Using Controls to Display Results :: SAS(R) Visual Analytics 6.2: User's Guide

Overview of the Control Types

A control is a report object that filters or narrows the scope of the data that you are currently viewing. A control enables you to group your data by a selected category, and then select which group you want to view. Controls can be used in a report with interactions.

Section prompts are the controls that are placed in the special row area at the top of the report canvas. Only the drop-down list, button bar, and text input controls can be used in section prompts. A section prompt automatically filters all of the other report objects in the same section, as long as the report object uses the same data source as the section prompt control.

You can place any control in the main area of the report canvas below the section prompt row. You must define explicit interactions (using either the Interactions tab or the Interactions view) between these controls (as the source report objects) and one or more target report objects. For more information, see Overview of Interactions.

The following controls are available in the designer:

drop-down lists

A Drop-Down List Control
lists

A List Control
button bars

A Button Bar Control
text input fields

A Text Input Control
range sliders

A Range Slider Control

Insert Controls into a Report

To insert a control into a report:

Choose one of the following:

Drag the control icon from the Objects tab in the left pane and drop it onto the report canvas.
Select Insert Controls and then select the menu item for the control object that you want to insert. The control is automatically placed in the report canvas. If you want the control to appear in a different location, then drag and drop it in a new location.

The following table lists the available controls:

Icon	Control Type
	Drop-down List
	List
	Button Bar
	Text Input
	Range Slider

To insert the data item that you want to use in the control:
- Drag and drop a category data item onto the control.
- Use the Roles tab in the right pane, and then specify the Category and Frequency roles.

Use a Control to Create a Section Prompt

The drop-down list, button bar, and text input controls are the only ones that can be used as section prompts.

To use a control to create a section prompt:

Drag the control icon from the Objects tab in the left pane and drop it onto the area above the report canvas. (Look for the hint text that says, “Drop controls here to create a section prompt.”) The control appears above the report canvas.
Drop a category onto the control. For example, if you drag and drop a drop-down list control, then you can assign a category like Facility City or Facility Sate. Then the drop-down list is populated with the cities or states that are used in that category.

You can also use the Roles tab in the right pane, and then specify the Category and Frequency roles.

If you use a control to create a section prompt, then the user can select a value (or values, if multi-selection is available) to filter the data. Note that for some control types, the user might need to press Ctrl + click to clear the value in the filter.

Specify Control Properties

To specify the properties for a control:

If it is not already selected, select the control in the report canvas that you want to update.
In the right pane, click the Properties tab.
Update the general properties for the control. You can update the Name, Title, Format, and Description.
Update the specific properties for the control. The available properties depend on the selected control.

Here is an example of the properties for a drop-down list control:

Properties for a Drop-down List Control

Specify Control Styles

To specify styles for controls:

If it is not already selected, select the control in the report canvas that you want to update.
In the right pane, click the Styles tab.
Update the styles for the control. The available styles depend on the selected control type. For example, for a drop-down list, you can specify Drop–down Styling and Text Styling.