The Official ABAP Reference

Dr. Horst Keller works in the NetWeaver Developer Tools ABAP group at SAP. As Knowledge Architect he is responsible for documentation and roll-out relating to ABAP and ABAP Objects. He also oversees the programs for preparing and presenting the ABAP documentation including the relating search algorithms.

Preface to the second edition ... 17
Preface to the first edition ... 19
1. Introduction and Overview ... 21
... 1.1 Purpose and Objective ... 21
... 1.2 Described Releases ... 21
... 1.3 From SAP Basis to SAP Web Application Server ... 22
... 1.4 ABAP and Unicode ... 23
... 1.5 Book Structure ... 25
... 1.6 Search ... 28
... 1.7 Syntax Diagrams ... 29
... 1.8 Changes to the First Edition ... 30
2. ABAP Syntax ... 35
... 2.1 ABAP Statements ... 35
... 2.2 ABAP Language Element ... 35
... 2.3 Naming Conventions ... 47
... 2.4 Chained Statements ... 48
... 2.5 Comments ... 49
3. Introductory Program Statements ... 53
... 3.1 Overview ... 53
... 3.2 Executable Programs ... 54
... 3.3 Module Pools and Subroutine Pools ... 57
... 3.4 Function Groups ... 58
... 3.5 Class Pools ... 59
... 3.6 Interface Pools ... 59
... 3.7 Type Groups ... 59
4. Modularization Statements ... 61
... 4.1 Overview ... 61
... 4.2 Procedures ... 62
... 4.3 Dialog Modules ... 69
... 4.4 Event Blocks ... 70
... 4.5 Source Code Modularization ... 88
5. Built-in Types, Data Objects, and Functions ... 93
... 5.1 Overview ... 93
... 5.2 Predefined Data Types ... 93
... 5.3 Built-In Data Objects ... 102
... 5.4 Predefined Functions ... 108
6. Declarative Statements for Data Types and Data Objects ... 115
... 6.1 Overview ... 115
... 6.2 Including Type Groups ... 121
... 6.3 Defining Data Types ... 122
... 6.4 Declaring Variables ... 131
... 6.5 Declaring Static Attributes of Classes ... 141
... 6.6 Declaring Constant Data Objects ... 142
... 6.7 Declaring Static Data Objects in Procedures ... 143
... 6.8 Copying Structure Components ... 144
... 6.9 Declaring the Table Work Areas ... 146
... 6.10 Declaring Field Symbols ... 150
... 6.11 Declaring an Extract Dataset ... 152
7. Defining Classes and Interfaces ... 153
... 7.1 Overview ... 153
... 7.2 Defining Classes ... 154
... 7.3 Defining Interfaces ... 166
... 7.4 Declaring Components in Classes and Interfaces ... 169
8. Typing ... 199
... 8.1 Overview ... 199
... 8.2 Syntax of Typing ... 199
... 8.3 Checking the Typing ... 201
9. Generating Objects and Data Objects ... 209
... 9.1 Overview ... 209
... 9.2 Generating Data Objects ... 209
... 9.3 Generating Objects in ABAP Objects ... 219
10. Calling ABAP Programs ... 229
... 10.1 Overview ... 229
... 10.2 Calling Executable Programs ... 230
... 10.3 Calling Transactions ... 248
11. Calling Processing Blocks ... 259
... 11.1 Overview ... 259
... 11.2 Calling Procedures ... 260
... 11.3 Calling Event Handlers ... 290
... 11.4 Calling Event Blocks ... 295
12. Exiting Program Units ... 299
... 12.1 Overview ... 299
... 12.2 Leaving Programs ... 299
... 12.3 Exiting Processing Blocks ... 300
... 12.4 Exiting Loops ... 306
13. Logical Expressions ... 311
... 13.1 Overview ... 311
... 13.2 Logical Expressions with Relational Operators ... 311
... 13.3 Determining the Interval Range ... 320
... 13.4 Checking States ... 321
... 13.5 Evaluating a Selection Table ... 325
... 13.6 Boolean Operators and Parenthetical Expressions ... 327
14. Control Structures ... 331
... 14.1 Overview ... 331
... 14.2 Branching ...331
... 14.3 Loops ... 334
... 14.4 Program Interruption ... 338
15. Exception Handling ... 341
... 15.1 Overview ... 341
... 15.2 Class-Based Exceptions ... 349
... 15.3 Catchable Runtime Errors ... 354
... 15.4 Non-Class-Based Exceptions ... 356
16. Value Assignments ... 361
... 16.1 Overview ... 361
... 16.2 Assigning Data Objects ... 362
... 16.3 Assigning Structure Components ... 364
... 16.4 Formatted Assignment ... 366
... 16.5 Converting A Packed Number ... 367
17. Setting References ... 369
... 17.1 Overview ... 369
... 17.2 Assigning Data Objects to Field Symbols ... 369
... 17.3 Initializing Field Symbols ... 383
... 17.4 Retrieving a Data Reference ... 384
18. Initializing Data Objects ... 387
... 18.1 Overview ... 387
... 18.2 Initializing Any Data Objects ... 387
... 18.3 Initializing Internal Tables ... 389
... 18.4 Releasing Memory ... 390
19. Calculation Expressions ... 393
... 19.1 Overview ... 393
... 19.2 The COMPUTE Statement ... 393
... 19.3 Arithmetic Expressions ... 394
... 19.4 Bit Expressions ... 398
20. Calculation Statements ... 401
... 20.1 Overview ... 401
... 20.2 Addition ... 401
... 20.3 Subtraction ... 402
... 20.4 Multiplication ... 402
... 20.5 Division ... 403
21. Processing Byte and Character Strings ... 405
... 21.1 Overview ... 405
... 21.2 Concatenating Byte and Character Strings ... 408
... 21.3 Searching Byte and Character Strings ... 409
... 21.4 Replacing Byte and Character Strings ... 416
... 21.5 Shifting Byte and Character Strings ... 420
... 21.6 Splitting Byte and Character Strings ... 424
... 21.7 Condensing Character Strings ... 426
... 21.8 Converting Character Strings ... 427
... 21.9 Overlaying Character Strings ... 429
... 21.10 Converting Character Strings ... 430
... 21.11 Setting and Reading Bits ... 432
22. Processing Internal Tables ... 435
... 22.1 Overview ... 435
... 22.2 Reading Internal Tables ... 436
... 22.3 Filling Internal Tables ... 455
... 22.4 Processing Table Lines ... 465
... 22.5 Specifying Components ... 479
... 22.6 Searching Internal Tables ... 481
... 22.7 Processing Special Internal Tables ... 483
23. Processing Extract Datasets ... 489
... 23.1 Overview ... 489
... 23.2 Defining the Line Structure ... 489
... 23.3 Filling the Extract Dataset ... 491
... 23.4 Sorting the Extract Dataset ... 492
... 23.5 Reading the Extract Dataset .. 494
... 23.6 Control-Level Processing ... 495
24. Attributes of Data Objects ... 499
... 24.1 Overview ... 499
... 24.2 Elementary Properties of Any Data Objects ... 499
... 24.3 Attributes of Internal Tables ... 506
... 24.4 Distance Between Data Objects ... 508
25. Dynpros ... 531
... 25.1 Overview ... 531
... 25.2 Statements in the Dynpro Flow Logic ... 535
... 25.3 ABAP Statements for Dynpros ... 556
26. Selection Screens ... 581
... 26.1 Overview ... 581
... 26.2 Creating and Laying Out Selection Screens ... 582
... 26.3 Defining Parameters ... 610
... 26.4 Defining Selection Criteria ... 626
... 26.5 Calling Selection Screens ... 638
27. Lists ... 643
... 27.1 Overview ... 643
... 27.2 Creating Lists ... 647
... 27.3 Processing Lists in the List Buffer ... 703
... 27.4 Evaluating the Displayed List at the Cursor Position ... 714
... 27.5 Display Attributes of Screen List ... 716
... 27.6 Calling and Exiting List Displays ... 722
28. Messages ... 727
... 28.1 Overview ... 727
... 28.2 Sending Messages ... 731
29. Open SQL ... 743
... 29.1 Overview ... 743
... 29.2 Reading Data from Database Tables ... 745
... 29.3 Reading Data from Database Tables Using a Cursor ... 782
... 29.4 Inserting Data into Database Tables ... 786
... 29.5 Changing Data in Database Tables ... 790
... 29.6 Inserting or Changing Data in Database Tables ... 797
... 29.7 Deleting Data in Database Tables ... 799
... 29.8 Work Areas in Open SQL Statements ... 803
... 29.9 Treatable Exceptions in Open SQL Statements ... 804
30. Native SQL ... 805
... 30.1 Overview ... 805
... 30.2 Including Native SQL ... 805
... 30.3 Leaving Native SQL ... 815
... 30.4 Treatable Exceptions in Native SQL ... 816
31. Data Clusters ... 817
... 31.1 Overview ... 817
... 31.2 Creating Data Clusters ... 817
... 31.3 Reading Data Clusters ... 825
... 31.4 Reading the Table of Contents of a Data Cluster ... 839
... 31.5 Deleting a Data Cluster ... 841
... 31.6 Deleting a Data Cluster in the ABAP Memory ... 842
32. The ABAP File Interface ... 843
... 32.1 Overview ... 843
... 32.2 Opening a File ... 847
... 32.3 Writing a File ... 860
... 32.4 Reading a File ... 864
... 32.5 Determining the Attributes of an Opened File ... 869
... 32.6 Changing the Attributes of an Opened File ... 872
... 32.7 Changing the Size of a File ... 877
... 32.8 Closing a File ... 878
... 32.9 Deleting a File ... 879
33. Data Consistency ... 881
... 33.1 Overview ... 881
... 33.2 Database LUW ... 881
... 33.3 SAP LUW ... 883
... 33.4 Database Locks ... 888
... 33.5 SAP Locks ... 888
... 33.6 Authorization Check ... 890
34. Parameters in the SAP Memory ... 895
... 34.1 Overview ... 895
... 34.2 Setting Parameters ... 896
... 34.3 Reading Parameters ... 898
35. Language Environment ... 901
... 35.1 Overview ... 901
... 35.2 Setting the Text Pool of a Language ... 904
... 35.3 Setting the Text Environment ... 905
... 35.4 Determining the Text Environment ... 910
... 35.5 Setting Country Identification ... 911
36. Date and Time Information ... 913
... 36.1 Overview ... 913
... 36.2 Supplying System Fields for Date and Time ... 917
... 36.3 Creating Current Time Stamp ... 918
... 36.4 Converting Time Stamp Into Local Time ... 919
... 36.5 Converting Local Time Into a Time Stamp ... 921
37. Testing and Checking Programs ... 927
... 37.1 Overview ... 927
... 37.2 Checkpoints ... 927
... 37.3 Runtime Measurement ... 931
... 37.4 Measuring Section for Runtime Analysis ... 934
... 37.5 Deactivating the Extended Program Check ... 935
38. Dynamic Program Development ... 937
... 38.1 Overview ... 937
... 38.2 Dynamic Subroutine Pool ... 937
... 38.3 Reading an ABAP Program ... 943
... 38.4 Checking Syntax ... 944
... 38.5 Creating or Overwriting an ABAP Program ... 948
... 38.6 Reading a Text Pool ... 953
... 38.7 Creating or Overwriting a Text Pool ... 954
... 38.8 Calling the ABAP Editor ... 956
39. Remote Function Call ... 961
... 39.1 Overview ... 961
... 39.2 Calling Remote Functions ... 966
40. ABAP and XML ... 979
... 40.1 XSL Transformations ... 979
... 40.2 Canonical XML Representation ... 980
... 40.3 Simple Transformations ... 990
... 40.4 Calling an XSL or ST Transformation ... 990
... 40.5 Example of an XSL Transformation ... 998
... 40.6 Simple Transformation Example ... 1001
41. OLE Interface ... 1005
... 41.1 Creating an Automation Object ... 1006
... 41.2 Calling an Automation Method ... 1007
... 41.3 Reading the Attributes of an Automation Object ... 1010
... 41.4 Setting the Attributes of an Automation Object ... 1011
... 41.5 Releasing an Automation Object ... 1012
42. Obsolete Statements ... 1017
... 42.1 Overview ... 1017
... 42.2 Obsolete Syntax ... 1017
... 42.3 Obsolete Modularization ... 1018
... 42.4 Obsolete Declarations ... 1018
... 42.5 Obsolete Object Creation ... 1026
... 42.6 Obsolete Program Call ... 1028
... 42.7 Obsolete Exiting of a Program ... 1030
... 42.8 Obsolete Program Flow Control ... 1031
... 42.9 Obsolete Assignments ... 1033
... 42.10 Obsolete Calculation Statements ... 1036
... 42.11 Obsolete Character-String Processing ... 1044
... 42.12 Obsolete Processing of Internal Tables ... 1049
... 42.13 Contexts ... 1056
... 42.14 Obsolete Statements in the Flow Logic of Dynpros ... 1060
... 42.15 Obsolete Statements in List Processing ... 1068
... 42.16 Obsolete Database Accesses ... 1072
... 42.17 Obsolete External Programming Interface CPC-I ... 1078
... 42.18 Obsolete Call of a Text Editor ... 1086
Appendix ... 1091
... A. Conversion Rules for Assignments ... 1091
... B. Language-like Classes and Interfaces ... 1115
... C. Language-like Function Modules ... 1123
... D. Predefined Treatable Exceptions ... 1129
... E. Glossary ... 1139
... F. Notes on the CD-ROMs ... 1195
Index ... 1197