Execute an Outbound Service from Custom Business Object Logic

To get to know the SAP Translation Hub service first, you can try it out in SAP Business Accelerator Hub.

1. Go to Try out of SAP Translation Hub on SAP Business Accelerator Hub

2. Expand the Translate operations section .

3. Choose the POST operation /translate.

4. Switch to Body section of REQUEST.

5. Exchange the default body with this simplified example.

   json

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   {
       "sourceLanguage": "en",
       "targetLanguages": [
           "es"
       ],
       "units": [
           {
               "value": "Your text to be translated"
           }
       ]
   }
   

6. Hit the Run button.

7. The RESPONSE to the service call will appear.

To configure the connection to the system and the outbound scenario you will need the service’s end point.

After trying out the service in SAP Business Accelerator Hub, the response appears. Copy the Request URL - which is the end point - from the response section and paste it into a text editor for later use.

To authenticate during a service call later, you will need an API key from the SAP Business Accelerator Hub.

1. Still in SAP Business Accelerator Hub, scroll to top and press Show API Key

   

   A pop up opens.

2. Press Copy Key and Close to save the key to your clipboard.

   

3. Paste the application key into a text editor for later use.

In order to allow communication with the SAP Business Accelerator Hub Sandbox you have to create a communication system for it in your SAP S/4HANA Cloud System.

1. Enter your SAP S/4HANA Cloud system’s Fiori Launchpad.

2. Start typing Communication Systems in the Launchpad search and open the App from the results.

   

3. Execute the action to create a New Communication System.

4. Enter following Data into the input fields.

   Field Label	Field Value
   System ID	SANDBOX_API_SAP_COM
   System Name	SANDBOX_API_SAP_COM

   

5. Press Create

   The Details screen of the new Communication System opens.

6. Enter as Host Name sandbox.api.sap.com, which is the domain part of the service’s end point that you got in the previous step.

7. Scroll down to the Outbound Users section and press the + button to add an outbound user.

   Select the Authentication Method option None as authentication will be done via the API Key directly in coding.

   

8. Press Create to finish the outbound user creation. The pop up closes.

9. Press Save to finish the communication system creation.

Define the external SAP Business Accelerator Hub service as an available Communication Scenario.

1. Start typing Custom Communication Scenario in the Launchpad search and open the App from the results.

   

2. Execute the action to create a New Custom Communication Scenario.

   A pop up opens.

3. Enter following data into the input fields and press the New button

   Field Label	Field Value
   Communication Scenario ID	SAP_TRANSLATION_HUB (prefix YY1_ is added automatically)
   Description	Scenario for SAP Translation Hub

   

   The details UI for the scenario opens.

4. Switch to the Outbound Service section

   

5. Press Add to start outbound service creation. A pop up opens.

   

   Enter following data into the input fields

   Field Label	Field Value
   Description	Outbound Service for SAP Translation Hub
   Outbound Service ID	OS_SAP_TRANSLATION_HUB (prefix YY1_ and suffix _REST are added automatically)
   URL Path	/sth/translate (service-specific path of the previously obtained request URL)

6. Press Create to finish the outbound service creation.

7. Another pop up opens and tells that only one instance of this communication scenario per client will be supported. Confirm with OK.
   Both pop ups close.

8. Press Save.

9. Press Publish to finish the custom communication scenario creation.

Create a Communication Arrangement for the scenario you created, using the designated Communication System.

1. Start typing Communication Arrangements in the Launchpad search and open the App from the results.

   

2. Execute the action to create a New Custom Communication Arrangement.

   A pop up opens.

3. Select or Enter following data.

   Field Label	Field Value
   Scenario	YY1_SAP_TRANSLATION_HUB
   Arrangement Name	YY1_SAP_TRANSLATION_HUB_SANDBOX_API_SAP_COM

4. Press Create.

   

   The pop up closes and the Arrangement’s Detail Page opens.

5. Select Communication System SANDBOX_API_SAP_COM

   

6. Save the Arrangement.

Add fields to persists feedback at the custom business object Bonus Entitlement.

1. Start typing Custom Business Objects in the Launchpad search and open the App from the results.

   

2. Open the business object Bonus Entitlement.

3. Start Edit Mode by executing the Edit Draft action.

4. Switch to Fields section.

5. Add following New fields

   Field Label	Field Identifier	Field Type	Field Properties
   Feedback	Feedback	Text	Length: 255
   Feedback's language	FeedbacksLanguage	Text	Length: 2
   Feedback in english	FeedbackInEnglish	Text	Length: 255

6. Publish the business object.

Now as the business object has just been published, the logic can be enhanced by the translation functionality. ABAP for key users was enhanced by the classes CL_BLE_HTTP_CLIENT, CL_BLE_HTTP_REQUEST and CX_BLE_HTTP_EXCEPTION to enable you to work with HTTP requests.

1. Switch to Logic section.

2. Enter the After Modification Event Logic and Edit the code .

   

3. Create the HTTP Client

   To call an external service from within your custom business object logic, you need to create an HTTP client.

   • In the existing code, locate the IF block that checks whether bonusentitlement-bonusplanid IS INITIAL, and insert your logic just before the final ENDIF

   • Implement a check if the outbound service is available

     abap

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     * Check if the outbound service is available
     CHECK cl_ble_http_client=>is_service_available(
         communication_scenario = 'YY1_SAP_TRANSLATION_HUB'
         outbound_service       = 'YY1_OS_SAP_TRANSLATION_HUB_REST'
     ) = abap_true.
     

   • Implement creation of HTTP client

     abap

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     * Create HTTP client to access the outbound service
     DATA(lo_client) = cl_ble_http_client=>create(
         communication_scenario = 'YY1_SAP_TRANSLATION_HUB'
         outbound_service       = 'YY1_OS_SAP_TRANSLATION_HUB_REST'
     ).
     

4. Build the Request Body String

   Implement the creation of the Request Body.

   Since the goal is to translate any language other than English into English, the target language is set to English. The source language and the feedback to be translated are retrieved from the relevant fields of the custom business object.

   The request body in JSON format looks as follows:

   json

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   {
       "sourceLanguage": "es",
       "targetLanguages": [
           "en"
       ],
       "units": [
           {
               "value": "Su texto a traducir"
           }
       ]
   }
   

   Within the custom business object logic, the request must be provided as a string. Replace the sourceLanguage and value fields with appropriate variables. To generate the JSON string in the required format for the request body, you can use the XCO JSON module, which is part of the Key User (KU) edition of the XCO library.

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   * Create request body json string
   DATA(lo_json_builder) = xco_ku_json=>data->builder( ).
   lo_json_builder->begin_object(
       )->add_member( 'sourceLanguage'
           )->add_string( bonusentitlement-feedbackslanguage
       )->add_member( 'targetLanguages'
           )->begin_array(
               )->add_string( 'en'
           )->end_array(
       )->add_member( 'units'
           )->begin_array(
               )->begin_object(
                   )->add_member( 'value'
                       )->add_string( bonusentitlement-feedback
               )->end_object(
           )->end_array(
   )->end_object( ).
   
   DATA(lv_request_body) = lo_json_builder->get_data( )->to_string( ).
   

5. Create the HTTP Request

   Create the HTTP request and set several properties

   abap

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   * Creation of the HTTP request
   DATA(request) = cl_ble_http_request=>create( ).
   request->set_method( if_ble_http_request=>co_method-post
   )->set_body( lv_request_body
   )->set_header_parameter( name  = 'APIKey'
                            value = '< YOUR API KEY >'
   )->set_content_type( 'application/json; charset=utf-8' ).
   

6. Send the Request and Process the Response

   1. Implement sending the request by the use of the before created HTTP client and receive the response.

      abap

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      * Send a request and receive a response.
      DATA(response) = lo_client->send( request ).
      

   2. Implement getting the response body from the response.

      abap

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      * Get the body of the response.
      DATA(lv_response_body) = response->get_body( ).
      

   3. The response body in JSON format will look like this:

      json

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      {
          "units": [
              {
                  "value": "Su texto a traducir",
                  "translations": [
                      {
                          "language": "en",
                          "value": "Your text to translate",
                          "translationProvider": 1,
                          "qualityIndex": 25
                      }
                  ]
              }
          ]
      }
      

   4. Implement logic to extract the translation part from the JSON string using theXCO JSON module.

      abap

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      * Get translation from response
      TYPES:
          BEGIN OF ts_translation,
              language             TYPE c LENGTH 2,
              value                TYPE string,
              translation_provider TYPE i,
              quality_index        TYPE i,
          END OF ts_translation,
          BEGIN OF ts_unit,
              value        TYPE string,
              translations TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF ts_translation WITH NON-UNIQUE DEFAULT KEY,
          END OF ts_unit,
          BEGIN OF ts_response,
              units TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF ts_unit WITH NON-UNIQUE DEFAULT KEY,
          END OF ts_response.
      DATA ls_response TYPE ts_response.
      
      xco_ku_json=>data->from_string( lv_response_body )->apply( VALUE #(
          ( xco_ku_json=>transformation->pascal_case_to_underscore )
      ) )->write_to( REF #( ls_response ) ).
      
      bonusentitlement-feedbackinenglish = ls_response-units[ 1 ]-translations[ 1 ]-value.
      

      The response of the service call is translated into a corresponding ABAP structure. With help of the built-in Camel case/Pascal case to underscore transformation the JSON data is adjusted to ABAP requirements.

   5. Implement error handling

      Consider a proper error handling by putting a TRY and CATCH block around the service call logic.

      abap

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      TRY .
      
      " < CODING PARTS OF THIS STEP FROM BEFORE TO BE PLACED HERE >
      
       CATCH cx_ble_http_exception INTO DATA(lx).
      * The http status code can be checked.
              CASE lx->status_code.
                  WHEN 404.
      * Error handling
                  WHEN OTHERS.
      * Error handling
              ENDCASE.
      ENDTRY.
      

7. Save and Publish the After Modification logic.

1. Start typing Bonus Entitlement in the Launchpad search and open the App from the results.

   

2. Open a Bonus Entitlement in Edit mode.

3. Enter following data

   Field Label	Field Value
   Feedback	Su texto a traducir
   Feedback’s Language	es

   Please note that the language code must be entered in lower case to ensure that the service call is successful.

4. Save the Bonus Entitlement. The translation will get filled.