ODS Data Step Object

[JackHamilton]

I wonder how many people use the ODS data step object. I know it's experimental, but lots of people use experimental features.

An enhancement I'd like: the ability to directly address table cells, instead of having to figure out where everything is going to go, and then writing it sequentially.

One way to specify it: add ROWS and COLUMNS parameters to TABLE_START, then ROW and COLUMN to FORMAT_CELL and CELL_START.

Hmm, what if I want to get to a nested table from the outer table, or to the outer table from a nested table? I guess htat would be hard.

I guess I could set up a big mess of arrays, write my data there, and then at the end go through the arrays and make the ODS calls, but I'd prefer something a bit more built in.

The specific application I'm thinking about is the ability to build a spreadsheet, filling out cells one at a time.

[David_SAS]

Jack,

The data step object integrates the DATA step with ODS' document model,
which includes a table model. ODS' table model is based on the HTML table
model, which is a table-row-cell model. ODS' table model implementation
doesn't support the kind of random access you're describing.

Tables and spreadsheets are fundamentally different things.

Thanks for experimenting with the data step object.

-- David Kelley, SAS

[deleted_user]

I appreciate the elegance of the HTML-like cell-addressable approach to building table reports provided by the ODS Data Step Object. As I can do in HTML, I am trying to stack 2 cells in column 2 to complete a ROW_SPAN. Here is a picture of my intent.

row1:col1 row1:col2 row1:col3
row2:col2

In the following code, I want util2 to stack under util1.

obj.ROW_START();
obj.FORMAT_CELL(TEXT: utilgrp,ROW_SPAN : 2);
obj.FORMAT_CELL(TEXT: util1);
obj.FORMAT_CELL(TEXT: cpmpm,ROW_SPAN : 2);
obj.ROW_END();

obj.ROW_START();
obj.FORMAT_CELL(TEXT: util2);
obj.ROW_END();

Here is what I get.

row1:col1 row1:col2 row1:col3
row2:col1 null null

[DanO_sas_com]

ods pdf file="test.pdf";
data _null_;
dcl odsout obj();

obj.table_start();
obj.row_start();
obj.format_cell( text: "utilgrp",
row_span: 2 );
obj.format_cell( text: "util1" );
obj.format_cell( text: "cmppm",
row_span: 2 );
obj.row_end();

obj.row_start();
obj.format_cell( text: "util2" );
obj.row_end();
obj.table_end();

obj.delete();
run;

ods pdf close;

The above pgm produced something similar to the following diagram at v9.2 and v9.1.3sp4.

Forgive the formating it does not want to retain my spacing.

----------------------------
| utilgrp | util1 | cmppm |
| | util2 | |
----------------------------

Is this what you want?
What release are you using?

[David_SAS]

Although it doesn't appear to be documented in the Help, the forum software supports preformatted text. All you have to do is enclose the text in bracketed pre and /pre tags. Here's what I think Dan wished to express:
[pre]
----------------------------
| utilgrp | util1 | cmppm |
| | util2 | |
----------------------------
[/pre]
-- David Kelley, SAS

[deleted_user]

Dan,

Yes, this is what I want. We are running SAS 9.1.3 Service Pack 3. Do I need SP4 to make this work?

Regards,

Dwight

[David_SAS]

I expect that SP3 works the same as SP4.

-- David Kelley, SAS

[deleted_user]

Sorry if I jump in like this, but how do I access documentation on the ODS data step object? I searched for it at the SAS 9.1 Online documentation at http://support.sas.com/onlinedoc/913, but couldn't find anything.
Furthermore, under the path Base SAS -> SAS Language Concepts -> Data Step Concepts -> Using DATA Step Component Objects, the only objects listed as available in a data step are the Hash object and the Hash Iterator object.
Thanks


Message was edited by: DanielMastropietro at Mar 22, 2006 4:40 PM
Message was edited by: DanielMastropietro at Mar 22, 2006 6:44 PM

[David_SAS]

Daniel,

Here is some documentation:

http://support.sas.com/rnd/base/topics/datastep/dsobject/

-- David Kelley, SAS

[DanO_sas_com]

Dwight,

It appears to work at Service Pack 3 for me as well.
Can you confirm with the test pgm that I provided?

thanks,
Dan

[deleted_user]

Dan,

Your example works as you expected on our SP3. I will retry this approach on my code and let you know.

[deleted_user]

I think I discovered my problem with ROWSPAN: I was using a character argument instead of numeric. Whoops! Thanks for your assistance.

[deleted_user]

This code joins the 2 FORMAT_TEXT strings above the table.
How can I get the strings on separate lines?

IF FIRST.type THEN DO;
obj.FORMAT_TEXT(TEXT: CATX(' ','Normative Comparison Summary for',type));
END;

IF FIRST.frstincr THEN DO;
obj.FORMAT_TEXT(TEXT: time);
END;

obj.TABLE_START();
obj.ROW_START(TYPE: 'HEADER');
obj.FORMAT_CELL(TEXT: ' ');
obj.FORMAT_CELL(TEXT: 'Avg. LOS');
obj.FORMAT_CELL(TEXT: 'Admits/1,000');
obj.FORMAT_CELL(TEXT: 'Scripts/Member');
obj.ROW_END();

obj.ROW_START();
obj.FORMAT_CELL(TEXT: 'Account');
obj.FORMAT_CELL(TEXT: PUT(avglos ,7.2));
obj.FORMAT_CELL(TEXT: PUT(admthou,7.2));
obj.FORMAT_CELL(TEXT: PUT(rx_util,7.2));
obj.ROW_END();
obj.TABLE_END();

[deleted_user]

How can I replicate the behavior of the following 2-part TITLE statement using the TITLE() method?

title j=c 'Main Title' j=r "DATE: %SYSFUNC(TODAY(),MMDDYY10.)";
proc print data=sashelp.class;
run;

[DanO_sas_com]

ods listing close;

/* Try pdf & rtf as well */
%let dest =html;
options nodate nonumber;
ods &dest file="test.&dest";

title j=c 'Main Title' j=r "DATE: %SYSFUNC(TODAY(),MMDDYY10.)";
proc print data=sashelp.class;
run;

title;
data _null_;
set sashelp.class end=eof;
if _n_ = 1 then do;
dcl odsout obj();
obj.title(text: "Main Title",
overrides: "width=5.5in just=right",
text: "Date %SYSFUNC(TODAY(), MMDDYY10.)",
overrides: "width=4.5in just=right");

obj.table_start();
obj.row_start(type: "header");
obj.format_cell(text: "Name");
obj.format_cell(text: "Sex" );
obj.row_end();
end;

obj.row_start();
obj.format_cell(text: name);
obj.format_cell(text: sex);
obj.row_end();

put eof=;

if eof = 1 then do;
obj.table_end();
obj.delete();
end;
run;

ods &dest close;