SAP ABAP Programming Made Easy - Theory & FAQs

1. What Do You Mean By RFC? Explain In Detail. RFC stands for Remote Function Call. Remote Function Call is an interface for communication between a SAP System and other SAP or third-party compatible system. Remote function calls may be associated with SAP software and ABAP programming and provide a way for an external program (written in languages such as PHP, ASP, Java, C, C++) to use data returned from the server or insert data into server records. For business applications, sometimes it becomes necessary to communicate and exchange information (in predefined formats) with other SAP Systems or non-SAP Systems ( Example Visual Basic to SAP, Java to SAP etc. ). To enable this communication, SAP has provided us with a mechanism called RFC, which stands for 'Remote Function Call'. RFC’s can be used for external integration with SAP, such as PHP/SAP, Flex/SAP, Ruby/SAP, etc. In SAP, RFC Interface system is used for setting-up RFC connections between different SAP syst...

37. What Is The Use Of Command Node In Smart Form? Command Nodes can be used to achieve page break . By using Command Node, one can manually control the numbers of records to be displayed per page based on some condition. For More information, Refer the link mentioned below: http://www.saptechnical.com/Tutorials/Smartforms/Command/Page3.htm 38. Can One Restrict The Translations Of Smart form To Specific Languages? Yes, one can restrict the translations of Smart forms to specific languages by creating a super set of languages for which you want to allow the translations. Go to form Attributes --> General Attributes --> Language Attributes --> Into Selected Language. Select all the languages for which you want the translation to happen. 39. How Can You Translate A Smart Form From One Language To Another? In smart forms, if you want a user to see the text in other languages (other than language in which smart form is created) , in Global settings ,we need to s...

31. Why Pages & Windows Node Are Required Or Mandatory While Creating A Smart Form? The Page represents the layout of the Page that is printed on and the items to be printed on the Page are contained in Windows. The page together with the windows defined on the page determines how the print will appear and the contents of the print. 32. How Can You Find The Generated Function Module Name For A Smart Form? First activate the Smart Form. Go to Environment -> Function Module Name and get the automatically generated function module for the Smart Form. 33. How Do You Debug A Smart Form? By Putting a break point on the generated function module of the Smartform, one can debug it. For more information, Refer the link mentioned below. http://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/display/ABAP/Easy+Step+To+Debug+a+Smartform 34. What Are The Different Auxiliary Nodes Available In Smart Form? Auxiliary nodes help to control and format the print but do not print any contents by themse...

26. Sometimes While Using The Variable SFSY-FORMPAGES Or SFSY-PAGE, You Get A Star '*' Instead Of The Total Number Of Pages Or Current Page Number. How To Resolve Such Issues? There may not be enough space in the window to display the variable, either increase the window dimensions or condense the spaces using &SFSY-FORMPAGES(C)& or using &SFSY-FORMPAGES(ZC)& or using &SFSY-FORMPAGES(4ZC)&. Here '4' reserves a four character wide output. (It can be set to any value.) 'Z' eliminates the leading zeroes. 'C' Compress Spaces. 27. What Are The Various Text Formatting Options In Smartforms? Various text formatting options available in Smart Forms are: &symbol(Z)& : Omit Leading Zeroes &symbol(S)& : Omit Leading Sign &symbol(<)& : Display Leading Sign to the Left  &symbol(>)& : Display Leading Sign to the Right &symbol(C)& : Compress Spaces &symbol(.N...

Workflow is defined as the automation of a business process, in whole or part, during which documents, information or tasks are passed from one participant to another for action, based on set of procedural rules. Workflow, as the name suggests, means flow of work, may be from one person to another person. It is in fact a sequence of connected activities resulting in exchange of information. Take the scenario of ‘Leave Application’. Activities involved are: Employee Submits leave application. Manager checks the application. Manager rejects the application. In case the manger finds that the reason for taking leave is not specified / detailed properly or the number of leave days is more). Employee corrects the application. Manager approves the application. This scenario helps to understand the need of workflow. Workflow in such scenarios will make the process handy and automated. Workflow will let the manger know that the employee has raised a leave application, will let t...

21. How Will You Print On Both Sided Of A Smartform? At the Page level in Smartforms, you can find something called as Print Mode. Set the Print mode to duplex to print on both sides of the Smartform. 22. How Can One Insert Symbols In Smartforms? Select the Text Node --> Change Editor --> Go to Menu Option 'Insert' --> Characters --> SAP Symbols. Choose the SAP symbol that you want to insert. 23. How Can I Make The Smartforms To Choose A Printer Name By Default? In the CALL FUNCTION of the Smartform Function Module (CALL FUNCTION fm_name ), set the output options parameter to set the printer name . The output option is of the type SSFCOMPOP which contains the field TDDEST. Set the TDDEST field to your default printer name. For Example: OUTPUT_OPTIONS-TDDEST = 'Printer Name'. 24. How Can I Make The Smartforms To Display A Print Preview By Default Without Displaying The Popup For Print Parameters? In the CALL FUNCTION of the Smartf...

16. How Do You Find The Name Of The Function Module For A Smartform? When Is This Function Module Created? The function module for Smartform is created when the Smartform is activated. You can find the name of the Function Module for a Smartform by going to Environment --> Function Module Name. 17. You Have Created A Smartform In Development Server. Then You Transported The Smartform To Production Server. Will The Name Of The Function Module Be Same In Both The Servers? The Smart Form that is created in the Development may not have the same name in the Production server. So it is always advised to use the Function Module 'SSF_FUNCTION_MODULE_NAME' to get the Function Module name by passing the Smartform name. DATA: fm_name TYPE rs38l_fnam. CALL FUNCTION 'SSF_FUNCTION_MODULE_NAME' EXPORTING       formname = 'ZSMARTFORM' IMPORTING       fm_name = fm_name EXCEPTIONS       no_form = 1       no_function_mod...

11. How To Insert Or Upload Graphics In Smartforms? Graphics node is used to insert company logos as well as other graphics in any part of the smartform. Before including a logo in a smartform, one must first upload the graphic from the local PC system to SAP system using SE78 transaction. The imported graphic/image must be of *.BMP or *.TIF extension. 12. Can You Force A Page Break Within Table Loop In Smart Forms? If Yes, How? Create a loop around the table. Put a Command node before the table in the loop that forces a NEWPAGE on whatever condition you want. Then only loop through a subset of the internal table (based on the conditions in the Command node) of the elements in the Table node. 13. How Do You Create & Maintain Font Style & Font Size Used In Smartforms In SAP? We can use Transaction SMARTSTYLES. Here we can create and maintain Paragraph formats and character formats as per the requirement. We can use our own custom SMARTSTYLES in our Smart For...

6. Explain The Significance Of Main Window? Basically, we use main window when there is a need to display text or data which can cover several pages. Say there is a requirement to display data of all the rows of a table (a table in which you are not very sure as to how many row it has), in such cases we always use main windows. As soon as a main window is completely filled with text/data, the system continues to display the text/data in the main window of the next page. It automatically triggers the page break. Only one window can be defined in a form as main window. The main window can be called in other pages of the form but it must have the same width on each page, but can differ in height. A page without main window must not call itself as next page, since this would trigger an endless loop. In such a case, the system automatically terminates after three pages. 7. Explain The Significance Of Secondary Window? Basically, secondary window is used to display text or da...

1. What Are Smart Forms In SAP System? SAP Smartform is a graphical user interface tool to create and maintain forms. SAP Smart Forms supports printer, fax, e-mail or internet (XML) as its output medium. SAP Smartform is a tool for the maintenance of forms on which application data from the SAP system can be output. Depending on the application, the number of forms to be printed can be very high, and they might have to be printed in a short period of time, in a mass printing. Examples of mass printing are monthly invoices sent by telecom companies or salary statements. Transaction Code to create and maintain forms is SMARTFORMS. 2. What Are The Differences Between SAP Scripts & Smartforms? Differences between SAP Scripts and Smart Forms are: Smart Forms are client independent and SAP Scripts are client dependent. Multiple page formats are possible in Smart Forms which is not the case in SAP Scripts. It is possible to have a Smart Form without a main window where as...