Introduction to the SAS Windowing Environment

Main Windows in the SAS Windowing Environment

SAS windows have several features that operate in a similar manner across all operating environments: drop-down menus, pop-up menus, toolbars, and online Help. You can customize many features of the SAS windowing environment, including toolbars, icons, menus, and so on.

The five main windows in the SAS windowing environment are the Explorer, Results, Program Editor, Log, and Output windows.

Note: The arrangement of your SAS windows depends on your operating environment. For example, in the Microsoft Windows operating environment, the Enhanced Editor window appears instead of the Program Editor. [cautionend]

When you first invoke SAS, the Program Editor, Log, and Output windows display. When you execute a SAS program output displays in the output windows and lists in the Results window. If you use a PUT statement in your program, then by default output is written to the SAS Log.

Note: The Microsoft Windows operating environment was used to create the examples in this section. Menus and toolbars in other operating environments have a similar appearance and behavior. [cautionend]

Operating Environment Information: If you are using Microsoft Windows, the active window determines which items are available on the main menu bar. [cautionend]

The following display shows one example of the arrangement of SAS windows.

One View of the SAS Windowing Environment (Microsoft Windows)

[One View of the SAS Windowing Environment (Microsoft Windows)]

The Enhanced Editor and the Log windows are displayed, and the Output window is positioned behind these two windows.

The following display shows the Log, Results, and Explorer windows.

Another View of the SAS Windowing Environment

[Another View of the SAS Windowing Environment]

SAS Explorer Window

Uses of the SAS Explorer Window

The Explorer window enables you to manage your files in the windowing environment. You can use the SAS Explorer to do the following tasks:

View lists of your SAS files.
Create new SAS files.
View, add, or delete libraries.
Create shortcuts to external files.
Open any SAS file and view its contents.
Move, copy, and delete files.
Open related windows, such as the New Library window.

Open the SAS Explorer Window

You can open SAS Explorer in the following ways:

Command:	Type EXPLORER in the command line and press Enter.
Menu:	Select View Explorer.

Display SAS Explorer with and without a Tree View

You can display the Explorer window with or without a tree view of its contents. Displaying the Explorer with a tree view enables you to view the hierarchy of the files. To display the tree view, select Show Tree from the View menu. To turn tree view off, deselect Show Tree in the menu. The following display shows SAS Explorer with the tree view turned on. Click the expansion icons to view other files in the hierarchy.

SAS Explorer with Tree View Turned On

[SAS Explorer with Tree View Turned On]

The following display shows SAS Explorer with the tree view turned off.

SAS Explorer with Tree View Turned Off

[SAS Explorer with Tree View Turned Off]

Note: You can resize the Explorer window by dragging an edge or a corner of the window. You can resize the left and right panes of the Explorer window by clicking the split bar between the two panes and dragging it to the right or left. [cautionend]

Program Editor Window

Uses of the Program Editor Window

The Program Editor window enables you to enter, edit, submit, and save SAS programs.

Open the Program Editor Window

You can open the Program Editor window in the following ways:

Command:	Type PROGRAM or PGM in the command line and press Enter.
Menu:	Select View Program Editor.

Note: To open your SAS programs in the SAS windowing environment, you can drag and drop them onto the Program Editor window. [cautionend]

View a Program in the Program Editor Window

The following display shows a SAS program that is written in the Program Editor window.

Example of the Program Editor Window

[Example of the Program Editor Window]

Log Window

Uses of the Log Window

The Log window enables you to view messages about your SAS session and your SAS programs. If the program you submit has unexpected results, then the Log helps you to identify the error. You can also use a PUT statement to write program output to the Log.

Note: To keep the lines of your log from wrapping when your window is maximized, use the LINESIZE= system option. [cautionend]

Open the Log Window

You can open the Log window in the following ways:

Command:	Type Log in the command line and press Enter.
Menu:	Select View Log.

View Log Output

The following is an example of Log output.

Example of Output in the Log Window

[Example of Output in the Log Window]

Output Window

Uses of the Output Window

The Output window enables you to view listing output from your SAS programs. By default, the Output window is positioned behind the other windows. When you create output, the Output window automatically moves to the front of your display.

Note: To keep the lines of your output from wrapping when your window is maximized, use the LINESIZE= system option. [cautionend]

Open the Output Window

You can open the Output window in the following ways:

Command:

Type OUTPUT or OUT in the command line and press Enter.
Type LISTING or LST in the command line and press Enter.

Menu:

Select View Output.

View Listing Output

The following display shows the listing output from executing a SAS program.

Example of Listing Output in the Output Window

[Example of Listing Output in the Output Window]

Results Window

Uses of the Results Window

The Results window enables you to view HTML output from a SAS program. To do this, you must specify HTML output in the Results tab of the Preferences window. To access the Preferences window, select Tools Options Preferences from the menu. In the Results tab, select Listing and HTML output:

The Preferences Window

[The Preferences Window]

The Results window uses a tree structure to list various types of output that might be available when you run SAS. You can view, save, or print individual items of output. By default, the Results window is positioned behind the Explorer window and it is empty until you submit a SAS program. Then the Results window moves to the front of your display.

Open the Results Window

You can open the Results window in the following ways:

Command:	Type ODSRESULTS in the command line and press Enter.
Menu:	Select View Results.

View Output in the Results Window

The left pane of the following display shows the Results window, and the right pane shows the Results Viewer where HTML output is displayed. The Results window lists the files that were created when the SAS program executed. The icons indicate that both listing output and HTML output are available for viewing.

Results Window and Results Viewer

[Results Window and Results Viewer]

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