Interacting with SAS under Windows

Overview of the SAS Interface

The SAS windowing environment refers to the windows that open in the main SAS window. You access the main SAS window when you start SAS from your PC or from a terminal emulator.

Windows in client software that do not access the main SAS window, such as Enterprise Guide, are documented in their product documentation. For more information about Enterprise Guide, see the Help in Enterprise Guide.

Understanding Components of the Main SAS Window

The main SAS window contains all other SAS application windows. The main SAS window is completely configurable, allowing you to use its features in a way that is productive for you. The following display shows the main SAS window as it appears when you first start SAS. This section briefly describes the features of the window.

The Main SAS Window

[Components of the Main SAS Window]

The following are the primary components of the main SAS window:

menu bar

presents the menus available for the active SAS application window. As you switch between application windows, the menu bar changes.

Similarly, the pop-up menus that appear when you click the right mouse button inside an application window are customized for that window.

command bar

provides a way to quickly enter any SAS command. The command bar retains a list of the commands that you enter.

To repeat a command that you previously issued, either type until the command appears in the command bar or select the command from the list box and click the check mark button. Pressing ENTER will also submit a command.

To switch the keyboard focus to the command bar, press F11 (the function key defined as COMMAND FOCUS).

toolbar

provides quick access to the commands you perform most often. The toolbar is completely configurable and can contain up to 30 tools.

You can associate different sets of tools with different SAS application windows. When you create a tool, you specify the tool button, the commands associated with the tool, Help text displayed on the status bar, and the tip text. The bitmap browser provides images that you can use to represent your commands on the toolbar.

windowing environment

contains a workspace to open windows within the main SAS window. Certain windows, such as windows that are used for navigation, can dock to the left side of the main SAS window when Docking view is enabled from the Preferences dialog box. Windows that cannot dock to the main SAS window open to the right of the docking area. In the above figure, the Log window, the Output window, the Enhanced Editor window, and the docked windows are all part of the windowing environment. For more information about using dockable windows, see Using the Docking View.

window bar

is located at the bottom of the main SAS window and provides easy access to any window within the main SAS window.

When a window opens, a button that represents that window is placed in the window bar. Whenever you want access to a window, click the button for that window. That window then becomes the active window.

You can load a file into an application by dragging a file to the window bar button for the application (making the application the active window), and then continue dragging the file into the application window.

The window bar can be enabled or disabled from either the Preferences dialog box or the window bar pop-up menu.

status bar

contains a message area, the current folder for SAS, and the Enhanced Editor insertion point position.

The message area displays Help text for menus and tools, as well as messages that are specific to SAS application windows.

The current folder area displays the name of the current working folder. To change the current folder, double-click the current folder area. For more information, see Changing the SAS Current Folder.

The Enhanced Editor insertion point position displays the current line and column when the Enhanced Editor is the active window.

The status bar can be enabled and disabled from the Preferences dialog box. The message line, the current folder, and the insertion point position can be enabled and disabled from either the Preferences dialog box or the status bar pop-up menu. When the message line is disabled, messages appear in the active window.

Getting Help for the Main SAS Window

SAS provides help for the main SAS window using screen tips and status bar messages.

For a description of a menu or a menu item:

Select the menu or menu item.
As the mouse pointer passes over the menu or menu item, a description of the item appears in the message area of the status bar.

For toolbar help, place the mouse pointer over a button. A pop-up ScreenTip appears below the mouse pointer and a longer description appears in the message area.

For help on other parts of the main SAS window, such as tabs, buttons, and the status bar:

Place the mouse pointer over the item.
Hold the mouse pointer over the item for a few seconds. A pop-up ScreenTip appears below the mouse pointer. When you place the mouse pointer over a window bar button, the ScreenTip contains the window name.

To customize ScreenTip and status bar help text for commands available from the toolbar see Customizing the Toolbar.

To enable or disable command bar or toolbar ScreenTips, you can use either the Show ScreenTips on toolbars option in the Customize dialog box or type the TOOL TIP command in the command bar.

All other ScreenTips can be enabled or disabled using the ScreenTip option in the Preferences dialog box View tab or by using the WSCREENTIPS command. For more information on enabling and disabling ScreenTips, see Setting Session Preferences,Customizing the Toolbar, WSCREENTIPS Command: Windows, and TOOLTIPS Command: Windows.

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