SAS Object-Oriented Programming Concepts

Object-Oriented Programming and the SAS Component Object Model

The SAS Component Object Model (SCOM) provides a flexible framework for SCL component developers. With SCOM, you can develop model components that communicate with viewer components that are built with other SAS software (such as SAS/AF and webAF) or with software from other vendors.

A component in SCOM is a self-contained, reusable object that has specific properties, including

a set of attributes and methods
a set of events that the object sends
a set of event handlers that execute in response to various types of events
a set of supported or required interfaces.

With SCL, you can design components that communicate with each other, using any of the following processes:(footnote 1)

Attribute linking: enabling a component to change one of its attributes when the value of another attribute is changed.
Model/view communication: enabling a view (typically a visual control) to communicate with a model, based on a set of common methods that are defined in an interface.
Event handling: enabling a component to send an event that another component can respond to by using an associated event handler.

Classes form the foundation of the SCOM architecture by defining these attributes, methods, events, event handlers and interfaces. There are two ways to construct a class that uses the SAS Component Object Model:

You can build a class with the Class Editor that is available in SAS/AF software.
You can use SCL class syntax to construct a class.

This chapter provides detailed information about using SCL to create and modify classes.

FOOTNOTE 1: Drag and drop operations can be defined only through SAS/AF software, not through SCL.

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