Hi:
I would like to share a technique I discovered for producing mouseover text in PDF files created by PROC GPLOT. In SAS 9.2 the PROC GPLOT option “HTML=” was introduced. This option allows plotted symbols to link to an HTML destination. The technique shown in the program below manipulates this option to provide a mouseover feature similar to that available in ODS HTML. The output PDF file is attached.
* Author: Bill Sukloff;
* Date: 2012-11-06
* Description: For PDF files, uses the option introduced in SAS 9.2 GPLOT of "HTML=" to display text when the mouse hovers over a plotted symbol;
* Caution: this feature may not work in some PDF readers (tested only in Adobe Reader);
DATA class_with_anno;
SET sashelp.class;
LENGTH anno_link $ 30;
* Normally you start the href text string with "http:". I found that replacing "http:" with ">:" looked nice and still resulted in the Adobe Reader interpreting the text string as an HTML link;
* Another option is to use a text string which simulates an arrow: "-->:";
IF name NE ''
THEN anno_link = "href='>:"!!TRIM(LEFT(name))!!"'";
ELSE anno_link = "href='>:No name'";
RUN;
OPTIONS orientation=landscape PAPERSIZE=legal NODATE NONUMBER;
ODS HTML CLOSE;
ODS LISTING CLOSE;
ODS PDF FILE='c:\temp\sasgraph_pdf_example_mouseover.pdf' style=BarrettsBlue;
TITLE1 'SAS/Graph: PDF Mouseover using fake HTML links';
FOOTNOTE1 'Note: Place your mouse cursor over a plot symbol for information about the data value';
PROC GPLOT DATA=class_with_anno;
PLOT height * weight = sex /
HTML=anno_link
;
RUN;
QUIT;
ODS PDF CLOSE;
Nice and thanks for sharing. I just sent you (well, hopefully it was your email address I found on the web) an email asking if you would be interested in turning this post into a 10-minute presentation for our upcoming (December 14, 2012) Toronto Area SAS Society meeting.
Hi Arthur:
Sure, thanks for the offer.
Thank you for sharing this tip. I believe that the HTML= option was available in earlier releases as well - perhaps as beta (?). BTW there is a missing semi-colon on the second comment in the first DATA step.
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