SAS 9.4 Language Reference, 6th Edition

Managing Universal Printers Using the PRTDEF

Procedure

About Using the PRTDEF Procedure

Printer definitions can be created for an individual or for all SAS users at a site by using

the PRTDEF procedure. The PRTDEF procedure can be used to do many of the same

printer management activities that you can do with the Universal Printing windows. The

PRTDEF procedure can be used in any execution mode, but it is especially useful if you

use SAS in batch mode, where the Universal Printing windows are unavailable.

To define or modify one or more printers with the PRTDEF procedure, you first create a

SAS data set that contains variables that correspond to printer attributes. These four

variables must be specified for every printer destination:

DEST

specifies the printer destination.

DEVICE

specifies the device name.

MODEL

specifies the name of a printer prototype. For a list of printer prototypes, open the

SAS registry to this key: \CORE\PRINTING\PROTOTYPES.

NAME

specifies the name of the printer.

For a list of optional variables, see “Input Data Set: PRTDEF Procedure” in Base SAS

Procedures Guide. The PRTDEF procedure reads the data set and converts the variable

attributes into one or more printer definitions in the SAS registry.

After you create the printer definition data set, you run the PRTDEF procedure to create

the printer.

Only system administrators or others who have Write permission to the Sashelp library

can use the PRTDEF procedure to create printer definitions for all SAS users at a site.

Individuals have Write permission to their Sasuser library and can use the PRTDEF

procedure to create their own printers. However, the printer definition is stored in the

Sasuser library and is lost if the Sasuser library is deleted. Printer definitions that are

created by individuals are available only when the directory where the printer definition

is stored is specified as the Sasuser library. For information about assigning the Sasuser

library, see “SASUSER= System Option” in SAS System Options: Reference.

For more information see, “PRTDEF Procedure” in Base SAS Procedures Guide.

Examples of Creating New Printers and Previewers Using the

PRTDEF Procedure

Introduction

These examples show you how to use the PRTDEF procedure to define new printers and

to manage your installed printers and previewers.

After a program statement containing the PRTDEF procedure runs successfully, the

printers or previewers that have been defined appear in the Print Setup window. A

276 Chapter 15 • Printing with SAS

complete set of all available printers and previewers appear in the Printer name list.

Printer definitions can also be viewed in the Registry Editor window under CORE

\PRINTING\PRINTERS.

Creating a Data Set That Defines Multiple Printers

When you create a data set to use with the PRTDEF procedure to define a printer, you

must specify the name, model, device and, destination variables.

See the “PRTDEF Procedure” in Base SAS Procedures Guide in Base SAS Procedures

Guide for the names of the optional variables that you can also use.

The following code creates a data set to use with the PRTDEF procedure:

data printers;

input name $15. model $35. device $8. dest $14.;

datalines;

Myprinter PostScript Level 1 (Gray Scale) PRINTER printer1

Laserjet PCL 5 PCL 5e (RunLength) PIPE lp -dprinter5

Color LaserJet PostScript Level 2 (Color, Duplex) PIPE lp -dprinter2

;

run;

proc print data=printers;

run;

Here is the output:

Output 15.2 The Printer Data Set

After you create the data set containing the variables, you run the PRTDEF procedure.

The PRTDEF procedure creates the printers that are named in the data set by creating the

appropriate entries in the SAS registry.

proc prtdef data=printers usesashelp replace;

run;

The USESASHELP option specifies that the printer definitions are to be placed in the

Sashelp library, where they are available to all users. If the USESASHELP option is not

specified, then the printer definitions are placed in the current Sasuser library, where

they are available to the local user only. The printers that are defined are available only

in the local Sasuser directory. However, to use the USESASHELP option, you must have

permission to write to the Sashelp library.

Managing Universal Printers Using the PRTDEF Procedure 277