How to make SAS tables print correctly (from Russ Lenth):

SAS is set up to use its own fonts, and this causes annoying problems when you
try to incorporate some of its output in a report.  In particular, the lines
used in plots and tables come out as odd-looking characters.

It is possible to tell SAS to use a different set of characters for these lines;
this is done via the FORMCHAR option (global option or option on some PROCs). 
Here are two ways to change it:


1. Start the SAS code with this:

	OPTIONS FORMCHAR = "|----|+|---+=|-/\<>*";

If you save this statement in a file named AUTOEXEC.SAS in the directory where
SAS is started, it will be loaded automatically when you start SAS.


2. If you have SAS installed on your own system and hence can modify its
installation files, find its configuration file.  On my system it is

	C:\Program Files\SAS Institute\SAS\V8\SASV8.CFG

Edit this file using Notepad or other plain-text editor.  Comment-out the line
that starts with -FORMCHAR, and un-comment the similar line 3 lines later that
says 

	-FORMCHAR "|----|+|---+=|-/\<>*"

This will change it once and for all.


You can include other options as well while you're at it.  For example, when I
edited the config file, I also added these lines

     -NOCENTER
     -NODATE
     -LINESIZE 79

Having these in the configuration file is equivalent to starting the SAS program
with the statement

    OPTIONS FORMCHAR = "|----|+|---+=|-/\<>*" 
        LS = 79  NOCENTER  NODATE;

Russ
-- 
Russell V. Lenth -- Department of Statistics & Actuarial Science      
The University of Iowa -- Iowa City, IA 52242  USA 
Tel (319)335-0814 -- FAX (319)335-3017
mailto:Russell-Lenth@uiowa.edu - http://www.stat.uiowa.edu/~rlenth/