Text Statement Basics

The ENTRYTITLE, ENTRYFOOTNOTE, and ENTRY statements add text to predefined areas of the graph. The text that they add cannot be specified by the options that are available in plot, axis, legend, or layout statements.

Using Titles and Footnotes

To add titles or footnotes to a graph, use one or more ENTRYTITLE or ENTRYFOOTNOTE statements. These statements must appear inside the BEGINGRAPH block, but outside any layout blocks. The following code shows the typical placement of these statements:

begingraph;
  entrytitle "Title One";
  entrytitle "Title Two";
  layout overlay;
    scatterplot x=height y=weight;
  endlayout;
  entryfootnote "Footnote One";
  entryfootnote "Footnote Two";
endgraph;

However, the following statement placement yields the same result:

begingraph;
  entryfootnote "Footnote One";
  entrytitle "Title One";
  layout overlay;
    scatterplot x=height y=weight;
  endlayout;
  entryfootnote "Footnote Two";
  entrytitle "Title Two";
endgraph;

Position of Titles and Footnotes in a Graph

Note: a light gray border was added to the graph area to indicate the boundaries between the separate areas.

Unlike SAS TITLE and FOOTNOTE statements, the GTL statements are not numbered. If you include multiple ENTRYTITLE or ENTRYFOOTNOTE statements, the titles or footnotes will be stacked in the specified order —all ENTRYTITLE statements are gathered and placed in the ENTRYTITLE area at the top of the graph, and all ENTRYFOOTNOTE statements are gathered and placed in the ENTRYFOOTNOTE area at the bottom of the graph.

Title and Footnote Areas in Relation to Graphical Area

You can add as many titles and footnotes as you want. However, the space that is needed to accommodate the titles and footnotes always decreases the height of the graphical area. For graphs with extensive titles or footnotes, you should consider enlarging the graph size. For a discussion on sizing graphs, see Controlling Graph Size.

Using Text Entries in the Graphical Area

An ENTRY statement defines text within the graphical area. Here is a simple example that places text in the upper left corner of the plot wall area:

layout overlay;
  scatterplot x=height y=weight;
  entry halign=left "NOBS = 19" /
        valign=top border=true;
endlayout;

You can use multiple ENTRY statements in conjunction with GRIDDED layouts to create tables of text and complex insets.

This example is discussed in detail in Adding Insets to a Graph.