Visual Basic for Application with SAS Software to Dynamically Collate

NESUG 2009 Applications Big & Small Visual Basic for Application with SAS® Software to Dynamically Collate Microsoft Word Documents Mei Li, ImClone Systems, Branchburg, NJ Zemin Zeng, Forest Research Institute, Inc., Jersey City, NJ ABSTRACT This paper describes the process of developing an application to collate and print Microsoft Word documents with SAS output tables and charts by region. The authors’ need was to customize Word documents generated by SAS, collate the Word document with SAS created tables and charts for individual regions selected by the SAS code, then print and mail the set of Word and SAS output files to the individual regions. To automate the process, the authors first use SAS to create external BAS files, dynamically import BAS files into Microsoft Visual Basic for Application (VBA) projects, then execute the VBA projects to automatically collate and print Word documents in Microsoft Word. INTRODUCTION Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is a common development environment among all Office applications, SAS programmers have long taken advantage of VBA with Microsoft Office applications to perform post-process of SAS output in Microsoft Word. In the paper (Stetz, SUGI 25 Proceedings, 2000), Stetz built an elegant bridge between SAS and VBA. Stetz invented a Visual Basic Word macro called Run_VBA in Microsoft Word, which allows users to dynamically create new VBA procedures from SAS environment, and execute new Word application as instructed by the SAS statements. There are many publications applying Stetz’ technique in Microsoft Excel, but a very few in Microsoft Word. In the paper (Luo, SUGI 29 Proceedings, 2004), Lou attempted to apply Stetz’ technique to automatically allocate and print customized SAS output tables and charts, but did not succeed and had to use an alternative approach to achieve the goal. This paper will re-consider Luo’s allocating and printing tasks, and describes a process following Stetz’ technique to successfully complete the tasks. The authors first use SAS to create external BAS files, dynamically import BAS files into Microsoft Visual Basic for Application (VBA) projects via issuing Window DOS commands in SAS, then execute the VBA projects to automatically collate and print Word documents in Microsoft Word. Comparing to Luo’s approach, our application is much more dynamic, simple and straightforward. COLLATING TASKES In the paper (Luo, SUGI 29 Proceedings, 2004), It was need to mail letters associated by SAS output tables and charts to hospitals. A desired application needs to be developed to automate the following: 1. Incorporate a well-formatted letter created in Microsoft Word. 2. Each letter should have the specific address selected by the SAS program. 3. Each letter should be followed by the table and chart produced by the SAS program for that specific location, post-process of the table and chart are required to be set as landscape. 4. The letter, table, and chart should be printed together. 5. The collating and printing process should continue to the next location until completed for all selected locations. 6. The automation should accept input from the user to specify parameters such as paths to files. 7. The whole process should not require intermittent manual interaction and afterward cleanup. In this paper, we will use the dummy data as presented in Luo’s paper and demonstrate how to develop an application to accomplish the above tasks by applying Stetz’ technique. STETZ’ TECHNIQUE In the paper (SUGI 25 Proceedings, 2000), Stetz provided a Word macro Run_VBA to automate Word task. This Word macro creates a Word subroutine under the Normal project in Visual Basic by importing an external BAS file, invoke the Word subroutine, and the application defined by the Word subroutine will execute immediately, then delete the Word macro from the Normal project at the end. To meet authors’ need for the application in Microsoft Word, the authors modified it as below which is necessary to dynamically create new Word procedures for our application purpose (See the Appendix 1 for the modified version. Also see the paper Zeng and Li 2009 NESUG for other modified setup via VBA application of Stetz’ technique): 1. Delete the ‘kill bas file statement’ so that there is enough time to execute the new dynamically generated Word macro which is defined in the bas file in SAS. 1 NESUG 2009 Applications Big & Small 2. Set the Exit Word to ‘NO’, namely do not quit the Word application. These two modifications are crucial, because if the bas file was deleted before the new macro execution, the application defined by the BAS file would be abnormally interrupted and results in a failure of executing the Word application. As for setting the Exit Word to ‘NO’, it would guarantee that there is enough time for the printing process to finish. If the Application.Quit command in VBA was issued, then the printing process would be cancelled, as a consequence, the printing job will not be continued. The Run_VBA Word macro needs to be installed in the Microsoft Word. For the users of the Microsoft Word 2003, the authors refer to the set-up steps in Stetz’ paper (SUGI 25 Proceedings, 2000). The users need to strictly follow the 11 steps starting from the second page of Stetz’ paper, except copy the authors’ modified Run_VBA code in the Appendix 1 to the Visual Basic Editor (VBE). Then follow the 3 steps in the middle of the third page of Stetz’ paper to set-up the Word prompt for saving changes to the Normal Template. For the users of Microsoft Word 2007, the 3 steps to set-up the Word prompt for saving changes to the Normal Template in Microsoft Word are not applicable, neither the first step of the Stetz’ 11 steps. Instead, the users first need to open the Microsoft Word and use shortcut ALT + F11 to open the VBE and then follow the remaining 10 steps as Stetz provided. Furthermore additional steps below need to follow as well: 1. Open Microsoft Word 2007 2. Click the Developer menu 3. Click the Macro Security at the left corner of the Menu bar 4. Select the Macro Settings 5. Check the Enable all macros and Trust access to VBA project object model ALLOCATE WORD DOCUMENTS After the installation of the Word macro Run_VBA (see Appendix 1) in the Microsoft Word, it is ready to establish our allocating and printing process. Below are the steps (see the macro allocate.sas in Appendix 2 and refer to the codes there in the following steps): Step I. Get the data and produce table and chart by region. For the illustration purpose, we will take the example as in Luo’s paper. The codes in this part were copied from Luo’s paper. Also assume we have a generic letter (say with file name letter.doc, in the document, hit Enter first, then make a centered Title and some normal-font content) which is going to be personalized and mailed out with the SAS output table and chart for a particular region. The address Excel file is as in the Appendix 3 and need to be saved, say in the same folder where the letter resides. Our focus now is no how to customize the letter and the SAS output table and chart (specifically, to add the mailing address of the manager in corresponding region in the beginning of the letter and set the table and chart to be landscape) and then print them out by region via dynamical VBA macros, which are going to be created in SAS, and then invoke them in the VBA and execute them to automate our Word tasks on the SAS output table and chart. Step II. Define the BAS file for how to customize letter, SAS output table and chart by region in VBA languages. We create the bas file using the SAS put statements and save it to location where SAS output tables and charts reside. These codes belong to VBA languages, and mean the following actions in Microsoft Word: a. Open the letter file in Microsoft Word b. Insert the address lines to the beginning of the letter c. Print the letter document and then close it without saving the address line just inserted d. Open the SAS output Word document consisting of the table and chart e. Set the SAS output Word document to be landscape f. Print the Word document and close it without saving the landscape page setting Comparing to Luo’s approach, we integrate the inserting and page setting procedures together in a single VBA macro which is going to be generated by importing the BAS file to VBA in the next step. Such BAS file can be so flexibly created in SAS, while in Luo’s approach, such similar VBA procedures were needed to be recorded in the VBA environment separately. Step III. Set up the VBA running environment, import the BAS file and run it in VBA to generate VBA macro A batch file is to be defined by SAS. In the batch file, the VBA environment is set up and the system function is called to run the batch file. During the running time of the batch file, the following actions are taken place: • Invoke Word using the /mRun_VBA startup switch • Create a new module in the Normal project in VBA • Read in the BAS file defined in the Step II containing the VBA macro shoesi (where i is an integer and takes values from 1 to the total number of the regions) generated in the SAS data step • Execute the VBA macro shoesi • Delete the new model from the Normal project in VBA During the execution of the VBA macro shoesi for the ith region, the address lines of the manager of the ith region are added to the beginning of the letter and print the letter and then open the ith region’s Word document and set the landscape page layout and print it.

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