ESS[SAS] (originally SAS-mode) was designed for use with SAS. SAS-mode was developed by Cook ftp://ftp.biostat.wisc.edu/pub/cook/sas-mode/sas.tar.gz.  Those editing features and new advanced features are part of ESS[SAS]. The user interface of ESS[SAS] has similarities with ESS[S], the ESS interface for S, and to the SAS Display Manager.  By _emacs_ we mean either GNU Emacs from the Free Software Foundation or XEmacs from the XEmacs Project.

ESS[SAS]--Design philosophy
===========================

ESS[SAS] mode was designed to aid the user in writing and maintaining input command files, such as myfile.sas, for SAS.  These are files containing SAS statements.  In a batch environment such files would be submitted to SAS by the operating system command:

     sas myfile.sas

In a SAS window environment, these files would be brought into the "SAS: PROGRAM EDITOR" window and then submitted with the 'Local' 'Submit' menu commands.

The *SAS:1.log* buffer in ESStr mode corresponds to the file myfile.log in SAS batch usage and to the "SAS: LOG" window in the SAS window environment.  All commands submitted to SAS, informative messages, warnings, and errors appear here.

The *SAS:1.lst* buffer in ESSlst mode corresponds to the file myfile.lst in SAS batch usage and to the "SAS: OUTPUT" window in the SAS window environment.  All data related printed output from the PROCs appear in this window.

The iESS [SAS:1] buffer exists solely as a communications buffer. Files are edited in the myfile.sas buffer.  The C-c C-r key in ESS[SAS] mode is the functional equivalent of bringing a file into the "SAS: PROGRAM EDITOR" window followed by the 'Local' 'Submit' menu commands.  The user should never use this buffer directly.

The ESS[SAS] mode was written with two primary goals.

1. Using the emacs environment is desirable for users accessing a remote computer via a network or dial-up who can not use the native SAS window environment.

2. Using the emacs environment is desirable for local users as well due to the inherent efficiency of using the same superior interface all of the time.

ESS[SAS]--Recommended autoexec.sas
==================================

The default settings of the inferior-SAS-args in essd-sas.el are

     -stdio -linesize 80 -noovp -nosyntaxcheck

with the interpretations:

     -stdio          required to make the redirection of stdio work
     -linesize 80    keeps output lines from folding on standard terminals
     -noovp          prevents error messages from printing 3 times
     -nosyntaxcheck  permits recovery after syntax errors

In addition there are several parameters that can't be set in the command line.  For these, we recommend the following line appear in your autoexec.sas in your home directory:

     options noovp pagesize=60 linesize=80 formdlim=' ';

Interpretations

     noovp          prevents error messages from printing 3 time
     pagesize=60    standard printed page length instead of window length
     linesize=80    keeps output lines from folding on standard terminals
     formdlim=' '   blank replaces "C-l" formfeeds to prevent mostly
                    empty pages

The noovp and linesize=80 appear in both the inferior-SAS-args and in the autoexec.sas.  The redundancy means that these options are in effect for both SAS interactive and batch jobs.

ESS[SAS]--Editing files
=======================

ESS[SAS] is the mode for editing SAS language files.  This mode handles:

     - proper indenting, generated by both [Tab] and [Return].
     - color and font choices based on syntax.
     - ability to send the contents of an entire buffer, a highlighted region,
       or a single line to an inferior SAS process.
     - ability to switch between processes which would be the target of the
       buffer (for the above).
     - ability to save and submit the file you are working on as a batch SAS
       process with a single keypress and to continue editing while it is runs
       in the background.
     - capability of killing the batch SAS process through the shell buffer or
       allow the SAS process to keep on running after you exit emacs.
     - single keypress navigation of .sas, .log and .lst files (.log and .lst
       files are automatically refreshed with each keypress).

ESS[SAS], the mode for editing SAS language files, is automatically turned on when editing a file with a ".sas" suffix (or other, if specified in ess-site).  The batch processing keypress commands are enabled by default to use the same function keys that the SAS Display Manager uses.  The interactive capabilities of ESS require you to start an inferior SAS process with M-x SAS (see iESS(SAS)--Inferior ESS processes.)

At this writing (essver), the indenting and syntactic highlighting are usually correct.

iESS[SAS]--Inferior ESS processes
=================================

iESS (inferior ESS) is the mode for interfacing with active statistical processes (programs).

To start up iESS[SAS] mode, use:

        M-x SAS

We plan to add

     - The ability to request help from a process for variables and
       functions, and to have the results sent into a separate buffer.
     - completion of object names and file names.

MS Windows: see ESS(SAS)--MS Windows.

ESS[SAS]--Batch processes
=========================

Submission of a SAS batch job is dependent on your environment. ess-sas-submit-method is determined by your operating system and your shell. It defaults to 'sh unless you are running Windows or Mac Classic.  Under Windows, it will default to 'sh if you are using bash for your shell rather than MS-DOS ('ms-dos).  On Mac OS X, it will default to 'sh, but under Mac Classic AppleScript is used ('apple-script).  You will also set this to 'sh if the SAS batch job needs to run on a remote machine rather than your local machine.  This works transparently if you are editing the remote file via ange-ftp/EFS or tramp. However, if you are editing the file locally and transferring it back and forth with Kermit, you need some additional steps.  First of all, start Kermit locally before remotely logging in.  Execute the command ess-kermit-get.  A local copy of the file will be created with the ess-kermit-prefix character prepended (the default is ":").  Also, note that the remote Kermit command is defined by ess-kermit-command.

The command used by the SUBMIT function key (F3 or F8) to submit a batch SAS job, whether local or remote, is ess-sas-submit-command which defaults to sas-program.  sas-program is "invoke SAS using program file" for Mac Classic and "sas" otherwise.  However, you may have to alter ess-sas-submit-command for a particular program, so it is defined as buffer-local (conveniently, you can set it in Local Variables: at the end of your program).  The command line is also made of ess-sas-submit-pre-command, ess-sas-submit-post-command and ess-sas-submit-command-options (the last of which is also buffer-local). Here are some examples for your .emacs file (you may also use custom-ize):

     (setq ess-sas-submit-pre-command "nohup")                 ;'sh default
     (setq ess-sas-submit-post-command "-rsasuser &")          ;'sh default
     (setq ess-sas-submit-command "/usr/local/sas/sas")        ;'sh example
     (setq ess-sas-submit-pre-command "start")                 ;'ms-dos default
     (setq ess-sas-submit-post-command "-rsasuser -icon")      ;'ms-dos default
     (setq ess-sas-submit-command "c:/progra~1/sas/sas.exe")   ;Windows example
     (setq ess-sas-submit-command "c:\\progra~1\\sas\\sas.exe");Windows example

There is a built-in delay before a batch SAS job is submitted when using a Unix shell under either Unix or Windows.  This is necessary in many cases since the shell might not be ready to receive a command.  This delay is currently set high enough so as not to be a problem on any system.  But, there may be cases when it needs to be set higher, or could be set much lower to speed things up.  You can over-ride the default in your .emacs file by (the default of 5 seconds is shown):

     (setq ess-sleep-for 5)

ESS[SAS]--Function keys for batch processing
============================================

The description of the setup for function keys for batch processing of SAS files is unavoidably more complex than we wish it were.  The actual use of the function keys is simple.  There are five distinct options:

1. (default) Function keys in ESS[SAS] modes do whatever they normally do in other emacs modes.  Many users will have defined some of the keys [f2]-[f12] in their .emacs or _emacs file, or will have installation-wide definitions in their site-start.el file.  By default, ESS does not override those definitions.  This default is intended to make ESS[SAS] mode behave similarly to other emacs modes.

2,3,4,5. Users who are primarily familiar with SAS, and who are learning emacs as a way to approach SAS, will likely want to duplicate the function key capabilities that SAS Institute provides with its Display Manager. There are still options.

 1. SAS provides different function key definitions with its PC and Unix products; ESS can use either.

 2. The ESS[SAS] function key definitions can be active in all buffers (global) or limited (local) only to buffers that have SAS-related file extensions: .sas, .log, .lst, filetype-1 (which defaults to .txt), and filetype-2 which defaults to .dat.

The distinction between local and global appears subtle.  If you want the ESS[SAS] definitions to work when you are in *shell* or when editing files other than the file extensions that SAS recognizes, you will most likely want to use the global definitions. If you want your function keys to understand SAS batch commands when you are editing SAS files, and to behave normally when editing other files, then you will choose the local definitions.

The option can be chosen by the person installing ESS for a site or by an individual.

 1. The site manager can uncomment only one of the following lines. ESS[SAS] Function keys are available in ESS[SAS] and related modes if you uncomment either of the following lines in your ess-site.el:

          ;;2; (setq ess-sas-local-unix-keys t)
          ;;3; (setq ess-sas-local-pc-keys t)

     ESS[SAS] Function keys are available in all emacs modes if you uncomment either of the following lines in your ess-site.el:

          ;;4; (setq ess-sas-global-unix-keys t)
          ;;5; (setq ess-sas-global-pc-keys t)

     The names -unix- and -pc- have nothing to do with the operating system that you are running.  Rather they mimic the definitions that the SAS Display Manager uses by default on those platforms.

 2. The option can be selected by an individual by adding a line to the .emacs (or _emacs) file, immediately following the

           (load "ess-site")

     line.  If your site manager has chosen an option 2,3,4,5 you don't want, you must turn it off before selecting a different option.  To turn off an option, add the appropriate line (uncommented) to your .emacs (_emacs) file.

          ;;2; (setq ess-sas-local-unix-keys nil)
          ;;3; (setq ess-sas-local-pc-keys nil)
          ;;4; (setq ess-sas-global-unix-keys nil)
          ;;5; (setq ess-sas-global-pc-keys nil)

Finally, we get to what the function keys actually do.  You may recognize some of the Short Names as SAS Display Manager commands (they are in all capitals).

     Unix PC     Short Name  Long Description

     F2   F2     refresh     revert the current buffer with the file of the
                             same name if the file is newer than the buffer.

     F3   F8     SUBMIT      save the current .sas file (which is either the
                             .sas file in the current buffer or the .sas
                             file associated with the .lst or .log file in the
                             current buffer) and submit the file as a batch
                             SAS job.

     C-F3 C-F8   SUBMIT-REGION Write region to temporary file,
                             and submit to SAS.

     F4   F5     PROGRAM     switch buffer to .sas file.

     F5   F6     LOG         switch buffer to .log file, `refresh' and goto
                             next error message, if any.

     C-F5 C-F6   APPEND-TO-LOG Append ess-temp.log to the current .log file.

     F6   F7     OUTPUT      switch buffer to .lst file and `refresh'.

     C-F6 C-F7   APPEND-TO-OUTPUT Append ess-temp.lst to the current .lst file.

     F7   F4     filetype-1  switch buffer to filetype-1 (defaults to .txt)
                             file and `refresh'.

     F8   F3     shell       switch buffer to shell.

     F9   F9     VIEWTABLE   open an interactive FSEDIT/FSBROWSE session
                             on the SAS dataset near point

     F10  F10    toggle-log  toggle ESS[SAS] for .log files; may be useful
                             for certain debugging situations

     F11  F11    filetype-2  switch buffer to filetype-2 (defaults to .dat)
                             file and refresh.

     F12  F12    viewgraph   open a GSASFILE near point for viewing either
                             in emacs or with an external viewer

Besides the keys that mimic SAS Display Manager commands, six other keys have been provided for convenience.

`shell' switches you to the *shell* buffer where you can type operating system commands.  This is especially helpful if you would like to kill a SAS batch job.

F2 performs the `refresh' operation on the current buffer.  `refresh' compares the buffer date/time stamp with the file date/time stamp and replaces the buffer with the file if the file is newer.  This is the same operation that is automatically performed when LOG, OUTPUT, `filetype-1' or `filetype-2' are pressed.

`filetype-1' switches you to a file with the same file root as your .sas file, but with a different extension; .txt by default. You can over-ride the default, by specifying a different extension in your .emacs file.  For example, for `filetype-1':

     (setq ess-sas-suffix-1 "txt")

`filetype-2' is similar, except it is .dat by default.

F10 toggles ESS[SAS] mode for .log files which is off by default (technically, it is SAS-log-mode, but it looks the same).  The syntax highlighting can be helpful in certain debugging situations, but large .log files will take a long time to render.

F12 will open a GSASFILE near point for viewing either with emacs or with an external viewer.  Depending on your version of emacs and the operating system you are using, emacs may support .gif and .jpg files internally.  You may need to change the following two variables for your own situation:

     (setq ess-sas-graph-suffix-regexp "[.]\\(e?ps\\|gif\\|jpe?g\\|tiff?\\)")
     (setq ess-sas-image-viewer "kodakimg") ;; external viewer

ESS[SAS]--TAB key
=================

Again, two options.

The TAB key is bound by default to sas-indent-line.  This function is used to syntactically indent SAS code so PROC and RUN are in the left margin, other statements are indented 4 spaces from the margin, continuation lines are indented 4 spaces in from the beginning column of that statement.  This is the type of functionality that emacs provides in most programming language modes.  This functionality is equivalent to uncommenting the following line in ess-site.el:

     ;;; (setq ess-sas-edit-keys-toggle 0)

ESS provides an alternate behavior for the TAB key that makes it behave as it does on non-emacs terminals, i.e. move the cursor to the next tab stop.  The alternate behavior also provides a backwards TAB key: C-TAB.  This functionality is obtained by uncommenting the following line in ess-site.el:

     ;;; (setq ess-sas-edit-keys-toggle 1)

Under the alternate behavior, the TAB key is bound to tab-to-tab-stop and the tab stops are set by default at multiples of 4.

ESS[SAS]--Usage scenarios
=========================

We present one scenario for using ESS to interact with SAS. Contributions of examples of how you work with ESS are appreciated (especially since it helps us determine priorities on future enhancements)! (comments as to what should be happening are prefixed by "##").

Batch SAS (-unix-keys illustrated, pc-keys in the comments)

         ## Find the file you want to work with
         C-x C-f myfile.sas
         ## myfile.sas will be in ESS[SAS] mode

         ## Edit as appropriate, then save and submit the batch SAS job.
         ## -pc- F8
         F3

         ## The job runs in the shell buffer while you continue to edit
         ## myfile.sas.  If you are running a Unix shell under Unix or
         ## Windows, the message buffer will notify you with a shell
         ## notification when the job is complete.  If so, then you
         ## will also have the option of terminating the batch job
         ## before it is finished.
         ## -pc- F3
         F8

         ## In any case, you may want to visit the .log while the process
         ## is still running (unix only) or when it is done and check for
         ## error messages
         ## (you will be taken to the next error message, if any).
         ## The .log will be refreshed and you will be placed in it's buffer.
         ## -pc- F6
         F5

         ## Now, refresh the .lst and go to it's buffer.
         ## -pc- F7
         F6

         ## If you wish to make changes, go to the .sas file with
         ## -pc- F5
         F4
         ## make your editing changes and then submit again.

Interactive SAS

         ## Find the file you want to work with
         C-x C-f myfile.sas
         ## myfile.sas will be in ESS[SAS] mode

         ## Edit as appropriate, and then start up SAS with the cursor in
         ## the myfile.sas buffer
         M-x SAS

         ## Four buffers will appear on screen:
         ## myfile.sas  in  ESS[SAS]        mode # your source file
         ## *SAS:1*     in  iESS [SAS:1]    mode # ESS communication buffer
         ## *SAS:1.log* in  Shell [] ESStr  mode # SAS log information
         ## *SAS:1.lst* in  Shell [] ESSlst mode # SAS listing information

         ## If you would prefer each of the four buffers to appear in its
         ## own individual frame, you can arrange for that.  Place the
         ## cursor in the buffer displaying myfile.sas.  Enter the
         ## sequence:
         C-c C-w

         ## The cursor will normally be in buffer myfile.sas.
         ## If not, put it there:
         C-x b myfile.sas

         ## Send regions, lines, or the entire file contents to SAS
         ## (regions are most useful).  A highlighted region will normally
         ## begin with the keywords 'DATA' or 'PROC' and end with the
         ## keyword 'RUN;'
         C-c C-r

         ## Information appears in the log buffer, analysis results in the
         ## listing buffer.  In case of errors, make the corrections in the
         ## myfile.sas buffer and resubmit with another C-c C-r

         ## PROC GPLOT graphs will normally be produced in a postscript
         ## file and be viewed later.  Include the lines
         /* required gsoptions for batch files */
         /* comment out these lines for interactive use on X-terminals*/
         filename grafout 'temp.ps';
         goptions device=ps gsfname=grafout gsfmode=append gaccess=sasgastd;
         ## in myfile.sas.

         ## PROC PLOT graphs can be viewed in the listing buffer.  You may
         ## wish to control the vertical spacing to allow the entire plot
         ## to be visible on screen, for example, by
         proc plot; plot a*b / vpos=25;

         ## At the end of the session you may save the log and listing
         ## buffers with the usual C-x C-s commands.  You will be prompted
         ## for a file name.  Typically, the names myfile.log and mfile.lst
         ## will be used.  You will almost certainly want to edit the saved
         ## files before including them in a report.  The files are
         ## read-only by default.  You can make them writable by the emacs
         ## command C-x C-q.

         ## At the end of the session, the input file myfile.sas will
         ## typically have been revised.  You can save it.  It can be used
         ## later as the beginning of another iESS[SAS] session.  It can
         ## also be used as a batch input file to SAS.

         ## The *SAS:1* buffer is strictly for ESS use.  The user should
         ## never need to read it or write to it.  Refer to the .lst and
         ## .log buffers for monitoring output!

Here is a typical myfile.sas:

         title 'Analysis of Case 0502';

         data case0502;
             infile '/home/public/stat/Data/case0502.asc'
                    firstobs=2;
             input percent code;
         run;

         proc glm;
           class code;
           model percent=code /ss1;
         run;

ESS[SAS]--Common problems
=========================

     1. MS Windows users.
        - M-x SAS does not work on MS Windows.  In order to run SAS inside
        an Emacs buffer it is necessary to start SAS with the -stdio option.
        SAS does not support the -stdio option on Windows.

     2. If M-x SAS gives weird errors upon startup, check the following:
        - you are running Windows:  SAS does not support stdio on Windows
        - ess-sas-sh-command (in the ESS source directory) needs to be
          executable (solution: "chmod ugo+rx ess-sas-sh-command").
        - sas isn't in your executable path (verify using "which sas" from
          a shell command-line)
        - you need a copy of SAS (we can't solve this)

     3. M-x SAS starts up SAS in the window system (motif, for example),
        instead of starting it up in the emacs buffers.

        Probably the unix command "sas" on your system calls a local
        script which in turn calls the sas executable.  The fix is to
        call the sas executable directly.

        Change the line in ess-sas-sh command from:

          sas </dev/tty 1>$stdout 2>$stderr $

        to a call to the complete path name of the sas executable on
        your system, for example:

          /usr/local/sas612/sas </dev/tty 1>$stdout 2>$stderr $

        To find the complete path name on your system, you can
        execute the line (from the unix prompt):

          find / -name 'sas' -exec ls -ld {} \;

        and expect a response similar to the following

          -rwxr-xr-x   1 sas  sas  2441216 Sep  9  1997 /usr/local/sas612/sas

ESS[SAS]--MS Windows
====================

  * M-x SAS does not work on MS Windows.  In order to run SAS inside an Emacs buffer it is necessary to start SAS with the -stdio option. SAS does not support the -stdio option on Windows.

  * ESS[SAS] mode for editing SAS language files works very well. See ESS(SAS)--Editing files.

  * There are two execution options for SAS on Windows. You can use batch see ESS(SAS)--Batch processes. You do not get interactive graphics this way.

     Or you can pick up marked regions with the mouse and drop them into the SAS editor and then submit them for processing.  This gives you complete access to the SAS windowing system, including interactive graphics.