Skip to Content

Create ABAPDoc Comments in Your Class

test
0 %
Create ABAPDoc Comments in Your Class
Details

Create ABAPDoc Comments in Your Class

2020-02-19
Beginner
5 min.
ABAP Development, SAP NetWeaver 7.5, Tutorial, Beginner
Learn how to maintain ABAPDoc documentation for your class

You will learn

  • How to make your program more readable by learning how to maintain ABAPDoc comments.
  • How to synchronize the documentation and to display it, both in the ABAP Development Tools (ADT) and in SAP GUI.

Prerequisites

  • You have a valid instance of an on-premise AS ABAP server, version 7.51 or higher (some ABAP Development Tools may not be available in earlier versions)

Step 1: Open your ABAP class

First, open your ABAP class.

Image depicting step-1-open-class
Done
Log on to answer question
Step 2: Add an ABAPDoc comment

To improve readability, add an ABAPDoc comment to the class immediately before the method definition, for example:
"! Method reads invoice items from database .

NOTE: You must insert the ABAPDoc comment immediately before the declaration; otherwise you will get a warning from ADT.

Image depicting step2-add-abap-doc-comment

ABAPDoc comments can be used to document APIs and are displayed in the Element Info. All ABAPDoc comments begin with "! .

Done
Log on to answer question
Step 3: Add parameters to ABAPDoc

You can also use ABAPDoc to document method parameters with a Quick Assist. Place the cursor inside of the ABAPDoc comment. Then choose **Ctrl+1** to open the Quick Assist menu and double-click on Add missing parameters to documentation:

Image depicting step3-add-parameters

The ABAPDoc comment is extended by a @parameter ... |. You can now use this to document the method parameters: To do so, just enter the documentation after the pipe symbol (|).

Image depicting step3a-parameters-added
Done
Log on to answer question
Step 4: Synchronize short texts

We have documented our method using ABAPDoc. However, we also want to see the same short texts in the description fields of the form-based Class Builder in SAP GUI.
To do this, we need to tag the required text in the ABAPDoc as “synchronized” to ensure that it is synchronized with the Class Builder.

  1. Mark the short text for your method in ABAPDoc as “synchronized” by surrounding it with the tag <p class="shorttext synchronized">...</p>.

  2. Do the same for the short text of your parameter lt_result:

Image depicting step4-sync-texts

Done
Log on to answer question
Step 5: Save and activate

Save ( Ctrl+S ) and activate ( Ctrl+F3 ) the class.

Done
Log on to answer question
Step 6: Link with Editor

Finally you will check that the synchronized short texts are also shown in the Class Builder. First we have to open the class in SAP GUI.
To easily find the class in SAP GUI, first choose Link with Editor:

Image depicting step6-link-w-editor
Done
Log on to answer question
Step 7: View the ABAPDoc comments in SAP GUI

  1. In the Project Explorer, select the class ZCL_INVOICE_RETRIEVAL and choose Open with SAP GUI from the context menu:

    Image depicting step7a-open-w-sapgui

  2. The method description shows the text we entered in the ABAPDoc comment in the synchronized tag:

    Image depicting step7b-method-text

  3. Now choose Parameters. You will see that the description of the parameter has also been synchronized:

    Image depicting step7b-param-text

  4. Finally, close the class in SAP GUI and return to your ABAP program by choosing Close:

    Image depicting step8-close
Done
Log on to answer question
Step 8: Display element info
View Full Instructions

  1. Back in the ABAP Program, position the cursor on the method call GET_ITEMS_FROM_DB and display the Element Info of the method by choosing Element Info (F2). In addition to the method signature it also shows the ABAPDoc you wrote before:

    Image depicting step8-final-abap-doc

  2. Close the Element Info by choosing ESC.

The code for your class should now look like this:


CLASS zcl_invoice_retrieval DEFINITION
  PUBLIC
  FINAL
  CREATE PUBLIC .

  PUBLIC SECTION.
    TYPES: ty_table_of_zso_invoice_item TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF zso_invoice_item WITH DEFAULT KEY.

"! <p class="shorttext synchronized">Read items from DB</p>
"! Method reads invoice items from the database
"! @parameter lt_result | <p class="shorttext synchronized">Table of invoice items</p>
"!
    METHODS get_items_from_db
              RETURNING
                VALUE(lt_result) type ty_table_of_zso_invoice_item.
  PROTECTED SECTION.
  PRIVATE SECTION.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS zcl_invoice_retrieval IMPLEMENTATION.

  METHOD get_items_from_db.

  SELECT
    snwd_bpa~company_name,
    snwd_so_inv_item~gross_amount,
    snwd_so_inv_item~currency_code,
    snwd_so_inv_head~payment_status

  FROM
   snwd_so_inv_item
   JOIN snwd_so_inv_head ON snwd_so_inv_item~parent_key = snwd_so_inv_head~node_key
   JOIN snwd_bpa ON snwd_so_inv_head~buyer_guid = snwd_bpa~node_key

   INTO TABLE @lt_result

  WHERE
   snwd_so_inv_item~currency_code = 'USD'

  ORDER BY
   snwd_bpa~company_name.

   LOOP AT lt_result ASSIGNING FIELD-SYMBOL(<entry>).
        CASE <entry>-payment_status.
            WHEN 'P'.
                <entry>-payment_status = abap_true.
            WHEN OTHERS.
                <entry>-payment_status = abap_false.
        ENDCASE.
    ENDLOOP.
  ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.
Done
Log on to answer question
Step 9: Test yourself

Create an ABAPDoc comment for the parameter PLANETYPE. The explanatory text should read Type of plane.

Enter the comment in the box below and choose Submit Answer.

×

Next Steps

Navigate tutorial steps

QR Code

QR code
Back to top