BookmarkSubscribeRSS Feed

Creating custom tasks for SAS Enterprise Guide

Started ‎09-12-2017 by
Modified ‎09-12-2017 by
Views 7,946

During this 37-minute video, I lead you through the uses of SAS custom tasks in SAS Enterprise Guide and the basic steps for creating your own task. You'll learn what custom tasks can do and what they cannot do. You'll learn about the tools and APIs that support the creation of tasks. And you'll see the "inside" of a completed custom task project. (An aside: I owe a big "thank you" to the team that post-processed the recording of my expert talk -- I know that I wasn't that smooth and concise when I recorded it!)

 

Watch the video

 

 

Where to learn more

It's a short introduction and watching it won't make you an expert in the topic, but it will help you to decide whether to learn more. You can learn more from my book on this topic, or you can arrange to attend an offering of the two-day course that we offer occasionally. Or you can learn it all on your own, as many have. There are plenty of examples and references to work from. If you're wondering what skills you should have before taking the class, watch my "about this course" video here.

 

See also: Custom Tasks topics on The SAS Dummy blog

 

In the "ask the expert" video, I referenced a collection of API libraries that make it easier to set up your custom task projects. These API libraries are available for each version of SAS Enterprise Guide, and they allow you to create tasks that are compatible with multiple versions of the SAS applications, even if you do not have those particular versions installed. (You still need at least one version of SAS Enterprise Guide or SAS Add-In for Microsoft Office in order to test and run your custom task.)

 

With the permission of the SAS R&D developers, I have made those libraries available here:

 

>> Download custom task API libraries (ZIP file 333KB)

 

The README.txt file in the ZIP file explains how to use the libraries.

Comments

Thank you for a great video. Custom tasks is really an interesting topic which I would like to know more about.

I have two questions:

1) Do you know of any online library where users can share there custom tasks? (to avoid working on something that has already been developed)

and 2) I see the templates you link to are for visual studio 2010. Are they the newest or has they been updated?

@JacobSimonsen - I've shared almost all of my custom tasks on GitHub: https://github.com/cjdinger.  It's not a central repository of all tasks that exist in the world, but there are a bunch of them there.  There are a few shared here on the communities too, by other users.

 

re: the templates -- those VS2010 templates will work on any version of Visual Studio through VS 2015.  I haven't verified them on later versions yet but I'd expect them to work.  Personally, I'm still using VS2013 for my work -- but that's because I'm a recovering software developer, and not someone who lives and breathes it in my current job...

Hello

 

I heard that there will be no more opportunity to develop Custom Tasks for Enterprise Guide 8.1 and beyond. Is it true?

 

 

Thank's

@Victor -- EG 8.1 is under development now, and as far as I know it still supports the same task architecture.  There may also be the ability to include custom tasks developed using the SAS Studio model (easier mechanism, though the tasks interactions aren't quite as flexible).  @CaseySmith can confirm.

It's good to know

 

 

Thanks Chris

Chris is correct.  EG 8.1 will still support the existing task architecture.  We also have plans to support developing tasks using the SAS Studio model, but that will likely be added in a later release.

Version history
Last update:
‎09-12-2017 01:08 PM
Updated by:
Contributors

sas-innovate-2024.png

Join us for SAS Innovate April 16-19 at the Aria in Las Vegas. Bring the team and save big with our group pricing for a limited time only.

Pre-conference courses and tutorials are filling up fast and are always a sellout. Register today to reserve your seat.

 

Register now!

Click image to register for webinarClick image to register for webinar

Classroom Training Available!

Select SAS Training centers are offering in-person courses. View upcoming courses for:

View all other training opportunities.

Article Labels
Article Tags