"Richard A. DeVenezia" wrote: > > Alan Churchill wrote: > > I disagree. As an experienced SAS user and an experienced VS .NET > > user, SAS's IDEs are woefully behind. I think a modern IDE should > > support Intellisense, automatic code formatting, indentation, > > parentheses highlighting, XML integration, etc. > > > > A pat answer would be (and has been) to train the programmer and I > > agree with that sentiment. However, a modern IDE can certainly do all > > in its power to make life at least easier for a programmer. > > > > IMHO, SAS should abandon the IDEs that they have and work with an IDE > > company to make a better editor. Whether that is Microsoft, Borland, > > IBM, or an Eclipse angle...do something better. SAS's strength lies > > in analytics and always has. Their IDEs have been horrible and still > > reflect back to their ISPF roots. > > > > Alan > > A 'modern' IDE that supports all the features mention relies on an > objectification of the constructs being eventually realized as 'source > code'. In a fully objected paradigm, there would be no source, simply > objects, attributes and data configuring relationships between objects or > attributes thereof (Enterprise Guide 3?). The 'source' in essence is the > set of properties that realizes some abstraction (as code) via a renderer. > > In certain IDEs, the the gui used to develope the relationships drives the > persistent representation of those relationships to be a non-source data > construct wherein the source code is a rendering of data (i.e. the gui can > write source, but handwritten/altered source can't always be gui'd) > > Certain aspects of the SAS system are ripe for objectification, indeed, they > probably are in terms of the internal compiler(s) for Proc and Data steps. > All those wonderful statements we can place in a step have to be torn down > and verified with respect to the documented grammars (that contract between > SAS and us that says 'write it like this' and 'it will compile'). > > Most of us know SAS Institute does indeed respond to customer demand (albeit > slow sometimes), if you want an intellisensed IDE, make your voice heard! > Send emails to suggest@sas.com, tell them to put feature X on the SAS > Ballot, contact people you network with and tell them request feature X. > > Sure, a feature can bring in new customers, but servicing existing customers > is also important. I wouldn't know how to do a cost benefit analysis > regarding 'new business for feature X' versus 'maintaining business with > feature Y' > > -- > Richard A. DeVenezia > http://www.devenezia.com/downloads/sas/samples

Just to throw my two cents worth in, we use SlickEdit at our shop and with the Sas plug-in, seems to have almost all the features mentioned in this thread. Additionally, projects can be set-up we previosly opened files, etc. are remembered. It is pretty slick. :)