGLE(X1=89.8,
     Y1=50,
     HEIGHT=40,
     WIDTH=2,
     ANCHOR="TOPLEFT"  ,
     DISPLAY="FILL" ,  /*DISPLAY="ALL"*/
     DRAWSPACE="GRAPHPERCENT",
     FILLCOLOR="white" ,
     HEIGHTUNIT="PERCENT" ,
     WIDTHUNIT="PERCENT" 
     )

/*Add X an Y variable label*/
 %SGTEXT(
     LABEL="Sepal Length (mm)",
	 WIDTH=40,
     WIDTHUNIT= "PERCENT" ,
     ANCHOR="CENTER" ,
     BORDER="FALSE",
     DRAWSPACE="GRAPHPERCENT",
     TEXTSIZE=12,
     X1=30,
     Y1=95
     )
 %SGTEXT(
     LABEL="Petal Length (mm)",
	 WIDTH=40,
     WIDTHUNIT= "PERCENT" ,
     ANCHOR="CENTER" ,
     BORDER="FALSE",
     DRAWSPACE="GRAPHPERCENT",
     TEXTSIZE=12,
     X1=70,
     Y1=95
     )

 %SGTEXT(
     ROTATE=90,
     LABEL="Sepal Length (mm)",
	 WIDTH=40,
     WIDTHUNIT= "PERCENT" ,
     ANCHOR="CENTER" ,
     BORDER="FALSE",
     DRAWSPACE="GRAPHPERCENT",
     TEXTSIZE=12,
     X1=4,
     Y1=75
     )
 %SGTEXT(
     ROTATE=90,
     LABEL="Petal Length (mm)",
	 WIDTH=40,
     WIDTHUNIT= "PERCENT" ,
     ANCHOR="CENTER" ,
     BORDER="FALSE",
     DRAWSPACE="GRAPHPERCENT",
     TEXTSIZE=12,
     X1=4,
     Y1=25
     )

run;

ods graphics/reset;
title;
proc sgscatter data=sashelp.iris sganno=sganno pad=40px;
  matrix sepallength petallength;
run;

Re: PROC SGSCATTER: MATRIX plot is missing tick values when used with option DIOGANAL=(histogram)

A_Kh — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:44:29 GMT

Thank you, @Ksharp , whith you nothing seems impossible in SAS 🙂