Using Windows Task Scheduler to run a program with Gplot - hangs!

[canna_guy_scott]

Hello!

At the end of the sas program below, an email is generated and send out with a pdf  containing a GPlot attached.

data dummy1;
input  admin $char10. x y z;
datalines;
12-12-1952  45 22 1  
12-13-1952  55 32 1  
12-14-1952  66 35 2  
12-15-1952  63 30 2  
12-16-1952  65 34 4  
12-17-1952  . . .  
12-18-1952  . . .          
12-19-1952  . . .          
;

options  missing=' ' nocenter  papersize=legal orientation=portrait nodate nonumber leftmargin=0.3in rightmargin=0.3in;
ods escapechar="^";
title;
ODS PDF file="C:\<insert your path>\file_with_gplot.pdf" startpage=no;
            ods text=" ";
            ods text= "^{style [just=left font=('calibri', 12pt, bold)] Data}";
            ods text=" ";

         proc report data=dummy1 nowd split='~' nowd style(column)={cellheight=0.17in} style(header)={cellheight=0.25in fontsize=6pt fontfamily='calibri'} style(column)=[ fontfamily='calibri' fontsize=6pt];
              title;
              column admin x y z;
              define admin/ display "Date";
              define x/ display "% All" style(column)=[cellwidth=0.7in just=center];
              define y/ display "% Most" style(column)=[cellwidth=0.7in just=center];
              define z/ display "% Some" style(column)=[cellwidth=0.7in just=center];
         run;
    
goptions reset=global gunit=pct border cback=white
         colors=(black blue green red)
         ftitle=swissb ftext=swissb htitle=3.5 htext=2 vsize=3 hsize=3.5  horigin=0 vorigin=6;

title1 'Gplot of X, Y, Z over Date';

symbol1             color=red   interpol=join value=dot height=3;
symbol2 font=marker color=blue  interpol=join value=C   height=3;
symbol3 font=marker color=green interpol=join value=X   height=3;

axis1 label=("The" justify=c
            "Date")
       major=(height=2) minor=(height=1) width=3;
axis2 order=(0 to 100 by 10) offset=(0,0) label=none major=(height=2) minor=(height=1) width=3;
legend1 label=none shape=symbol(4,2) position=(top center inside) mode=share;

proc gplot data=dummy1;
   plot x*admin y*admin z*admin / overlay legend=legend1 haxis=axis1 hminor=4 vaxis=axis2 vminor=1;
run;
quit;

ODS PDF close;


FILENAME OUTBOX EMAIL
    TO        =    ("<insert_your_email>@<xyz.com>")
    REPLYTO    =    ("<insert_your_email>@<xyz.com>")
    SUBJECT    =    ("Test - pdf file with embedded Gplot ")
    ATTACH  =   ("C:\<insert your path>\file_with_gplot.pdf");
DATA _NULL_;
  FILE OUTBOX;
    PUT ;
    PUT %SYSFUNC(COMPBL("This email was generated via sas program."));
    PUT ;
RUN;
FILENAME OUTBOX CLEAR;


data _null_; put '** the SAS job is now finished'; run;
data _null_; file print ; title; put; put '** the SAS job is now finished'; run;

All works fine (no errors, etc) if you run this program interactively - the pdf is generated, the email with the pdf attached is sent ...

We have been trying to schedule this program to run every morning at 5 AM; we were hoping that Windows Task Scheduler would be the ticket. (by the way, I have Window 8.1 Enterprise)

(if you haven't used windows task, one key feature is you have windows task scheduler run a windows bat file - and this bat file runs the sas program or programs - below are the contents of  the bat file I am using to run the above sas program (the sas program is named "sas_gplot_pdf_test_task_scheduler.sas"))

"C:\Program Files\SASHome\x86\SASFoundation\9.4\sas.exe" -SYSIN "C:\transfer\sas_gplot_pdf_test_task_scheduler.sas"  -LOG "C:\transfer\sas_gplot_pdf_test_task_scheduler.log"  -PRINT "C:\transfer\sas_gplot_pdf_test_task_scheduler.lst"

And now here is the PROBLEM (sorry for yelling ;-):

When the scheduler fires up, it runs the bat file, which launches sas (see image below):

And then just sits there ("hangs") - the log and print file have been generated, but the pdf has not, and no email has been sent.  It just sits ...

The only way I can get things to move forward is to hit the little red "x" for graph window (see image below) - which means this is no longer an automatically scheduled/launched sas program (I don't want to wake up every morning at 5 AM to hit a little red x).

I know that in interactive sas one can use either dm "graph; end"; or

proc greplay igout = work.gseg nofs;
delete _all_;
run;
quit;

to clear the Graph 1 Window - but neither seem to work when the sas program is run via Task Scheduler  (i.e., when you are not running interactive sas).

Thanks in Advance!

[SASKiwi]

Please post your SAS log file.

[canna_guy_scott]

Here is the log from the sas job that hangs (when running it using the Windows Task Scheduler).

[canna_guy_scott]

And here is the log when running the sas program interactively.

[DaveHorne]

Hi @canna_guy_scott, I tried your test program and it actually worked (the ODS PDF part) using 9.4M6 on Windows 10 in batch via the task scheduler.  I think in some earlier releases you have to close the listing output before the other ods options:

ods listing close;

[PGStats · Accepted solution]

Add the statement ODS _ALL_ close; before ODS PDF;

[canna_guy_scott]

Both suggestions work!  Thank you so much for solving this mystery!

To recap the succesful suggestions:

Suggestion 1:  Add the statement ODS listing close; before ODS PDF;

Suggestion 2:  Add the statement ODS _ALL_ close; before ODS PDF;