Customizing the SAS Environment

Customizing the SAS Windowing Environment

Ways to Customize the Explorer Window

You can customize the Explorer window in these ways:

Select Contents Only view or Explorer view.
Change how items appear in the contents view.
Add and remove folders (including one that adds access to files in your operating environment).
Enable member, entry, and operating environment file types to appear.
Add a pop-up menu action.
Hide member, entry, and operating environment file types.

Selecting Contents Only View or Explorer View

The Explorer window can appear in either Explorer view or Contents Only view. In Explorer view, the Explorer window includes two sides: a tree view on the left that lists folders, and a contents view on the right that shows the contents of the folder that is selected in the tree view.

The Explorer Window with Explorer View Enabled

[The Explorer Window with Explorer View Enabled]

In Contents Only view, the Explorer window is a single-paned window that shows the contents of your SAS environment. As you open folders, the folder contents replace the previous contents in the same window. In Contents Only view, you navigate the Explorer window using pull-down and pop-up menu actions, and toolbar items (if a toolbar is available).

The Explorer Window with Contents Only View Enabled

[The Explorer Window with Contents Only View Enabled]

Operating Environment Information: In most operating environments, the Explorer appears in Contents Only view by default. [cautionend]

Depending on your operating environment, you can toggle between the two views in these ways:

Menu:	View Show Tree
Command:	TREE
Toolbar	Toggle the Tree tool button

Changing How Items Appear in the Contents View

You can make selections from the View menu to determine how files appear in the Contents view of the Explorer window. All possible selections follow, although not all the selections may be available in your operating environment:

Large Icons	displays a large icon for each file.
Small Icons	displays a small icon for each file (only available on PC hosts).
List	displays a left-justified list of files.
Details	lists files along with columns of descriptive information (such as file size, type, and so on).

You might also be able to use the following commands in your operating environment instead of making selections from the View menu:

DETAILS	lists files along with columns of descriptive information (such as file size, type, and so on).
LARGEVIEW	displays a large icon for each file.
SMALLVIEW	depending on your operating environment, this command displays either a list of files or a small icon for each file.

Adding and Removing Folders

The Explorer window shows the Libraries and File Shortcuts folders by default in many operating environments. You can turn off these folders, or turn on other folders, including Extensions, My Favorite Folders, and Results.

From the Explorer window, select Tools Options Explorer.
From the drop-down list at the top of the window, select Initialization.
Select the folder that you want to add or remove, and then select Add or Remove. The Description field changes to On or Off to reflect your change.

Operating Environment Information: The My Favorite Folders window enables you to access operating environment-specific files from the Explorer. This feature is not available in CMS and z/OS operating environments. [cautionend]

Enabling Member, Entry, and Operating Environment File Types to Appear

Commonly used members, catalog entries, and operating environment files are registered and appear in the Explorer window. Registered types must have at least an icon defined and might also have pop-up menu actions defined. Undefined types do not appear in the Explorer window and have no actions associated with them.

To add (register) an undefined type:

From the Explorer window, select Tools Options Explorer.
From the drop-down list at the top of the window, select a category (such as Members, Catalog Entries, or Host Files). The registered types are displayed in the window.
Select the View Undefined Types check box to see the undefined types for the category.
Select a type and then select Edit.
Select Select Icon.
In the Select Icon dialog box, choose a category from the drop-down list at the top, select an icon, and then select OK to close the dialog box.
Add actions for the type (if desired) and then select OK. For more information about adding actions to a type, see Adding a Pop-Up Menu Action to a Member, Entry, or Operating Environment File Type. The type is added to the Registered Types list.

Adding a Pop-Up Menu Action to a Member, Entry, or Operating Environment File Type

You can add a pop-up menu action to any catalog entry, member, or operating environment file type.

From the Explorer window, select Tools Options Explorer.
From the drop-down list at the top of the window, select a category (such as Members, Catalog Entries, or Host Files). The registered types are displayed in the window.
Select the registered type that you want to edit.
Select Edit.
In the Options dialog box for that entry, select Add.
Enter a name for the action (this is the action that will appear on the pop-up menu for the item), and an action command. To see examples of action commands, look at the commands for registered types.
Select OK.

Note: The letter immediately after the ampersand (&) in the Action section denotes the shortcut key that can be used to perform that action. [cautionend]

Hiding Member, Entry, and Host File Types

You can hide members, catalog entries, and host files so that they do not appear in the Explorer window:

From the Explorer window, select Tools Options Explorer.
From the drop-down list at the top of the window, select a category (such as Members, Catalog Entries, or Host Files). The registered types are displayed in the window.
Select the registered type that you want to remove from view.
Select Remove. Confirm the removal by selecting OK when prompted.

When you remove a registered type, it is moved to the View Undefined Types view. To add the registered type back, you must redefine its icon.

Customizing an Editor

You can customize general and text editing options for your editor. For example, if you use line commands when you edit programs, then you might always want the Program Editor to appear with line numbers.

To customize your editor, do the following:

Select a SAS programming window (such as the Program Editor, Log, Output, or SAS Notepad window).
Select Tools Options Editor.
From the drop-down list, select the category of options that you want to edit.
In the Options group box, select an option, and then select Modify from the pop-up menu.
In the dialog box that appears, edit the option name, value, or both.

Customizing Fonts

You can set default font information for the SAS windowing environment with the Font window. To access the Font window, issue the DLGFONT command, or select Tools Options Fonts.

The Font window is host-specific. Refer to your host documentation for more information.

Customizing Colors

Note: Changes made with the SASColor window are visible only after affected SAS windows are closed and then reopened. [cautionend]

You can also change the default colors in edit windows, such as the Notepad and the Program Editor by using the SYNCONFIG command. This command controls the color of SAS language and programming elements, which makes it easier to parse through a SAS program and understand how it works. SYNCONFIG opens the Edit Scheme window, which gives you several different color schemes to select. You can also modify the provided color schemes.

Setting SAS Windowing Environment Preferences

You can use the Preferences window to customize portions of the SAS windowing environment to your liking. For more information, see Customizing SAS Sessions with the Preferences Window.

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