the text matches the format in my code i used for work-- i had cut and pasted to make sure.   when i edited to post here, i inadvertently forgot to edit the attribute map.  that's not the problem.     i've gotten the suggestion sent to work for a bar chart that wasn't in a macro, so perhaps the macro is the problem??  i don't know because after trying so many combinations of things, i switched over to posting on SAS communities.    Helena ... View more

Actually, the data step right below it is  Data myattribmap;   It's something else.    The attribute map works if I take the format statement out, as shown in my first post. Helena   ... View more

Hi Dan and BallardW, Thanks, Dan, for the coding example! I'll hang on to those.  There's still a problem with survival plots.   I applied Dan's solution. Code and results follow.   The graph goes back to default colors and line thickness instead of using attribute map attributes as shown in the plot (notice plot in my original message uses yellow, not green.   Since Dan's code works for the bar charts, I wonder if being in a macro or using output from the LIFETEST procedure is causing the problem. *** formats ** ; proc format; value groupfmt 1='Total' 2='group a' 3='group b'; run; *** attribute map; data myattrmap0; length linecolor $ 9 ; input ID $ value $ 7-18 linecolor $ linethickness ; datalines; myid 1: Total CXB2182B 3 myid 2: PSA >= 50 CX2A25D9 3 myid 3: PSA < 50 CXD17800 3 ; run; data myattrmap; set myattrmap0; markercolor=linecolor; run; ***************************; * Survival Plots *; ***************************; * by group; %macro plt_bygp (dat=, time=, event=, wher=%str(1=1), strat=, ttl1=); options formchar="|____|+|___+=|_/\<>*" pageno=1 nonumber nodate orientation=landscape center ; ods listing close; ods rtf file="mypath\myfile.rtf" /*style=endocyte*/ startpage=no nogtitle nogfootnote; ods graphics width=9in height=5.5in; ods graphics on; ods rtf startpage=now; title3 "&ttl1., Kaplan-Meier Estimates"; ods select none; proc lifetest data=mydata(where=(&wher)) plots=survival(atrisk=0 to 30 by 5); time &time.*&event.(0); strata &strat.; ods output Survivalplot=SurvivalPlotData; run; ods select all; proc sgplot data=SurvivalPlotData dattrmap=myattrmap; step x=time y=survival / group=stratumnum lineattrs=(pattern=solid) name='s' attrid=myid; scatter x=time y=censored / markerattrs=(symbol=plus size=10) name='c'; scatter x=time y=censored / markerattrs=(symbol=plus size=10) GROUP=stratumnum attrid=myid; keylegend 'c' / location=inside position=topright; keylegend 's'; xaxis label='Months'; yaxis min=0; format stratumnum groupfmt.; run; ods rtf close; ods listing; %mend plt_bygp; %plt_bygp (ttl1=%str(Overall Survival), dat=mydata, time=tt_death_mo, event=deceased, strat=survgroup ); ... View more

Hi Dan, Thanks for your reply.    The attribute map is lost when using a format statement.   Tried it as you said.   If you find a way that works, I would like to know.   What I've done instead for now is define the groups as "1: Total", 2: xxx", "3: xxx" directly instead of using a format.     It works, but it's more confusing to look at (than simply "total", "xxx", "xxx") because the order of the lines on the plot doesn't match the numbered order in the legend. Helena  ... View more