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SAS/AF Software Procedure Guide |
Use the AF command to execute applications that have been created with the BUILD procedure in SAS/AF software.
Note: The AF command can execute entry types that provide a display (CBT,
FRAME, HELP, MENU, or PROGRAM), as well as SCL entries that execute without
a display. The other SAS/AF catalog
entry types are not executable and cannot be executed with the AF command.
You can issue the AF command from any SAS window. Only one application that is invoked by the AF command can be active at a time. If you issue an AF command while another application is already running, the previous application is closed before the new application is executed. To run additional SAS/AF applications simultaneously, use the AFAPPLICATION command instead. See AFAPPLICATION Command for details.
Syntax |
The general form of the AF command is
AF
<AUTORECALL=YES|NO>
|
Requirement |
The first time you use the AF command, you must use the CATALOG= argument to identify the application to execute. The name of the entry at which an application starts executing is recorded in the special AF.AFGO entry in your SASUSER.PROFILE catalog. This entry is referred to as the AF checkpoint. Any subsequent AF command that does not include the CATALOG= argument starts at the entry identified in the AF checkpoint. The AF checkpoint is retained across SAS sessions.
Note: If you exit an application from a CBT entry, the name of the CBT entry
from which you exit the application is stored as the AF checkpoint rather
than the name of the initial entry in the application. This enables you to
resume CBT applications at the point where you stopped. Use the CHECKLAST=NO
option to override this default behavior and to store the name of the initial
entry even when exiting from CBT entries.
Options |
For most of the following AF command options, there is a default action if you do not use the option. You should use an option only when you want to change the default behavior.
Note: The AUTORECALL= option only affects the behavior of PROGRAM entries.
Note: The AUTOSAVE= option only affects the behavior of PROGRAM entries.
By default, no list of open objects is generated (AUTOTERM=NOVERBOSE). Use AUTOTERM=VERBOSE to print to the SAS log a note containing the object list for each object that still exists when the entry ends. This feature works even if automatic object termination is off, and it serves as a debugging aid to identify objects whose _term method has not run.
You cannot combine options in one string. Instead, use a separate AUTOTERM= option with the AF or AFAPPLICATION command. For example:
af c=mylib.cat.primary.frame autoterm=verbose autoterm=yes
Note: The AUTOTERM= option only affects the behavior of FRAME entries.
Note: The AWS= option is ignored
if your host environment does not support application workspaces.
Specify one of the following values for the AWS= option:
YES | opens all windows displayed by the AF application (including windows displayed by the CALL DISPLAY routine) within the single AWS window. This is the default behavior unless it is overridden by a host-specific resource. |
NO | opens each entry in an application in its own window rather than in the AWS window. |
KEEP | keeps the application workspace open after the last window in the workspace is removed. This prevents the AWS from being deleted during situations such as unconditional branching in CBT entries or using CALL GOTO routines in SCL programs. In these situations, all the current windows for the application are closed before other windows are opened. |
If you omit the CATALOG= option, the AF command starts the entry that is identified as your AF checkpoint in the SASUSER.PROFILE.AF.AFGO entry. If the application starts executing at a FRAME, PROGRAM, MENU, or HELP entry, then the name of the initial entry is identified in the AF checkpoint. If you exit the application from a CBT entry, then the CBT entry from which you exit is identified as the AF checkpoint.
When a program in the SAS/AF application contains a reference to an entry in the libref.catref catalog, the AF task searches for the entry in the specified list of catalogs, starting with catalog-1 and ending with catalog-n.
For example, suppose that you open an application with
af cat=mylib.mycat.main.frame catname=mylib.all (mylib.apps1 mylib.apps2 master.apps)A reference in a program to MYLIB.ALL.TEST.SCL causes the AF task to search for MYLIB.APPS1.TEST.SCL, then for MYLIB.APPS2.TEST.SCL, and finally for MASTER.APPS.TEST.SCL.
Refer to the description of the CATNAME statement in SAS Language Reference: Dictionary for more information about creating and using catrefs. You can also create and clear catrefs by using the CATNAME command in AF windows. See the description of the CATNAME command in Window Management Commands for details.
Note: The CHECKLAST= option only affects the behavior of CBT entries.
Note: In order to analyze programs
with the SCL debugger, the programs must be compiled with the compiler's DEBUG
ON option.
The SCL debugger can interactively monitor the execution of SAS/AF applications. It enables you to track down logical errors while the program executes. The debugger displays the source program, specifies which line is executing, and dynamically watches the values of variables. It also enables you to suspend an executing program that is part of a nested series of programs and to execute other programs in the series. For more information about the SCL debugger, see SAS Component Language: Reference.
For testing CBT applications, the FRAME= option provides a convenient way to return directly to a specific frame in the system. It is also useful for indexing a CBT course that contains multiple topics.
Note: The FRAME= option only affects the behavior of CBT
entries.
Note: This option has an effect only if the native windowing
system supports application workspaces and you also use the AWS=YES option.
Note: The LABEL= option only affects the behavior of SCL
entries.
If your SAS/AF application invokes additional applications by issuing an AF or AFAPPLICATION command with the EXECCMD routine, include the PMENU=YES option in the command if you want the additional applications to have the same behavior.
When an SCL entry is invoked, the AF task searches resident memory for the entry. If the search is successful, the entry moves to the top of the search list. An SCL entry that is called frequently remains at or near the top of the list and so is found more quickly. If the SCL entry is not found in the search list, it is read from the catalog and inserted at the top of the list. If the maximum number of entries are already resident, then the last entry in the search list (the least-recently used) is removed to make room for the new entry.
By default, 64 SCL entries are saved in memory. The number value is interpreted as follows:
0 | No SCL entries are kept in memory. All SCL entries must be read from the catalog each time they are called. |
> 0 | The specified number of entries are kept in memory. |
Note: The RESTART= option only affects the behavior of CBT entries.
COVERAGE | starts data collection for the Coverage Analyzer tool. The Coverage Analyzer can uncover gaps in your interactive applications testing by identifying which lines in an application are not executed during a test session. When you end the application that was started by the AF command, the SCL Coverage Analyzer window opens to present the results of the analysis. Refer to the online Help for the Coverage Analyzer for more information on using this diagnostic tool. |
TIMER | starts data collection for the Performance Analyzer tool. The Performance Analyzer provides timing and frequency statistics for each entry, label, and function call that is executed in an application's SCL code. It also provides a hierarchical view of the execution sequence for the application. When you end the application that was started by the AF command, the SCL Performance Analyzer window opens to present the results of the analysis. Refer to the online Help for the Performance Analyzer for more information on using this diagnostic tool. |
af c=corp.fin.inv.program title='Inventory Analysis'
Note: The
TITLE= option has an effect only if the native windowing system supports application
workspaces and you also use the AWS=YES option.
For example, the following command causes the AF task to search the first frame of the entry USING.CBT for a feedback indicator line that contains the option MENU=HELLO:
af c=company.sales.using.cbt helloIf a matching option is found, the AF task branches to the CBT frame that is specified in the line's FRAME= option. If no matching MENU= option is found, then the
HELLO
argument is ignored.
For example, the following command causes the AF task to search the MAIN.MENU entry for a selection option named HELLO:
af c=company.sales.main.menu helloIf the specified option exists, the AF task branches to the entry that is invoked by the selection option. If HELLO is not a valid selection, the AF task displays the following message:
Warning: no HELLO selection for this menu
You can also specify an option number on the primary menu or on submenus. To specify option numbers for submenus, separate the option numbers by periods. For example, you can specify 3.2 to display the entry called by choice 2 from the submenu that is called by choice 3 of the main menu.
Using the AF Command |
For entry types that provide a display (CBT, FRAME, HELP, MENU, and PROGRAM), the AF command opens the specified entry in an AF window. You can use SAS windowing environment commands while executing applications in the AF window, including commands that move, resize, and change the windows. However, window sizes and colors cannot be saved. Window properties are determined permanently when an application is designed. See AF Window Commands for information about other commands that are supported in the AF window.
You can also use the AF command to execute SCL entries. In this case, the SAS Component Language code in the entry is executed without opening a display window.
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Copyright 1999 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.