Optional Arguments

Options in a BLOCK statement affect all of the maps that are produced by that statement. You can specify as many options as you want and list them in any order.

ANNOTATE=Annotate-data-set

specifies a data set to annotate onto maps that are produced by the BLOCK statement. Annotate coordinate systems 1, 2, 7, and 8 are not valid with block maps.

Alias:ANNO=

See:Using Annotate Data Sets.

AREA=n | column-name

specifies that a different map pattern be used for the surface of each map area or group of map areas on the map.

You can specify pattern fills or colors or both with PATTERN statements that specify map and plot patterns. A separate PATTERN definition is needed for each specified area.

AREA=n

The value of n indicates which variable in the ID statement determines the groups that are distinguished by a surface pattern. By default, all map unit areas are drawn using the same surface fill pattern. If your ID statement has only one map area identification variable, then use AREA=1 to indicate that each map area surface uses a different pattern. If you have more than one variable in your ID statement, then use n to indicate the position of the variable that defines groups that share a pattern. When you use the AREA= option, the map data set should be sorted in order of the variables in the ID statement.

AREA=column-name

A column name defined in either the MAP= or DATA= data sets might be indicated with the column-name value. If the column name exists in both the MAP= and DATA= data sets, the column in the MAP= data set is used. When column-name is used, the areas are colored based on the AREA= value. Duplicate AREA= values might have different patterns assigned.

See:AREA Statement, PATTERN Statement.

BLOCKSIZE=size

specifies the width of the blocks. The unit of size is the character cell width for the selected output device. By default, BLOCKSIZE=2.

Alias:BS=

CBLKOUT=block-outline-color | SAME

outlines all blocks in the specified color. The SAME value specifies that the outline color of a block, a block segment, or a legend is the same as the interior pattern color.

The default outline color is determined by the current style. If you specified the NOGSTYLE system option, then the default color is black for Java and ActiveX and the first color in the color list for all other devices.

The CBLKOUT= option is not valid when SHAPE=CYLINDER.

Alias:CBLOCK=

Restriction:Partially supported by Java

Note:If you specify empty block patterns (VALUE=EMPTY in a PATTERN statement), you should not change the outline color from the default value, SAME, to a single color. Otherwise, all the outlines are one color and you can distinguish between empty areas only by their size. Empty block patterns (VALUE=EMPTY in a PATTERN statement) are not supported by DEVICE=JAVA.

CDEFAULT=empty-area-fill-color

fills empty map areas in the specified color. This option affects only map areas that are empty. Empty map areas are generated in block maps only when a map area is omitted from the response data set and the ALL option is included in the PROC GMAP statement.

The default is NONE, which draws the polygon empty, showing the background in the fill area of the polygon.

Alias:CDEF=, DEFCLR=

Restriction:Not supported by Java

See:The CEMPTY option, the ALL option, and Displaying Map Areas and Response Data

CEMPTY=empty-area-outline-color

outlines empty map areas in the specified color. This option affects only map areas that are empty. Empty map areas are generated in block maps only when a map area is omitted from the response data set and the ALL option is included in the PROC GMAP statement.

The default outline color is the same as the default COUTLINE= color.

Alias:CE=

Restriction:Not supported by Java

See:The option ALL and Displaying Map Areas and Response Data.

COUTLINE=area-outline-color | SAME

outlines non-empty map areas in the specified color. When COUTLINE=area-outline-color and DEVICE=JAVA or ACTIVEX, both empty and nonempty map areas are outlined. The SAME value specifies that the outline color of a map area is the same as the interior pattern color.

The default outline color is determined by the current style. If you specified the NOGSTYLE system option, then the default color is black for Java and ActiveX and the first color in the color list for all other devices.

Alias:CO=

Restriction:Partially supported by Java

Note:If you specify empty map patterns (VALUE=EMPTY in a PATTERN statement), then you should not change the outline color from the default value SAME. Otherwise, all the outlines are one color and you cannot distinguish between the empty areas. Empty block patterns (VALUE=EMPTY in a PATTERN statement) are not supported by DEVICE=JAVA.

CTEXT=text-color

specifies a color for the text in the legend. If you omit the CTEXT= option, a color specification is searched for in this order:

• the CTEXT= option in a GOPTIONS statement.
• the default, the text color that is specified in the current style.
• if you specify NOGSTYLE, then the default color is black for Java and ActiveX and the first color in the color list for all other devices.

The CTEXT= color specification is overridden if you also use the COLOR= suboption of a LABEL= or VALUE= option in a LEGEND definition that is assigned to the map legend. The COLOR= suboption determines the color of the legend label or the color of the legend value descriptions, respectively.

Alias:CT=

DESCRIPTION='description'

specifies a description of the output. The maximum length for description is 256 characters. The description does not appear in the output. The descriptive text is shown in each of the following:

• the chart description for Web output (depending on the device driver). See Chart Descriptions for Web Presentations for more information.
• the Table of Contents that is generated when you use the CONTENTS= option on an ODS HTML statement, assuming that the output is generated while the contents page is open.
• the description and the properties for the output in the Results window.
• the description and properties for the catalog entry in the Explorer.
• the Description field of the PROC GREPLAY window.

The description can include the #BYLINE, #BYVAL, and #BYVAR substitution options, which work as they do when used on TITLE, FOOTNOTE, and NOTE statements. Refer to Substituting BY Line Values in a Text String. The 256-character limit applies before the substitution takes place for these options. Thus, if in the SAS program the entry-description text exceeds 256 characters, it is truncated to 256 characters, and then the substitution is performed.

Alias:DES=

Default:BLOCK MAP OF variable-name

DISCRETE

generates a separate response level (color and surface pattern) for each different value of the formatted response variable. The LEVELS=number-of-response-levels option is ignored when you use the DISCRETE option.

If you specify the DISCRETE option, then distinct, non-continuous colors are used for the response values. If you specify the LEVELS= option, then a color ramp is used to assign each response value a continuous color scheme.

Note:If the data does not contain a value in a particular range of the format, that formatted range is not displayed in the legend.

HTML=variable

identifies the variable in the input data set whose values create links or data tips or both. The variable values are either links or data tips or both that are created in the HTML file generated by the ODS statement. The links are URLs pointing to Web pages to display when the user clicks (drills down) on elements in the graph. Data tips are detailed information or data values that are displayed as pop-up text when a mouse pointer is positioned over elements in the graph.

See:Data Tips for Web Presentations

Adding Links and Enhancements with the URL=, HTML=, and HTML_LEGEND= Options

HTML_LEGEND=variable

identifies the variable in the input data set whose values create links. Input data set variable values create links that are associated with a legend value and point to the URL to display when the user clicks (drills down) on the value.

Restriction:Not supported by Java and ActiveX

See:Adding Links and Enhancements with the URL=, HTML=, and HTML_LEGEND= Options

LEGEND=LEGEND<1...99>

specifies the LEGEND statement to associate with the map. The LEGEND= option is ignored if the specified LEGEND definition is not currently in effect. In the GMAP procedure, the BLOCK statement produces a legend unless you use the NOLEGEND option. If you use the SHAPE= option in a LEGEND statement, only the value BAR is valid. Most of the LEGEND options described in LEGEND Statement are supported by both Java and ActiveX. If a LEGEND option is not supported by Java or ActiveX, it is noted in the LEGEND option definition.

Restriction:Partially supported by Java and ActiveX

See:LEGEND Statement

LEVELS=number-of-response-levels | ALL

specifies the number of response levels to be graphed for the response variable. If you specify LEVELS=ALL , then all unique numeric or character response variable values are graphed.

Each response level is assigned a different surface pattern and color combination. The block height is based on the data value of the corresponding response variable.

If you specify the LEVELS= option, then a color ramp is used to assign each response value a continuous color scheme. The response values are assigned lighter and darker values of a color scheme to express lower and higher response values. If you specify the DISCRETE option, then distinct, non-continuous colors are used for the response values.

If neither the LEVELS= option nor the DISCRETE option is used, then the GMAP procedure determines the number of response levels by using the formula FLOOR(1+3.3 log(n)), where n is the number of response variable values.

By default, an equal-distribution (quantizing) algorithm is used to determine each level.

The LEVELS=number-of-response-levels option is ignored when you use the DISCRETE or MIDPOINTS=value-list option. It is also ignored when the response variables are character. When MIDPOINTS=OLD is used with the LEVELS= option, default midpoints are generated using the Nelder algorithm (Applied Statistics 25:94–7, 1976).

Note:If you specified the NOGSTYLE system option, then noncontinuous colors are used by default.

MIDPOINTS=value-list | OLD

specifies the response levels for the range of response values that are represented by each level (pattern and color combination).

For numeric response variables, value-list is either an explicit list of values or a starting and an ending value with an interval increment, or a combination of both forms:

• n <...n>
• n TO n <BY increment>
• n <...n > TO n <BY increment> <n<...n>>

By default, the increment value is 1. You can specify discrete numeric values in any order. In all forms, n can be separated by blanks or commas. For example: midpoints=(2 4 6) midpoints=(2,4,6) midpoints=(2 to 10 by 2)

If a numeric variable has an associated format, the specified values must be the unformatted values. With numeric response values, DEVICE=JAVA uses only midpoints that fall in the range of the data being used. Thus, if your data ranged from 30–80, but midpoints were specified at 25, 50, 75, and 100, only 50 and 75 are used.

For character response variables, value-list is a list of unique character values enclosed in quotation marks and separated by blanks:

• 'value-1' <...'value-n'> midpoints="Midwest" "Northeast" "Northwest"

Specify the values in any order. If a character variable has an associated format, the specified values must be the formatted values. Character response values specified with the MIDPOINTS= option are not supported by DEVICE=JAVA.

You can selectively exclude some response variable values from the map, as shown here: midpoints="Midwest"

Only those observations for which the response variable exactly matches one of the values listed in the MIDPOINTS= option are shown on the map. As a result, observations might be excluded inadvertently if values in the list are misspelled or if the case does not match exactly.

Specifying MIDPOINTS=OLD generates default midpoints using the Nelder algorithm (Applied Statistics 25:94–7, 1976).

Restriction:Partially supported by Java

See:The RANGE option

Example:Using GfK GeoMarketing Map Data When Specifying Midpoints in a Prism Map

MISSING

accepts a missing value as a valid level for the response variable.

See:Displaying Map Areas and Response Data.

NAME='name'

specifies the name of the GRSEG catalog entry and the name of the graphics output file, if one is created. The name can be up to 256 characters long, but the GRSEG name is truncated to eight characters. Uppercase characters are converted to lowercase, and periods are converted to underscores. The default GRSEG name is GMAP. If the name duplicates an existing name, then SAS/GRAPH adds a number to the name to create a unique name (for example, GMAP1).

If the name specified is exactly eight characters long, then the last character of the image output filename is replaced with a number. For example, myimages is changed to myimage1.

See:About Filename Indexing

NOLEGEND

suppresses the legend.

PERCENT

causes GMAP to collect all response values (or their statistic) and chart each region as a percentage of the whole. You can use the STATISTIC= option to change how the percentage is calculated—whether as a percentage of the SUM, FREQUENCY, or MEAN. If you do not use the STATISTIC= option, then STATISTIC=FIRST is assumed and the response variable of only the first observation of each region is counted. If the response variable is a text field, then STATISTIC=FREQUENCY is used, even if you specify a different value for the STATISTIC= option.

Alias:PERCENTAGE

See:The STATFMT=format-specification, and the STATISTIC=FIRST | SUM | FREQUENCY | MEAN

RANGE

causes GMAP to display, in the legend, the starting value and ending value of the range around each midpoint specified with the MIDPOINTS= option (instead of displaying just the midpoints). For example, if MIDPOINTS=15 25 35, then the legend could show 10-20, 20-30, 30-40.

Restriction:MIDPOINTS= must be specified for the RANGE option to have any effect. Not supported by ActiveX.

RELZERO

creates bars and regions that are relative to a zero value. By default, GMAP creates heights that are relative to the minimum value, which might or might not be zero. With the RELZERO option, zero value bars have no height.

Alias:REL0, RELATIVETOZERO

Restrictions:This option works only for variables that have no negative values.

Not supported by Java

SHAPE=3D-block-shape

specifies the shape of the blocks. Use this option to enhance the look of the block shape, or to specify a different shape. Unless you specify SHAPE=OLD, only solid fill patterns are used. The value of 3D-block-shape can be one of the following:

• BLOCK | B
• CYLINDER | C
• HEXAGON | H
• OLDBLOCK | OLD
• PRISM | P
• STAR | S

SHAPE=BLOCK is the default. OLDBLOCK is the same as BLOCK except that with OLDBLOCK the tops and sides of blocks are colored the same as the background. This exception existed prior to the SAS 9.2 release.

The CBLKOUT= option is not valid when SHAPE=CYLINDER.

Default:BLOCK

STATFMT=format-specification

overrides the GMAP default format for percent of PERCENT8.2. Use this format when using calculated values. The STATFMT option is typically used when the STATISTIC=FREQUENCY option or the PERCENT option is used.

Alias:SFMT=, SFORMAT=, STATFORMAT=

STATISTIC=FIRST | SUM | FREQUENCY | MEAN

specifies the statistic for GMAP to chart. For character variables, FREQUENCY is the only allowed value—any other value is changed to FREQUENCY and a warning is issued. The frequency of a variable does not include missing values unless the MISSING option is specified.

FIRST

GMAP matches the first observation from the DATA= data set and charts the response value from this observation only. This is the default. If more rows exist that are not processed, a warning is issued to the log.

SUM

All observations matching a given ID value are added together and the summed value is charted.

FREQUENCY

A count of all rows with nonmissing values is charted unless you specify the MISSING option.

MEAN

All observations matching a given ID value are added together and then divided by the number of nonmissing observations matched. This value is then charted unless you specify the MISSING option.

Alias:STAT=

Example:Using GfK GeoMarketing Map Data When Specifying the Statistic for the Response Variable

STRETCH

stretches map extents to cover all available space in the device. This might cause the map to be distorted. When this option is applied to the PROC GMAP statement, it applies to all statements. If applied to a single statement, it applies only to that statement.

Alias:STRETCHTOFIT, STR2FIT

Restriction:Not supported by Java and ActiveX

UNIFORM

causes the same legend and coloring to be used for all maps produced by the procedure instead of being calculated within each BY group for each map. The UNIFORM option prescans the data to generate a categorization across all the data, regardless of BY grouping, and applies that categorization to all maps in the BY group. This results in a static legend and color distribution across all maps such that a single value always has the same color in multiple maps.

When specified on a PROC GMAP statement, the UNIFORM option applies to all AREA, BLOCK, CHORO, and PRISM statements included within the GMAP run-group.

When omitted from the PROC GMAP statement, and specified on an individual AREA, BLOCK, CHORO, or PRISM statement, the UNIFORM option applies only to the maps produced by that statement.

Restriction:Not supported by Java

URL=character-variable

specifies a character variable whose values are URLs. The variable values are URLs for Web pages to display when the user clicks (drills down) on elements in the graph.

Restriction: This option affects graphics output that is created through the ODS HTML destination only.

Interaction:If you specify both the HTML= and the URL= options, then the URL= option is ignored.

See:Overview of Enhancing Web Presentations

Example: GIF Output with Drill-Down Links

WOUTLINE=block-outline-width

specifies the width, in pixels, of the outline for all outlined blocks and for the outline of the map areas.

Default:1

XSIZE=map-width <units>

YSIZE=map-height <units>

specify the physical dimensions of the map to be drawn. By default, the map uses the entire procedure output area.

Valid units are CELLS (character cells), CM (centimeters), IN (inches), or PCT (percentage of the graphics output area). The default unit is CELLS.

If you specify values for map-width or map-height that are greater than the dimensions of the procedure output area, the map is drawn using the default size.

Restriction:Not supported by Java and ActiveX

XVIEW=x

YVIEW=y

ZVIEW=z

specify coordinates of the viewing position in the reference coordinate system. In this system, the four corners of the map lie on the X-Y plane at coordinates (0,0,0), (0,1,0), (1,1,0), and (1,0,0). No axes are actually drawn on the maps that are produced by PROC GMAP. Your viewing position cannot coincide with the viewing reference point at coordinates (0.5,0.5,0), the center of the map. The value for z cannot be negative.

If you omit the XVIEW=, YVIEW=, and ZVIEW= options, the default coordinates are (0.5, −2, 3). This viewing position is well above and to the south of the center of the map. You can specify one, two, or all three of the view coordinates; any that you do not specify are assigned the default values. Although you can use the XVIEW= and YVIEW= options with DEVICE=JAVA, ZVIEW= cannot be used with DEVICE=JAVA.

Viewing Position and Viewing Reference Point shows the position of the viewing reference point, as well as the default viewing position.

Viewing Position and Viewing Reference Point

Alias:XV=, YV=, ZV=

Restriction:Partially supported by Java