Controlling the Graphics Output Format with the DEVICE= Option

SAS/GRAPH procedures use device drivers to generate graphics output. Device drivers determine the format of your graphics output. For example, the GIF device driver generates GIF image files. The ACTIVEX device driver generates ActiveX controls that can be run within HTML pages or RTF documents. The SASPRTC device generates images for the current printer as determined by the PRINTERPATH= system option (or the SYSPRINT= system option on Windows).

Every ODS destination has a default device driver associated with it. For example, the default device driver for the HTML destination is PNG. By default, when you send output to the HTML destination, your graphics output is rendered as a PNG file. (An HTML file is also generated. This HTML file contains any non-graphical output generated by your application plus an <IMG> tag that inserts the PNG output that was generated.)

Each destination supports several devices. For example, the HTML destination supports the SVG, PNG, GIF, JAVA, and ACTIVEX devices, in addition to several others. Viewing the List of All Available Devices describes how to display the entire list of devices that are available.Default Devices and Styles for Commonly Used ODS Destinations lists the default and supported devices for the LISTING, HTML, RTF, and PDF destinations.

You can change the device, and therefore the format of your graphics output, by changing the device driver that SAS uses. You can specify a device in the OPTIONS statement, the SAS/GRAPH GOPTIONS statement, or the ODS destination statement.

goptions  device=device-entry;

Devices that you might specify include PNG, GIF, JPEG, SVG, ACTIVEX, ACTXIMG, JAVA, JAVAIMG, and many others. For all open destinations, SAS/GRAPH attempts to use the device that you specify. If the device that you specify is not valid for an open destination, SAS/GRAPH switches to the default device for that destination.

For details, see GOPTIONS Statement. Summary of Default Destinations, Styles, and Devices describes the supported devices for the HTML, LISTING, RTF, and PDF destinations. See also Using Graphics Devices.