The GIS Procedure

LAYER Statement

Displays information about the contents of a layer entry. Also, creates a new layer entry, replaces an existing entry, modifies the characteristics of an entry, or deletes an entry.

Syntax
Summary of Optional Arguments
Required Argument
Operations
Options
Additional Optional Arguments for Themes
Details
Examples
Example 1: Define a Layer Using a Composite
Example 2: Define a Layer Using a Category Variable
Example 3: Create a Theme
Example 4: Update an Existing Theme

Syntax

LAYER operation <libref.catalog.>layer-entry </ options <theme-options>>;

Summary of Optional Arguments

COMPOSITE=composite-name

specifies a composite that defines the common characteristic of the features in the layer.

DEFAULT=(static-arguments)

defines the static appearance of a layer.

DESCRIPTION='string'

specifies a descriptive phrase that is stored in the description field of the layer entry

DETAILON=scale-value

specifies the scale at or below which detail coordinates are displayed, provided that detail points are available.

DETAILS | NODETAILS

specifies whether the detail coordinates are read for this layer.

FORCE

enables you to create more than one theme by using the same variable from the same attribute data set.

LABELON=scale-value

specifies the numeric scale at or below which map labels are displayed.

OFFSCALE=scale-value

specifies the scale at or below which the layer is hidden.

ONSCALE=scale-value

specifies the scale at or below which the layer is displayed.

STATIC | THEMATIC

specifies whether the current theme in the layer is turned on when the map is opened.

THEME=(operation theme-arguments)

enables you to modify or delete existing themes or to create new themes.

TYPE=POINT | LINE | AREA

specifies the type of layer.

UNITS=unit-specification

specifies the scale units for subsequent ONSCALE=, OFFSCALE=, and DETAILON= argument values.

WHERE=('where-string-1' <... 'where-string-n'>)

specifies a WHERE expression that subsets the chains data set to define a geographic layer of a spatial database.

Required Argument

<libref.catalog.>layer-entry

specifies the layer entry that you want to create, delete, replace, or update. The layer-name value must conform to the following rules for SAS names:

  • The name can be no more than 32 characters long.
  • The first character must be a letter or underscore (_). Subsequent characters can be letters, numeric digits, or underscores. Blanks are not permitted.
  • Mixed-case names are honored for presentation purposes. However, because any comparison of names is not case sensitive, you cannot have two names that differ only in case (for example, State and STATE are read as the same name).

Operations

You must specify one of the following values for the operation keyword:

CONTENTS

displays the characteristics of the specified layer entry in the Output window, including the WHERE expression that defines the layer and lists of the layer's parameters and graphical attributes.

An error occurs if the specified layer entry does not exist.

Restriction No additional arguments (other than the layer entry name) are used with the CONTENTS operation.

CREATE

creates a new layer entry to define a particular set of features in the spatial database. The LAYER CREATE statement does not overwrite existing layer entries. An error occurs if a layer entry with the specified name already exists. Use LAYER REPLACE to replace an existing entry.

Requirement For the CREATE operation, you must also specify either the COMPOSITE= argument or the WHERE= argument. For area layers, you must use the COMPOSITE= argument.

DELETE

removes the specified layer entry. For the DELETE operation, you can also specify the special value _ALL_ for the layer-entry name to delete all layer entries in the current catalog.

An error occurs if the specified layer entry does not exist.

Restriction No additional arguments (other than the layer entry name) are used with the DELETE operation.
Note You must specify a new layer list for any map entries that refer to the deleted layer entry.
CAUTION:
Use DELETE with care.
The GIS procedure does not prompt you to verify the request before deleting the layer entry. Be especially careful when you use _ALL_.

REPLACE

overwrites the specified layer entry or creates a new layer entry if an entry with the specified name does not exist. The LAYER REPLACE statement has the effect of canceling the previously issued LAYER CREATE statement for the specified layer entry.
Requirement For the REPLACE operation, you must also specify either the COMPOSITE= argument or the WHERE= argument. For area layers, you must use the COMPOSITE= argument.

UPDATE

modifies the specified layer entry by applying new values for specified arguments. An error occurs if there is no existing layer entry with the specified name.

Options

When you specify CONTENTS, CREATE, REPLACE, or UPDATE for the operation argument in a LAYER statement, you can specify one or more of the following additional optional arguments. Separate the list of options from the layer-entry argument with a slash (/).

COMPOSITE=composite-name

specifies a composite that defines the common characteristic of the features in the layer. The COMPOSITE= argument is an alternative to specifying a WHERE expression by using the WHERE= argument. For example, you specify COMPOSITE=STATE in the LAYER statement. The STATE composite specifies with the variable association VAR=(LEFT=STATEL,RIGHT=STATER). In this case the implied WHERE expression that is stored in the layer entry is WHERE STATEL NE STATER.

Note Either the COMPOSITE= argument or the WHERE= argument is required when you use the CREATE or REPLACE operation. For area layers, you must use the COMPOSITE= argument.

DEFAULT=(static-arguments)

defines the static appearance of a layer. The following are the options:

AREA=(area-arguments)

defines the static appearance of the area fills in an area layer. You can specify the following arguments:

ANGLE=angle-value

specifies an angle for hatched and crosshatched lines. The ANGLE= value must be greater than or equal to zero and less than 90 (for crosshatch), or greater than or equal to zero and less than 180 (for hatch).

Default 0 (for HATCH and CROSSHATCH)
Ranges 0 – 90 (HATCH)
0 – 180 (CROSSHATCH)

COLOR=color

specifies the fill color of the area. The color value must be one of the following:

  • a SAS color name
  • an RGB color code in the form CXrrggbb
  • an HLS color code in the form Hhhhllss
  • a gray-scale color code in the form GRAYnn
Default GRAY
See For more information about color-naming schemes, see “Specifying Colors in SAS/GRAPH Programs” in SAS/GRAPH: Reference.

SPACING=line-spacing

specifies the spacing between hatched lines or crosshatched lines. The lower the number, the less space between lines.

Default 7
Range 2 – 10

STYLE=EMPTY | FILLED | HATCH | CROSSHATCH.

specifies the fill style of the area.

Default FILLED (area contains a solid color)
Restriction The AREA= option is valid only when TYPE=AREA is specified in the layer definition.

CENTERLINE=(centerline-arguments)

defines the static appearance of the optional centerline in a line layer. You can specify the following arguments:

COLOR=color

specifies the color of the centerline. The color value must be one of the following:

  • a SAS color name
  • an RGB color code in the form CXrrggbb
  • an HLS color code in the form Hhhhllss
  • a gray-scale color code in the form GRAYnn
Default BLACK
See For more information about color naming schemes, see “Specifying Colors in SAS/GRAPH Programs” in SAS/GRAPH: Reference.

ON | OFF

specifies whether the optional centerline is displayed.

Default OFF

STYLE=SOLID | DASHED | DOTTED

specifies the style of the centerline.

Default SOLID

WIDTH=line-width

specifies the width of the centerline.

Default 1
Range 1 – 20
Restriction The CENTERLINE= option is valid only when TYPE=LINE is specified in the layer definition.

LINE=(line-arguments)

defines the static appearance of the lines in a line layer. You can specify the following arguments:

COLOR=color

specifies the color of the line. The color value must be one of the following:

  • a SAS color name
  • an RGB color code in the form CXrrggbb
  • an HLS color code in the form Hhhhllss
  • a gray-scale color code in the form GRAYnn
Default BLACK
See For more information about color-naming schemes, see “Specifying Colors in SAS/GRAPH Programs” in SAS/GRAPH: Reference.

STYLE=SOLID | DASHED | DOTTED

specifies the style of the line.

Default SOLID

WIDTH=line-width

specifies the width of the line.

Default 1
Range 1 – 20
Restriction The LINE= option is valid only when TYPE=LINE is specified in the layer definition.

OUTLINE=(outline-arguments)

defines the appearance of the area outlines in an area layer. You can specify the following arguments:

COLOR=color

specifies the color of the outline. The color value must be one of the following:

  • a SAS color name
  • an RGB color code in the form CXrrggbb
  • an HLS color code in the form Hhhhllss
  • a gray-scale color code in the form GRAYnn
Default BLACK
See For more information about color-naming schemes, see “Specifying Colors in SAS/GRAPH Programs” in SAS/GRAPH: Reference.

ON | OFF

specifies whether the area outline is displayed.

Default ON

STYLE=SOLID | DASHED | DOTTED

specifies the style of the area outline.

Default SOLID

WIDTH=line-width

specifies the width of the area outline.

Default 1
Range 1 – 20
Restriction The OUTLINE= option is valid only when TYPE=AREA is specified in the layer definition.

POINT=(point-arguments)

defines the static appearance of the symbols in a point layer. You can specify the following arguments:

CHARACTER="char"

specifies the character to use for the point symbol. CHARACTER= must specify a single character in quotation marks.

Default 'W' (a dot in the MARKER font)

COLOR=color

specifies the color of the point symbol. The color value must be one of the following:

  • a SAS color name
  • an RGB color code in the form CXrrggbb
  • an HLS color code in the form Hhhhllss
  • a gray-scale color code in the form GRAYnn
Default BLACK
See For more information about color-naming schemes, see “Specifying Colors in SAS/GRAPH Programs” in SAS/GRAPH: Reference.

FONT=font-name

specifies the name of the font to use for the point symbol. Font verification can be overridden by using the FORCE option in the LAYER statement.

Default MARKER

SIZE=symbol-size

specifies the size of the point symbol.

Default 8
Range 1 – 21
Restriction The POINT= option is valid only when TYPE=POINT is specified in the layer definition.

DESCRIPTION='string'

specifies a descriptive phrase, up to 256 characters long, that is stored in the description field of the layer entry.
Default Blank

DETAILON=scale-value

specifies the scale at or below which detail coordinates are displayed, provided that detail points are available. This argument helps keep the detail level of a layer to a minimum when the map is zoomed to a large scale. By default, detail is displayed at all scales when detail is turned on.

Interaction The DETAILON= argument is effective only when detail coordinates are read for the layer. The DETAILS argument controls whether detail coordinates are read.

DETAILS | NODETAILS

specifies whether the detail coordinates are read for this layer. If you specify DETAILS to read the detail coordinates from the database, you can use the DETAILON= argument to control the scale at which the detail coordinates are actually displayed.

Default NODETAILS

FORCE

enables you to create more than one theme by using the same variable from the same attribute data set.

LABELON=scale-value

specifies the numeric scale at or below which map labels are displayed. This argument helps keep the number of items in the map window to a minimum when the map is zoomed to a large scale. By default, labels are displayed at all scales.

OFFSCALE=scale-value

specifies the scale at or below which the layer is hidden. By default, the layer is displayed at all zoom scales. The value specified for OFFSCALE= must be less than the value specified for ONSCALE=. The following illustrates the syntax of OFFSCALE=:
OFFSCALE=(<layer-off-scale>
<ON | OFF>
<real-units/map-units>
<METRIC | ENGLISH>
<NONE>)

layer-off-scale

sets a map scale where the layer is turned off when zoomed. The value is a real number.

ON | OFF

enables or disables the layer off-scale. If disabled, current scale settings remain intact.

METRIC

specifies KM/CM (kilometers per centimeter) as the units.

ENGLISH

specifies MI/IN (miles per inch) as the units.

real-units/map-units

are other arbitrary combinations of units. Valid values are KM, M, CM, MI, FT, and IN. Real-units is typically KM, M, MI, or FT, and map-units is usually either CM or IN. Long forms of the unit names (for example, KILOMETERS or INCH (singular or plural) are also acceptable).

NONE

disables the layer off-scale and removes all parameters.

Default METRIC

ONSCALE=scale-value

specifies the scale at or below which the layer is displayed. When the map is zoomed to a larger scale, the layer is hidden. By default, the layers are displayed at all zoom scales. The following illustrates the syntax of ONSCALE=:
ONSCALE=(<layer-on-scale>
<ON | OFF>
<real-units/map-units>
<METRIC | ENGLISH>
<NONE>)

layer-on-scale

sets a map scale where the layer is turned on when zoomed. The value is a real number.

ON | OFF

enables or disables the layer on-scale. If disabled, current scale settings remain intact.

METRIC

specifies KM/CM (kilometers per centimeter) as the units.

ENGLISH

specifies MI/IN (miles per inch) as the units.

real-units/map-units

are other arbitrary combinations of units. Valid values are KM, M, CM, MI, FT, and IN. Real-units is typically KM, M, MI, or FT, and map-units is usually either CM or IN. Long forms of the unit names (for example, KILOMETERS or INCH (singular or plural), are also acceptable).

NONE

disables the layer on-scale and removes all parameters.

Default METRIC

STATIC | THEMATIC

specifies whether the current theme in the layer is turned on when the map is opened.

STATIC

turns the current theme off so that it is not displayed when the map is opened. It does not remove the theme from the layer entry. If the layer has no theme, STATIC is ignored. The default appearance of a newly created layer is STATIC. Use the LAYER statement's DEFAULT= option to modify static graphical attributes. See DEFAULT=(static-arguments) for more information.

THEMATIC

turns the current theme in the layer on so that it is displayed when the map is opened. If the layer has no theme, this option has no effect. Use the LAYER statement's THEME= option to create a theme in a layer. See THEME=(operation theme-arguments) for more information.

THEME=(operation theme-arguments)

enables you to modify or delete existing themes or to create new themes. The THEME= option has the following arguments:

operation

specifies one of the following actions for the theme:

CREATE

creates a new theme for the specified layer entry.

An error occurs if a theme already exists for the layer that uses the same variable in the same attribute data set. That is true unless you also specify the FORCE option in the LAYER statement. The CREATE operation alone does not overwrite existing themes. Use the REPLACE option to replace an existing theme.
For a CREATE operation, you must also specify the LINK= and VAR= arguments for the THEME= option.

REPLACE

overwrites the specified theme for the layer entry. The REPLACE operation has the effect of canceling the previously issued CREATE operation for the specified layer entry.

For a REPLACE operation, you must also specify both the LINK= argument and the VAR= arguments for the THEME= option.

UPDATE

modifies the specified theme for the layer entry by applying new values for specified arguments.

An error occurs if the specified layer does not have at least one existing theme. For an UPDATE operation, you must specify a value for at least one of the LINK=, VAR=, RANGE=, NLEVELS=, MAKE_CURRENT, or NOT_CURRENT arguments for the THEME= option.
If you do not specify LINK=, the current data set link is used. If you do not specify THEMEVAR=, the current thematic variable is used.

DELETE

removes the specified theme from the specified layer entry.

For a DELETE operation, you must specify a value for the THEMEVAR= or POSITION= arguments for the THEME= option. An error occurs if you specify THEMEVAR=variable-name when a theme based on variable-name does not exist.
CAUTION:
Use DELETE with care.
The GIS procedure does not prompt you to verify the request before it deletes the layer theme.

theme-arguments

are described in Additional Optional Arguments for Themes.

TYPE=POINT | LINE | AREA

specifies the type of layer. The TYPE argument affects how the layer is displayed in a map.

POINT

The layer's features are discrete points and have no length or area associated with them. If a POINT feature has left and right attributes, the values of the attributes must be identical.

LINE

The layer's features have length, and they can have different values for their left and right attributes. However, a LINE feature can enclose an area, even though it is displayed as a line.

AREA

The layer's features have length and area associations and the layer is displayed as enclosed polygons.

Requirement Each area layer must have a polygonal index for the composite that defines the area boundaries.
Default LINE

UNITS=unit-specification

specifies the scale units for subsequent ONSCALE=, OFFSCALE=, and DETAILON= argument values. The unit-specification value can be one of the following:

ENGLISH

selects nonmetric as the scale units (for example, miles per inch or feet per inch).

METRIC

selects metric as the scale units (for example, kilometers per centimeter or meters per centimeter).

real-units/map-units

selects a user-defined combination of units. Valid values for real-units and map-units are as follows:

  • KM | KILOMETER | KILOMETERS
  • M | METER | METERS
  • CM | CENTIMETER | CENTIMETERS
  • MI | MILE | MILES
  • FT | FOOT | FEET
  • IN | INCH | INCHES
The value of real-units is typically KM, M, MI, or FT, and the value of map-units is usually either CM or IN.
Default METRIC

WHERE=('where-string-1' <... 'where-string-n'>)

specifies a WHERE expression that subsets the chains data set to define a geographic layer of a spatial database. The where-string value can contain a complete valid WHERE expression of 200 characters or fewer.

To specify a WHERE expression greater than 200 characters, you must break the expression into separate quoted strings. When WHERE= is processed, the strings are concatenated, with a space between each string, and the entire expression is evaluated.

If you are using multiple strings, each string does not have to contain a complete WHERE expression, but the concatenated expression must be valid.

You can use any of the variables in the chains data set in the WHERE expressions, not just the coordinate variables. However, the layer definition must not delineate a bounded geographic region, but rather a particular subset of the spatial data that is independent of the coverage. For example, a STREETS layer might apply to all the spatial data, even if streets do not exist in many areas. You can use only variables in the WHERE expression, not composites. Specify WHERE='1' to define a layer that contains all the features in the map.

Note Either the WHERE= argument or the COMPOSITE= argument is required when you use the CREATE or REPLACE operation. For area layers, you must use the COMPOSITE= argument. If you use the WHERE= argument, the default layer type is LINE.

Additional Optional Arguments for Themes

The THEME= option has the following optional arguments for defining and modifying layer themes:

AREA=( (level-definition 1) <... (level-definition-n)> <BLENDCOLOR> <BLENDSPACING>)

defines the appearance of the area fill for each level of a theme for an area layer. You can specify the following arguments:

level-definition

defines the appearance of a theme level for an area layer. Enclose each level definition in parentheses. The definition contains the following arguments:

ANGLE=angle-value

specifies an angle for hatched and crosshatched lines. The ANGLE= value must be greater than or equal to zero and less than 90 (for crosshatch), or greater than or equal to 0 and less than 180 (for hatch). The default is the angle of the static area for this layer.

Ranges 0 – 90 (CROSSHATCH)
0 – 180 (HATCH)

COLOR=color-name | color-code | CURRENT

specifies the fill color of the area. The value must be one of the following:

  • a SAS color name
  • an RGB color code of the form CXrrggbb
  • an HLS color code of the form Hhhhllss
  • a gray-scale color code of the form GRAYnn
  • CURRENT when you use the BLENDCOLORS option and want to use this range level color as one of the colors between which to interpolate
Default GRAY
See For more information about color-naming schemes, see “Specifying Colors in SAS/GRAPH Programs” in SAS/GRAPH: Reference.

LEVEL=level-number | FIRST | LAST

specifies which level of the theme is being modified. For example, LEVEL=1 refers to the first range level in this theme. LEVEL=FIRST and LEVEL=LAST can also be used to denote the initial and final range levels. If the LEVEL= arguments are omitted, the entered theme parameters are assigned to the range levels in sequence.

SPACING=line-spacing | CURRENT

specifies the spacing between hatched lines or crosshatched lines. The lower the number, the less space between lines. The default is the spacing of the static area for this layer. Specify CURRENT when you want to specify BLENDSPACING and use this range as one of the spacing values between which to interpolate.

Range 2 – 10

STYLE=EMPTY | FILLED | HATCH | CROSSHATCH

specifies the fill style of the area. The default is the style of the static area for this layer.

BLENDCOLOR

interpolates the color values for any theme range levels between those specified with LEVEL=. If you want to blend between existing colors, indicate the colors with COLOR=CURRENT.

BLENDSPACING

interpolates the hatched or crosshatched style for any theme range levels between those specified with LEVEL=. To blend between existing spacing values, indicate them as SPACING=CURRENT. If any intermediate range levels are not hatched or crosshatched, BLENDSPACING ignores them.

Restriction The AREA= option is valid only when TYPE=AREA is specified in the layer definition.

CENTERLINE=(centerline-arguments)

defines the appearance of the optional centerline for a theme in a line layer. You can specify the following arguments.

Note: A centerline does not vary in a single theme. Its appearance is the same for all range levels.

COLOR=color-name | color-code

specifies the color of the centerline. The color value must be one of the following:

  • a SAS color name
  • an RGB color code in the form CXrrggbb
  • an HLS color code in the form Hhhhllss
  • a gray-scale color code in the form GRAYnn
For more information about color-naming schemes, see “Specifying Colors in SAS/GRAPH Programs” in SAS/GRAPH: Reference. The default is the color of the static centerline for this layer.

STYLE=SOLID | DASHED | DOTTED

specifies the style of the centerline. The default is the style of the static centerline for this layer.

ON | OFF

specifies whether the optional centerline is displayed. The default is the display status of the static centerline for this layer.

WIDTH=line-width

specifies the width of the centerline. The default is the width of the static centerline for this layer.

Range 1 – 20
Restriction The CENTERLINE= option is valid only when TYPE=LINE is specified in the layer definition.

COMPOSITE=(composite-name-1<, ..., composite-name-n>)

lists one or more spatial composite names when you create a new key or link for a theme. If only one composite is listed, you can omit the parentheses. The composites are paired with the attribute data set variables that are named in the DATAVAR= argument. Sometimes the composite names and the data set variable names are the same. In those cases, you can specify them once with either the COMPOSITE= or DATAVAR= lists, and those names will be used for both.

Note This is not the same argument as the COMPOSITE = argument that is used to set up a WHERE expression when you create an AREA type layer.

DATASET=<libref.>data-set

specifies the attribute data set when you create a new key link for a theme. If you specify a one-level data set name, the default library is WORK.

DATAVAR=(variable-1<, ..., variable-n>)

lists attribute data set variables when you create a new key link for a theme. If only one variable is listed, you can omit the parentheses. These variables are paired with the spatial composites that are named in the COMPOSITE= argument. Sometimes the data set variable names and the composite names are the same. In those cases, you can specify them once with either the COMPOSITE= or DATAVAR= lists, and those names will be used for both.

LINE=( (level-definition-1) <... (level-definition-n)> <BLENDCOLOR> <BLENDWIDTH>)

defines the appearance of the line for each level of a theme for a line layer. You can specify the following arguments:

level-definition

defines the appearance of a theme level for a line layer. Enclose each level definition in parentheses. The definition contains the following arguments:

COLOR=color-name | color-code | CURRENT

specifies the color of the line. The value must be one of the following:

  • a SAS color name
  • an RGB color code in the form CXrrggbb
  • an HLS color code in the form Hhhhllss
  • a gray-scale color code in the form GRAYnn
  • CURRENT when you use the BLENDCOLORS option and want to use this range level color as one of the colors between which to interpolate.
For more information about color-naming schemes, see “Specifying Colors in SAS/GRAPH Programs” in SAS/GRAPH: Reference.

LEVEL=level-number | FIRST | LAST

specifies which level of the theme is being modified. For example, LEVEL=1 refers to the first range level in this theme. LEVEL=FIRST and LEVEL=LAST can also be used to denote the initial and final range levels. If the LEVEL= arguments are omitted, the entered theme parameters are assigned to the range levels in sequence.

STYLE=SOLID | DASHED | DOTTED

specifies the style of the line. The default is the style of the static line for this layer.

WIDTH=line-width | CURRENT

specifies the width of the line. The default is the width of the static line for this layer. Specify CURRENT when you use the BLENDWIDTH option and want to use this existing range level width as one of those between which to interpolate.

Range 1 – 20

BLENDCOLOR

interpolates the color values for any theme range levels between those specified with LEVEL=. If you want to blend between existing colors, indicate the colors with COLOR=CURRENT.

BLENDWIDTH

interpolates the line width for any theme range levels between those specified with LEVEL=. To blend between existing widths, indicate the widths as WIDTH=CURRENT.

Restriction The LINE= option is valid only when TYPE=LINE is specified in the layer definition.

LINK=link-name

specifies the attribute data set containing the theme variable to be used. If you do not specify a link-name value and you are performing an update, the current data set link is used.

MAKE_CURRENT | NOT_CURRENT

MAKE_CURRENT

specifies that the specified theme is to be the current theme when the map opens. MAKE_CURRENT is the default when a theme is created or updated.

NOT_CURRENT

specifies that the specified theme should be created or modified but is not to be made the current theme.

NLEVELS=integer

specifies the number of range levels in the theme. The value for NLEVELS must be an integer greater than one. You cannot specify both NLEVELS and RANGE=DEFAULT or RANGE=DISCRETE. If you specify NLEVELS, RANGE=LEVELS is assumed and can be omitted.

OUTLINE=(outline-arguments)

defines the appearance of the polygon outlines for each level of a theme for an area layer. You can specify the following arguments:

COLOR=color-name | color-code

specifies the color of the outline. The color value must be one of the following:

  • a SAS color name
  • an RGB color code in the form CXrrggbb
  • an HLS color code in the form Hhhhllss
  • a gray-scale color code in the form GRAYnn
For more information about color-naming schemes, see “Specifying Colors in SAS/GRAPH Programs” in SAS/GRAPH: Reference. The default is the color of the static outline for this layer.

ON | OFF

specifies whether the area outline is displayed. The default is the display status of the static outline for this layer.

STYLE=SOLID | DASHED | DOTTED

specifies the style of the outline. The default is the style of the static outline for this layer.

WIDTH=

specifies the width of the outline. The default is the width of the static outline for this layer.

Range 1 – 20
Restriction The OUTLINE= option is valid only when TYPE=AREA is specified in the layer definition.

POINT=( (level-definition-1) <... (level-definition-n)> <BLENDCOLOR> <BLENDSIZE>)

defines the appearance of the symbol for each level of a theme for a point layer. You can specify the following arguments:

level-definition

defines the appearance of a theme level for a point layer. Enclose each level definition in parentheses. The definition contains the following arguments:

CHARACTER=char

specifies the character to use for the point symbol. CHARACTER= must specify a single character in quotation marks. The default is the character of the static point symbol for this layer.

COLOR=color-name | color-code | CURRENT

specifies the color of the point symbol. The value must be one of the following:

  • a SAS color name
  • an RGB color code in the form CXrrggbb
  • an HLS color code in the form Hhhhllss
  • a gray-scale color code in the form GRAYnn
  • CURRENT when you use the BLENDCOLORS option and want to use this range level color as one of the colors between which to interpolate.
For more information about color naming schemes, see “Specifying Colors in SAS/GRAPH Programs” in SAS/GRAPH: Reference.

FONT=font-name

specifies the font to use for the point symbol. FONT= must specify a valid font name. The default is the font of the static point symbol for this layer. Font verification can be overridden by using the FORCE option in the LAYER statement.

LEVEL=level-number | FIRST | LAST

specifies which theme range is being modified. For example, LEVEL=1 refers to the first range level in this theme. LEVEL=FIRST and LEVEL=LAST can also be used to denote the initial and final range levels. If LEVEL=1 is omitted, the entered theme parameters are assigned to the range levels in sequence.

SIZE=symbol-size

specifies the size of the point symbol. The default is the size of the static point symbol for this layer. Specify CURRENT when you use the BLENDSIZE option and want to use this existing range level size as one of those points between which to interpolate.

Range 1 – 21

BLENDCOLOR

interpolates the color values for any theme range levels between those that you specified with LEVEL=. If you want to blend between existing colors, indicate the colors with COLOR=CURRENT.

BLENDSIZE

interpolates the point size for any theme range levels between those that you specified with LEVEL=. To blend between existing sizes, indicate the sizes as SIZE=CURRENT.

Restriction The POINT= option is valid only when TYPE=POINT is specified in the layer definition.

POSITION=position-number

specifies the position number of the target theme, starting from position 1. Negative numbers refer to positions counted backward from the last theme of the layer. For example, position=-2 refers to the second from last theme of the layer. Zero refers to the current theme, regardless of its position in the theme list. If POSITION is omitted, the default for all operations is the last theme for the layer.

RANGE=DEFAULT | DISCRETE | LEVELS

specifies the thematic range type.

DEFAULT

Increments are calculated automatically using an algorithm that is based on the 1985 paper by G.R. Terrell and D. W. Scott, “Oversmoothed Nonparametric Density Estimates” in the Journal of the American Statistical Association, Volume 80, pages 209-214.

DISCRETE

The range is treated as a series of discrete values instead of a continuous variable. If the variable that is specified in the THEMEVAR= argument is a character variable, only RANGE=DISCRETE is allowed.

LEVELS

The range is divided into evenly spaced increments. You do not have to specify RANGE=LEVELS if you specify NLEVELS=integer instead.

If you do not specify RANGE=, DEFAULT is used for numeric variables and DISCRETE is used for character variables.

THEMEVAR=variable-name

specifies the theme variable in the linked attribute data set (specified in LINK=link-name). If you do not specify a variable-name value and you are performing an update, the current theme variable is used.

THEMEVAR=variable-name also specifies the theme to delete or to make current.

Details

A layer entry is a SAS catalog entry of type GISLAYER that stores information about a layer in a map. Each layer represents a different set of features on the map, but features can be displayed in more than one layer. The layer also defines how the features are displayed. For example, you could create a layer entry named RIVERS to represent the water features in your spatial data.
Layers can be displayed as either static or thematic. When a layer is displayed as static, it has a fixed set of graphical attributes (fill colors, outline colors, and so on) for all of the features in that layer. When a layer is displayed as thematic, it uses values of a response variable in an associated attribute data set to determine the graphical attributes for the layer. Information about the theme value ranges and the attribute data is stored in the layer entry.

Examples

Example 1: Define a Layer Using a Composite

The chains data set contains pairs of variables that indicate values for the areas on the left and right sides of the chains. As a result, you can use these variable pairs to define area layers. The following code fragment defines a composite that identifies county boundaries and uses that composite to define an area layer:
composite create county / var=(left=countyl,right=countyr)
                          class=area;
run;
polygonal index create county / composite=county
                                out=gmaps.cntyx;
run;
layer create county / composite=county
                      type=area;
run;
Note: The polygonal index must be defined for the composite in order to display this area layer in a map.

Example 2: Define a Layer Using a Category Variable

Assume that the spatial database contains a variable named CFCC that contains values that identify what each chain represents. Assume also that the values of the CFCC variable for all roads begin with the letter A (A0, A1, and so on, depending on the category of road). The following code fragment defines a line layer that consists of all features that are roads:
layer create roads / where='cfcc =: "A"'
                     type=line;
run;
Note: The colon (:) modifier to the equals operator restricts the comparison to only the first n characters of the variable value, where n is the number of characters in the comparison string. The WHERE expression tests for "where the value of CFCC begins with A."

Example 3: Create a Theme

This example creates a new theme for the SASUSER.MALL.STORES map, supplied with the SAS/GIS tutorial. The theme uses the SQFT variable in the MALLSTOR attribute data set to define the theme. 
proc gis;
   spatial sasuser.mall.mall;
   layer update sasuser.mall.store / theme = (
      create
      themevar = sqft
      dataset = sasuser.mallstor
      datavar = store
      composite = store
      link = mallstor
      range = discrete
      pos = -1
      not_current);
run;
quit;

Example 4: Update an Existing Theme

This example uses the SQFT theme that was created in the previous example and modifies it as follows:
  • changes the theme variable to RENT from the same attribute data set
  • breaks the RENT values into nine theme range levels
  • makes the first level blue
  • makes the last level cxff0000 (red)
  • blends the colors for the intermediate range levels 
proc gis c=sasuser.mall;
   spatial mall;
   layer update store / theme=(
      update
      pos=1
      themevar=rent
      range=levels
      nlevels=9
      area=((level=first color=blue)
            (level=last color=cxff0000)
            blendcolor));
run;
quit;
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