The %COLORSCALE macro can be used to determine a list of colors in a gradient. This macro is referenced in several SAS/GRAPH^® papers.

The macro code can be downloaded from the Downloads tab. Usage information is included below and can also be found in the comment sections of the macro code.

The TOP and BOTTOM colors of the color gradient are required; a middle color is optional. The value N sets the desired number of intermediate colors. For example, if N is 10 and no middle color is specified, 12 colors are shown in the output. If a middle color is specified, 13 colors are shown in the output.

The macro takes the following parameters:

Colors should be represented as RGB hexadecimal values, such as FFFFFF for white or 000000 for black.

This macro uses the INCR macro to calculate the intermediate color values.

Because values must be rounded, slightly different results might occur if the values for the top and bottom colors are reversed. If the last intermediate color seems to 'jump' from the top or bottom color, try reversing the values for the top and bottom colors.

When you invoke the macro, remember that the parameters are positional. If no middle color is specified, the comma should remain. For example:

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