Glossary

annotation

a label, marker, or note that is not obtained from the data but is placed on a graph independently. Such annotations might or might not be linked to data values in the plot.

axis

a line that represents the midpoints (for a discrete axis) or the scale (for a continuous or interval axis) for graphing variable or data values. An axis typically consists of an axis line with tick marks, tick values (or midpoint values), and a label.

block

See statement block.

cell

in ODS graphics, a distinct rectangular subregion of a graph that can contain plots, text, or legends.

classification panel

a multi-cell graph in which the cell data is driven by the values of one or more classification variables. The number of the cells is determined by the unique values of the classification variables. Each cell of the panel has the same types of plots.

classification variable

a variable whose values are used to group (or classify) the observations in a data set into different groups that are meaningful for analysis.

column

a set of layout cells that are stacked vertically and share the same alignment.

computed plot

a plot in which input data is internally summarized or otherwise transformed to create new data that is actually rendered by the plot. Examples of computed plot statements are BARCHART, BOXPLOT, HISTOGRAM, ELLIPSE, and REGRESSIONPLOT.

define block

in the TEMPLATE procedure, a define block (beginning with a DEFINE statement and ending with an END statement) creates various types of templates, including STATGRAPH, STYLE, and TABLE.

device-based graphic

a graph created with SAS/GRAPH software for which a user-specified or default device (DEVICE= option) controls certain aspects of the graphical output.

dots per inch

a measure of the graph resolution by its dot density. Short form: DPI.

DPI

See dots per inch.

dynamic variable

a variable defined in a template with the DYNAMIC statement that can be initialized at template run time.

fill

to apply a color within a bounded area. Many plots, such bar charts and band plots, have bounded areas that can be filled or unfilled. When filled, a color is applied. When unfilled, the areas are transparent.

footnote area

the region below the graph area where text produced appears.

Graph Gallery

in ODS Graphics Designer, a gallery of predefined, commonly used graphs. Users can add their own custom graphs to the gallery.

Graph Template Language

an extension to the Output Delivery System (ODS) that enables users to create sophisticated analytical graphs. Short form: GTL.

graphics template

See ODS template.

group variable

a variable in the input data set used to categorize chart variable values into groups. A group variable enables the data for each distinct group value to be rendered in a visually different manner. For example, a grouped scatter plot displays a distinct marker and color for each group value.

GTL

See Graph Template Language.

layout

a generic term for a rectangular container that lays out the positions and sizes of its child components.

layout block

a block beginning with a LAYOUT statement and ending with an ENDLAYOUT statement.

layout grid

a multi-cell layout arranged as a grid of cells in rows and columns.

layout type

a keyword indicating the functionality of the layout. For example, OVERLAY, LATTICE, and DATAPANEL are layout types.

legend entry

a combination of a graphical element such as a marker or line along with text describing the value or use of the graphical element. A discrete legend can have several legend entries.

loess plot

a curved line showing a loess fit for a set of points.

marker

a symbol such as a diamond, a circle, or a triangle that is used to indicate the location of, or annotate, a data point in a plot or graph.

multi-cell layout

a layout that supports a rectangular grid of cells, each of which can contain a graphical element, such as a plot, a legend, a nested layout, and so on.

nested layout

a layout block that appears within the scope of another layout block.

ODS

See Output Delivery System.

ODS destination

a designation that the Output Delivery System uses to generate a specific type of output. Types of ODS destinations include but are not limited to HTML, XML, listing, PostScript, RTF, and SAS data sets.

ODS Graphics

an extension to ODS that is used to create analytical graphs using the Graph Template Language.

ODS style

a template that specifies instructions for the presentation aspects (color, font face, font size, and so on) of your SAS output. This template determines the overall appearance of the documents that use it. Each style definition consists of style elements.

ODS template

a description of how output should appear when it is formatted. ODS templates are stored as compiled entries in a template store, also known as an item store. Common template types include STATGRAPH, STYLE, CROSSTABS, TAGSET, and TABLE.

Output Delivery System

a component of SAS software that can produce output in a variety of formats such as markup languages (HTML, XML), PDF, listing, RTF, PostScript, other formats, and SAS data sets. Short form: ODS.

overlay

a plot that can be superimposed on another plot when specified within an overlay-type layout. A common overlay combination is a fit line on a scatter plot.

overlay layout

a type of layout that supports the superimposition of graphical components, such as plots, legends, and nested layouts.

panel

a graph with multiple cells.

plot

a visual representation of data such as a scatter plot, needle plot, or contour plot.

plot area

the space, bounded by the axes, where a visual representation of data, such as a scatter plot, a series line, or a histogram, is drawn.

plot type

a plot family such as bar chart (which would include horizontal, vertical, and grouped bar charts), or a classification scheme for plots based on some useful criteria, such as whether the plots are computed or parameterized.

regression plot

a straight or curved line showing a linear or higher order regression fit for a set of points.

required argument

a variable or constant that must be specified in order to evaluate an expression or render a plot, legend, text, or a layout. For example, a scatter plot has two required arguments: X=column and Y=column.

rich text

a generic term for text that can have different font characteristics (color, family, size, weight, style) on a character-by-character basis and can also be used as a superscript or subscript. All text statements in GTL support rich text.

row

a set of layout cells that are side-by-side and share the same alignment.

scatter plot matrix

a grid of scatter plots showing pairwise combinations of multiple numeric variables.

SGD file

an ODS Graphics Designer file. Users can open this file in the designer and change the graph. Users can also render the graph to an ODS destination by using the SGDESIGN procedure.

SGE file

a file created in the ODS Graphics environment that contains an editable graph. Such files have a .sge file extension and can be edited only with the ODS Graphics Editor. You can edit SGE files from the SAS Results window or by opening the SGE file from within the ODS Graphics Editor.

shared variable

a feature of ODS Graphics Designer that enables users to reuse graphs and specify different variables from the same or from a different data set.

single-cell layout

a layout type that supports only one cell. The OVERLAY, OVERLAY3D, and OVERLAYEQUATED layouts are examples of single-cell layouts.

statement block

a group of statements that has both a logical beginning and ending statement. For example, in the GTL, a LAYOUT statement along with its ENDLAYOUT statement and all contained statements are a block. Some blocks can be nested within other blocks.

style

see ODS style.

style attribute

a visual property, such as color, font properties, and line characteristics, that has a reserved name and value defined in ODS. Style attributes are collectively referenced by a style element within a style definition.

style element

a named collection of style attributes that affects specific parts of ODS output. For example, a style element might specify the color and font properties of title text or other text in a table or graph.

template definition

the TEMPLATE procedure source program that creates a template. A template definition can be generated from a compiled template. Also called the template source.

template store

an item store that contains definitions that were created by the TEMPLATE procedure. Definitions that SAS provides are in the item store Sashelp.Tmplmst. You can store definitions that you create in any template store to which you have Write access.

template-based graphic

graphical output produced by a compiled ODS template of the type STATGRAPH. That is, a graph that is produced within the ODS graphics environment rather than in the traditional device-based environment.

transparency

the degree to which a graphics element (such as a marker or filled area) is opaque or transparent. Transparency is indicated with a number from 0 (completely opaque) to 1 (completely transparent).

Unicode

a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems.