ABAP FAQ - Interactive Reporting Questions and Answers

 

Interactive reporting allows the user to participate actively in retrieving and presenting data during the session. Instead of one extensive and detailed list, with interactive reporting you create a condensed basic list from which the user can call detailed information by positioning the cursor and entering commands. Interactive reporting thus reduces information retrieval to the data actually required.

 

What are the event key words in interactive reporting ?

 

Event keyword	Event
AT LINE-SELECTION	Moment at which the user selects a line by double-clicking on it or by positioning the cursor on it and pressing F2.
AT USER-COMMAND	Moment at which the user presses a function key.
TOP-OF-PAGE DURING LINE-SELECTION	Moment during list processing of a secondary list at which a new page starts.

 

 

What is secondary list ?

Secondary lists allow you to enhance the information presented in the basic list. The user can, for example, select a line of the basic list for which he wants to see more detailed information. You display these details on a secondary list.Secondary lists may either overlay the basic list completely or you can display them in an extra window on the screen. The secondary lists can themselves be interactive again.

 

 

How to select valid lines for secondary list ?

To prevent the user from selecting invalid lines, ABAP/4 offers several possibilities. At the end of the processing block END-OF-SELECTION, delete the contents of one or more fields you previously stored for valid lines using the HIDE statement. At the event AT LINE-SELECTION, check whether the work area is initial or whether the HIDE statement stored field contents there. In the latter case, create a secondary list, since you previously stored field contents for  valid lines only. After processing the secondary list, clear the work area again. This prevents the user from trying to create further secondary lists from the secondary list displayed.

 

 

How to create user interfaces for lists ?

The R/3 system automatically generates a graphical user interface (GUI) for your lists that offers the basic functions for list processing, such as saving or printing the list. If you want to include additional functionality, such as pushbuttons, you must define your own interface status.To create a new status, the Development Workbench offers the Menu Painter. With the Menu Painter,you can create menus and application toolbars.And you can assign Function keys to certain functions. At the beginning of the statement block of AT END-OF-SELECTION, activate the status of the basic list using the statement: SET PF-STATUS 'STATUS'.

 

 

Can we call reports and transactions from interactive reporting lists ?

YES.Interactive reporting also allows you to call transactions or other reports from lists. These programs then use values displayed in the list as input values.The user can, for example, call a transaction from within a list to change the database table whose data is displayed in the list.

 

 

How to maintain lists ?

To return from a high list level to the next-lower level (SY-LSIND), the user chooses Back on a secondary list.The system then releases the currently displayed list and activates the list created one step earlier.The system deletes the contents of the released list.To explicitly specify the list level into which you want to place output, set the SY-LSIND field.  The system accepts only index values which correspond to existing list levels.It then deletes all existing list levels whose index is greater or equal to the index you specify.For example, if you set SY-LSIND to 0, the system deletes all secondary lists and overwrites the basic list with the current secondary list.

 

 

What are the page headers for secondary lists?

On secondary lists, the system does not display a standard page header and it does not trigger the event TOP-OF-PAGE.To create page headers for secondary list, you must enhance TOP-OF-PAGE:

 

Syntax    TOP-OF-PAGE DURING LINE-SELECTION. The system triggers this event for each secondary list.  If you want to create different page headers for different list levels, you must program the processing block of this event accordingly, for example by using system fields such as SY-LSIND or SY-PFKEY in control statements (IF, CASE).

 

 

What is meant by stacked list ?

A Stacked list is nothing but secondary list and is displayed on a full-size screen unless you have specified its coordinates using the window command.

 

 

Is the basic list deleted when the new list is created?

NO.It is not deleted and you can return back to it using one of the standard navigation functions like clicking on the back button or the cancel button.

 

What is meant by hotspots ?

Hotspot is a list area where the mouse pointer appears as an upright hand symbol.When a user points to that area(and the hand cursor is active),a single-click does the same thing as a double-click. Hotspots are supported from R/3 release 3.0c.

 

In which system field does the name of current gui status is there ?

The name of the current GUI STATUS is available in the system field SY-PFKEY.

 

What is meant by hide area ?

The hide command temporarily stores the contents of the field at the current line in a system-controlled memory called the HIDE AREA.At an interactive event,the contents of the field is restored  from the HIDE AREA. When calling a secondary list from a list line for which the HIDE fields are stored, the system fills the stored values back into the variables in the program. In the program code, insert the HIDE statement directly after the WRITE statement for the current line.

 

When the get cursor command used in interactive lists ?

If the hidden information is not sufficient to uniquely identify the selected line ,the command GET CURSOR is used.The GET CURSOR command returns the name of the field at the cursor position  in a field specified after the addition field,and the value of the selected field in a field specified after  value.

 

How to pass data from list to report ?

ABAP/4 provides three ways of passing data:

      ---Passing data automatically using system fields

      ---Using statements in the program to fetch data

      ---Passing list attributes

 

 

How to call other programs ?

 

	Report	Transaction
Call and return	SUBMIT AND RETURN	CALL TRANSACTION
Call without return	SUBMIT	LEAVE TO TRANSACTION

 

 

System fields used in interactive Reporting

The SY-LSIND system field contains the index of the list currently created. While creating a basic list, SY-LSIND equals 0.

 

With each interactive event, the system automatically sets the following system fields:

 

System field   Information

 

SY-LINCT       total line count of a list

 

SY-LINNO      current line no where cursor is placed.

 

SY-LSIND       Index of the list currently created during the current event (basic list = 0)

 

SY-LISTI         Index of the list level from which the event was triggered

 

SY-LILLI          Absolute number of the line from which the event was triggered

 

SY-LISEL        Contents of the line from which the event was triggered

 

SY-CUROW   Position of the line in the window from which the event was triggered (counting starts with 1)

 

SY-CUCOL     Position of the column in the window from which the event was triggered (counting starts with 2)

 

SY-UCOMM   Function code that triggered the event

 

SY-PFKEY      Always contains the status of the current list.

 

 

 

 

 

TOP-OF-PAGE DURING LINE-SELECTION.

 

The system triggers this event for each secondary list. If you want to create different page headers for different list levels, you must program the processing block of this event accordingly, for example by using system fields such as SY-LSIND or SY-PFKEY in control statements (IF, CASE).

 

 

Ø  Data from System Fields of Interactive Lists

 

From system fields, you retrieve the following information: the index of a list, the position of the list in the output window, and the location of the cursor. The only system field that contains the contents of the selected line is SY-LISEL.

 

Ø  Passing Data by Program Statements

 

To pass individual output fields or additional information from a line to the corresponding processing block during an interactive event, use these statements:

 

HIDE

The HIDE statement is one of the fundamental statements for interactive reporting. Using the HIDE technique, you can at the moment you create a list level define, which information later to pass to the subsequent secondary lists.

 

Syntax             HIDE <f>.

Eg                    HIDE: SPFLI-CARRID, SPFLI-CONNID, NUM.

 

 

READ LINE

Use the statements READ LINE and READ CURRENT LINE to explicitly read data from the lines of existing list levels. These statements are tightly connected to the HIDE

technique.

 

Syntax :

 

 READ LINE <lin> [INDEX <idx>]

[FIELD VALUE <f1> [INTO <g 1>]... <f n> [INTO <g n>]]

[OF CURRENT PAGE|OF PAGE <p>].

 

Eg :

 

READ LINE SY-INDEX FIELD VALUE BOX.

 

GET CURSOR

Use the statements GET CURSOR FIELD and GET CURSOR LINE to pass the output field or output line on which the cursor was positioned during the interactive event to the processing block.

 

 

Syntax

GET CURSOR FIELD <f> [OFFSET <off>] [LINE <lin>] 

[VALUE <val>] [LENGTH <len>].

 

 

SET CURSOR

 

To set the cursor, use the SET CURSOR statement. This statement sets the cursor in the most recently created list. While creating the basic list, this is always the basic list itself. While creating a secondary list, this is the previous list.

 

SET CURSOR <col> <lin>.

This statement sets the cursor to column <col> of line <lin> of the output window.

 

 

Calling Programs

 

If you need to program an extensive application, one single program will become very complex. To make the program easier to read, it is often reasonable to divide the required functions among several programs.

 

ABAP allows you to call reports as well as transactions using these statements:

 

                                                Report                                     Transaction

 

Call without return                   SUBMIT                                  LEAVE TO TRANSACTION

 

Call and return SUBMIT AND RETURN        CALL TRANSACTION

 

 

 

Typical Structure of ABAP Program

 

1.    Report Definitions                         *

 

2.    Table and Data definitions            *

 

3.    Initialization event 

 

4.    Screen Select Options/Inputs       *

 

5.    Selection-screen event

 

6.    Start-of-selection event

 

7.    Performs and other Events          *

Statements

 

8.    End-of-selection event

 

 

 

 

1.    Initialization

 

·         Triggered prior to first display of selection screen

·         To specify Default value in SELECT-OPTIONS

 

 

2.     At Selection-Screen

 

·         Processed after the selection screen value are entered

 

·         For validation of screen accepts

 

·         Returns back to SELECT-OPTIONS

 

4.    START-OF-SELECTION & END-OF-SELECTION

 

·         This is implicit in any ABAP/4 program

 

·         Start & end of main processing logic

 

·         More in use with logical database access

 

·         All Statements between START-OF-SELECTION and END-OF-ELECTION is only executed

 

·         By Default , no need to have END-OF-SELECTION

 

·         Each procedural statement in an ABAP program automatically belongs to START-OF-SELECTION

 

 

5.    Form Event

 

·         Similar to PERFORM/SUBROUTINES 

 

·         STARTS with FORM and ends with ENDFORM

 

·         All statements between ENDFORM and end of program  are never processed

 

·         Similarly all statements between ENDFORM and event keyword are never processed.

 

6.         Limitations of Simple PERFORM

 

·         Values can be passed through PERFORM to FORM.

 

·         Giving the flexibility to use the same subroutine multiple number of times.

 

Syntax1:  PERFORM  <XXXX> using  <YYY>

                                                    changing <MMM>

            

            FORM  <XXXX> using <YYY> like <ZZZ>   

        changing <MMM> like <NNN>  - Pass by reference

OR

 

FORM  <XXXX> using value (YYY) like <ZZZ>     - Pass by value, creates another copy of the variable.

 

Example1:

            PERFORM date-invert using in-date

                                                   Changing out-date

 

            FORM date-invert using in-date like datum

                                               

 

Syntax2: PERFORM function-name(program) IF FOUND.

 

 

Example2: PERFORM HEADER(FORMPOOL) IF FOUND.

 

 

6.     Get event

 

·         GET < table name >

 

·         Reads data of all columns from all database table falling in the hierarchy

 

·         Needs to mention table name in

 

      TABLES: parameters………

 

·         Only fields part of the tables mentioned  in the TABLES: parameter can be viewed & edited

 

 

7.     To Exit from an Event

 

·         Exit –  It exits from the respective subroutine were this syntax is used  , generally condition for the EXIT is stated before this syntax

 

·         Check -  here the conditional check is done at the same time . 

 

CHECK <condition>

If the condition is not satisfied, the system leaves the subroutine and resumes 

the processing after the PERFORM statement

 

·         Stop – it is the abrupt stopping the program flow

 

 

8.     CALLing Functional Modules

 

Syntax:

CALL FUNCTION <module>

[EXPORTING  f1 = a1 .... fn = an]

[IMPORTING  f1 = a1 .... fn = an]

[CHANGING   f1 = a1 .... fn = an]

[TABLES     f1 = a1 .... fn = an]

[EXCEPTIONS e1 = r1 .... en = rn

 

Example:

CALL FUNCTION 'Z_DATE_CONVERSION'

 EXPORTING STD_DATE = GEN_DATE

 IMPORTING CH_DATE = NEW_DATE

 

 

 

9.    List Events

 

TOP-Of-PAGE, END-OF-PAGE,

 

AT LINE-SELECTION, AT USER-COMMAND

 

These events are triggered by the ABAP runtime environment while a list is being created or when a user performs an action on a list. The statement in these blocks can format the list or process the user’s request.