ABAP Basics

1 Technical Overview and Getting Started in the System 19
1.1 Overview of SAP Software and Architecture 19
1.2 Notes for Setting Up Access to SAP Software 23
1.3 Programmer's Checklist for Getting Started 28
1.4 Logon, Getting Started, and System Setup 31

2 Working with the Development Environment:
2.1 Getting Started with the Object Navigator 54
2.2 Development Classes and Packages 63
2.3 Namespaces 66
2.4 First Program: "Hello World" — REPORT, INCLUDE, and Application Menu 72
2.5 Online Help, help.sap.com, service.sap.com, and SAP Notes 97

3 Procedural Language Elements 107
3.1 Basic Commands and Fields — WRITE, PARAMETERS, MOVE, SY Fields 110
3.2 Data and Data Types — DATA, PARAMETERS, CONSTANTS, FIELD SYMBOLS, TYPE, CREATE, Text Elements 116
3.3 Structures and Internal Tables — TABLE, MOVECORRESPONDING, INSERT, APPEND, READ, MODIFY, DELETE, LOOP 139
3.4 Subprograms and Functions — FORM, FUNCTION, EXCEPTIONS 151
3.5 Branches and Logical Expressions — IF, CASE 169
3.6 Loops — WHILE, DO 183

4 Defining and Managing Database Tables 191
4.1 Field Properties — DATA ELEMENT, DOMAIN 192
4.2 Defining and Processing Database Tables —

5 Screen Input and Output 225
5.1 Simple Input and Output Interfaces , — SELECTION SCREEN, SELECT OPTIONA CALL SELECTION SCREEN, SAP List Viewer 227
5.2 Complex Input and Output Interfaces — Dynpros 258

6 Object-Oriented Language Elements 319
6.1 Classes and Objects — CLASS, CREATE OBJECT, METHOD 321
6.2 Inheritance and Polymorphism — INHERITING FROM, REDEFINITION 351
6.3 EVENTS 370

7 Practice Scenario — Automated Accounting for Corporate Subsidiaries 393
7.1 Defining the Requirements and a List of Functions for the Application 394
7.2 Software Architecture 399
7.3 Software Design 401
7.4 Implementation 416

A Programming Guidelines and Tools 451
A.1 Programming Guidelines 451
A.2 Program Check Tools 461

B

Günther Färber is a partner at NEXONTIS IT GmbH in Düsseldorf, Germany. He runs the development and consulting departments. During and after his IT studies, his reputation as a successful IT author helped to propel his career as an IT consultant and developer in numerous large projects at renowned companies and service providers. He began work in a startup company in 1997. In 2001, he and Julia Kirchner founded NEXONTIS IT GmbH.