9/14/2016

ClassicalwaytoABAPOOstyleofcoding|SCN

GettingStarted Newsletters

Hi,Guest

LogOn

JoinUs

Store

SearchtheCommunity

Products

Services&Support

AboutSCN

Downloads

Industries

Training&Education

Partnership

DeveloperCenter

Activity

LinesofBusiness

UniversityAlliances

Events&Webinars

Innovation

Browse

Communications

Actions

ABAPDevelopment

ClassicalwaytoABAPOOstyleofcoding
PostedbySumanthKristaminABAPDevelopmentonJan9,201410:54:43AM
Share

Tweet

Like 3

ObjectOrientedABAPistakingslowphaseinadoptionforPureABAPers(NotworkinginWebdynproorother
objectorientedspace)evenItookayearlongtocompletelydomyworkinOO.

EvenIwasinasituationwhenoneofmyclientsquestioned,whyyoucodeinOOashewasnotableto
understand.Iwasdumbstruckandthethoughtprovokedmetowritethisforguyswhoareindilemmaonhow
tomovetoOO.

IhaveseenmanyblogsonABAPOOwhichwillbeagoodstartforlearning(explainingconceptsand
examples)butstillfacedfewchallengesinmovingtoABAPOOlikewhereandhowtostart,justputtingdown
mythoughtsabouttheproblemswhichfacedlittlelongerandwaysIovercame
FewroadblocksinusingABAPOO
oUnderstandingconceptsofOOwhohasnopreviousknowledgeonOO
oHowtoimplementthesameinourregularworkinRICEFobjects.
oHowtousemajoradvantagesofOO

Thisblogisforexperienceddevelopers,whoarefamiliarwithOOconceptsbutlazyinimplementingthesame
inABAP.BeforeItalkaboutanyofthesestuff,Iwouldliketotellhowtogetfamiliarizewithclasses.(Note:
Thisblogonlyprovidesapproachandnotanyexamples)
FornewbiestoABAPOO,cangetfamiliarizewiththeselinks?

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw2004s/helpdata/en/c3/225b5654f411d194a60000e8353423/frameset.htm
http://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/display/ABAP/ABAP+Objects+Getting+Started

IwillshowasmallexamplereportgettingsomeentriesfromMARAandusingCL_SALV_TABLEtodisplaythesamein
ALVinfourwayshere
Traditionalwayofwriting
OOway(onlyusingStaticmethods)Togetthehangofclassandmethodconcept
OOway(OnlyInstancemethods)Togetthehangofclassandmethodconcept
MyIDEALwayinOO
NewTrendofandcompletelymovingyourreporttoOO.

Traditionalwayofwritingthecode:

REPORTysdnblog_classic.
PARAMETERS:p_rowsTYPEcountDEFAULT'100'.
STARTOFSELECTION.
DATA:it_maraTYPESTANDARDTABLEOFmara.
PERFORMget_dataCHANGINGit_mara.
PERFORMdisplayUSINGit_mara.
*&*
*&FormGET_DATA
*&*
FORMget_dataCHANGINGch_maraTYPEmara_tt.
SELECT*FROMmaraINTOTABLEch_maraUPTOp_rowsROWS.
ENDFORM."GET_DATA
*&*
*&FormDISPLAY
*&*
FORMdisplayUSINGi_maraTYPEmara_tt.
DATA:lr_tableTYPEREFTOcl_salv_table.
cl_salv_table=>factory(IMPORTINGr_salv_table=lr_table
CHANGINGt_table=i_mara).
lr_table>display().
ENDFORM."DISPLAY

OOway(onlyusingStaticmethods)Togetthehangofclassand
methodconcept

http://scn.sap.com/community/abap/blog/2014/01/09/classicalwaytoabapoostyleofcoding

1/9

9/14/2016

ClassicalwaytoABAPOOstyleofcoding|SCN

LetsstartwithclassesanddontgointoboringpartofexplainingwhatisaSTATICorINSTANCEmethod(Please
googleorgothroughaboutthisstuff).MajordeveloperswhoarenewtoOO,firstquestioniswhethermymethod
shouldbeINSTANCEorSTATIC?Letssavethisquestiontothelast.
FirsttogetthehangoftheOOABAPfromtraditionalABAPusingSTATICmethodsonlyandabovereportlookslike
this:(suggestcontinuingwritingcoupleofreports/objects)

REPORTysdnblog_class_static.
PARAMETERS:p_rowsTYPEcountDEFAULT'100'.
**
*CLASSlcl_mainDEFINITION
**
*
**
CLASSlcl_mainDEFINITION.
PUBLICSECTION.
CLASSMETHODS:get_data,
display.
PRIVATESECTION.
CLASSDATAit_maraTYPEmara_tt.
ENDCLASS."lcl_mainDEFINITION
**
*CLASSlcl_mainIMPLEMENTATION
**
*
**
CLASSlcl_mainIMPLEMENTATION.
METHODget_data.
SELECT*FROMmaraINTOTABLElcl_main=>it_maraUPTOp_rowsROWS.
ENDMETHOD."GET_DATA
METHODdisplay.
DATA:lr_tableTYPEREFTOcl_salv_table.
cl_salv_table=>factory(IMPORTINGr_salv_table=lr_table
CHANGINGt_table=lcl_main=>it_mara
).
lr_table>display().
ENDMETHOD."display
ENDCLASS."lcl_mainIMPLEMENTATION
STARTOFSELECTION.
lcl_main=>get_data().
lcl_main=>display().

OK...IhopebynowyougothangofwhatatraditionalreportlooksinCLASS/METHODS.

OOway(OnlyInstancemethods)Togetthehangofclassandmethodconcept

Whatsnext?Letsseethesameprogramwithinstancemethods.Additionalstepswouldbedeclarationofanobject
andinstantiateittouseinyourprogram.

REPORTysdnblog_class_instance.
PARAMETERS:p_rowsTYPEcountDEFAULT'100'.
**
*CLASSlcl_mainDEFINITION
**
CLASSlcl_mainDEFINITION.
PUBLICSECTION.
METHODS:get_data,
display.
PRIVATESECTION.
DATAit_maraTYPEmara_tt.
ENDCLASS."lcl_mainDEFINITION
**
*CLASSlcl_mainIMPLEMENTATION
**
CLASSlcl_mainIMPLEMENTATION.
METHODget_data.
SELECT*FROMmaraINTOTABLEme>it_maraUPTOP_rowsROWS.
ENDMETHOD."GET_DATA
METHODdisplay.
DATA:lr_tableTYPEREFTOcl_salv_table.
cl_salv_table=>factory(IMPORTINGr_salv_table=lr_table
CHANGINGt_table=me>it_mara).
lr_table>display().
ENDMETHOD."display
ENDCLASS."lcl_mainIMPLEMENTATION

http://scn.sap.com/community/abap/blog/2014/01/09/classicalwaytoabapoostyleofcoding

2/9

9/14/2016

ClassicalwaytoABAPOOstyleofcoding|SCN

STARTOFSELECTION.
data:lr_mainTYPEREFTOlcl_main.
createOBJECTlr_main.
lr_main>get_data().
lr_main>display().

IntheaboveexamplewedeclareanobjectreferenceoftypeLCL_MAINandhavetocommandCREATEOBJECTto
createareferenceforfurtherusageofthesameinprogram.(ThesameLCL_MAINcanbedeclaredwithdifferent
names(manyreferences)andinitiatedbasedontherequirementneeds)
PleasedosomeliveprogramseitherusingwithanyoftheabovewaystoreallygetinitialkickstartofOO.

MyIDEALwayinOO
MYIDEALwayofwritingtheaboveprogramwouldbeasbelow.
REPORTysdnblog_class_ideal.
parameters:p_rowstypecountdefault'100'.
**
*CLASSlcl_mainDEFINITION
**
CLASSlcl_mainDEFINITION.
PUBLICSECTION.
CLASSMETHODS:start.
PRIVATESECTION.
METHODS:get_data,
display.
CLASSDATA:lr_mainTYPEREFTOlcl_main.
DATAit_maraTYPEmara_tt.
ENDCLASS."lcl_mainDEFINITION
**
*CLASSlcl_mainIMPLEMENTATION
**
CLASSlcl_mainIMPLEMENTATION.
METHODstart.
CREATEOBJECTlr_main.
lr_main>get_data().
lr_main>display().
ENDMETHOD."start
METHODget_data.
SELECT*FROMmaraINTOTABLEme>it_maraUPTOP_rowsROWS.
ENDMETHOD."GET_DATA
METHODdisplay.
DATA:lr_tableTYPEREFTOcl_salv_table.
cl_salv_table=>factory(IMPORTINGr_salv_table=lr_table
CHANGINGt_table=me>it_mara).
lr_table>display().
ENDMETHOD."display
ENDCLASS."lcl_mainIMPLEMENTATION

STARTOFSELECTION.

lcl_main=>start().

HerewecalltheSTARTmethodonlyonceforaprogramandsoImadeitasastaticmethodandonestaticobject
(LR_MAINreferencingthesameclass)fordealingwithrestofthebusinesslogic.(Therecanbemanybetterwaysas
well..)

NewTrendofandcompletelymovingyourreporttoOO:

Thenewwayofwritingthereportsincludestcodetolaunchyourreport.LetsstartwithTcodecreationasbelowand
select3rdoptionMETHODOFACLASS(OOTRANSACTION).

NextstepnavigatestobelowscreenandunchecktheboxOOTRANSACTIONMODELenablinganotherfieldLOCAL
INPROGRAM

Nowprovideyourprogramnameandlocalclassnameandmethodforthebelowprogram.Programlookslikebelow
REPORTysdnblog_class_new.

SELECTIONSCREEN:BEGINOFSCREEN200.
PARAMETERSp_rowsTYPEcountDEFAULT'100'.
SELECTIONSCREEN:ENDOFSCREEN200.

**
*CLASSlcl_mainDEFINITION
**
CLASSlcl_mainDEFINITION.

http://scn.sap.com/community/abap/blog/2014/01/09/classicalwaytoabapoostyleofcoding

3/9

9/14/2016

ClassicalwaytoABAPOOstyleofcoding|SCN

PUBLICSECTION.
CLASSMETHODS:start.

PRIVATESECTION.
METHODS:get_data,
display.
CLASSDATA:lr_mainTYPEREFTOlcl_main.
DATAit_maraTYPEmara_tt.
ENDCLASS."lcl_mainDEFINITION
**
*CLASSlcl_mainIMPLEMENTATION
**
CLASSlcl_mainIMPLEMENTATION.
METHODstart.
BREAKPOINT.
CALLSELECTIONSCREEN200.
IFsysubrcISINITIAL.

CREATEOBJECTlr_main.
lr_main>get_data().
lr_main>display().
ENDIF.

ENDMETHOD."start
METHODget_data.
SELECT*FROMmaraINTOTABLEme>it_maraUPTOp_rowsROWS.
ENDMETHOD."GET_DATA
METHODdisplay.
DATA:lr_tableTYPEREFTOcl_salv_table.
cl_salv_table=>factory(IMPORTINGr_salv_table=lr_table
CHANGINGt_table=me>it_mara).
lr_table>display().
ENDMETHOD."display
ENDCLASS."lcl_mainIMPLEMENTATION

STARTOFSELECTION.

lcl_main=>start().

Hereyouaretakingcontrolonwhenyourselectionscreenshouldtrigger.Thingsyouneedtoobserveinabove
program
Yourselectionscreenisdefinedasascreenwithadifferentnumber,whichis200
Youareexplicitlytriggeringyourselectionscreen200intheSTARTmethodratherthangivingcontroltoframework.
(NotetheothereventsATSELECTIONSCREENwillworkasusual.)
Whenthetransactionisexecutedfirstittriggersthemethodspecifiedinthetransaction

ByslowlyadaptingtoaboveapproachedyoucanchangeyourcodingstyletoOO.

Therecanbemanyotherwaysandthisisjustlittleknowledgesharingbasedonmyexperience.Commentsand
suggestionsarewelcome.

21603Views

Categories:ABAPDevelopment

Topics:abapTags:beginner,code,abap_objects,abap_oo

AverageUserRating
(25ratings)

Share

Tweet

Like 3

294Comments
1 2 3 12

JelenaPerfiljevaJan9,20149:27PM

Youmightwanttotakealookat thisblog,aswellasotherblogsby PaulHardy.

PersonallyIdon'tdenyatalltheadvantagesofOOP,butseenopointinusingobjectsjustforthe
sakeofobjectsin,say,astandaloneABAPreport.Yourfirstexampleisshortandreadableanditjust
getslongerandmoreconvolutedfromthere.Maybeit'sjustabadexample,butthenwhat'sthepoint
ofpreachingforOOPifwedon'tdemonstratetheactualadvantage?
Like(13)

SumanthKristamJan10,20144:26AM(inresponsetoJelenaPerfiljeva)

HelloJelena,

Thanksforyourcomment.Myintentionofthisblogwasnottopreachadvantages/disadvantagesof
OOP,butforspecificsetofdeveloperswhoneverwanttomovetoOOmodel.

http://scn.sap.com/community/abap/blog/2014/01/09/classicalwaytoabapoostyleofcoding

4/9

9/14/2016

ClassicalwaytoABAPOOstyleofcoding|SCN

Ithoughtofusingasimpleexample,butcouldhaveendedupasabadone.ProbablyYourcomment
inspiresmetowriteanotherblogandwillpostitsoonwithyoursuggestion...

thanks.
Sumanth
Like(1)

MahadeoKedariJan10,20147:14AM

hii SumanthKristam,

VeryGoodDocument,

ItsReallyhelpful...

Thanksalot

keepitup....
Like(1)

AshishTrivediJan10,20147:21AM

GoodSK.Keepupthegoodwork
Like(1)

KesavadasThekkillathJan10,20149:53AM(inresponsetoSumanthKristam)

Pleasekeepupthegoodwork,keepyourblogscoming:)

IgenerallyusetheMVCarchitectureforclassicreportsandscreenprogramming.Thewayyou
implementitchangesbasedontherequirements.

Youmightwanttohavealookatthisblogtoo GlobalDatainABAPOOPrograms

Kesav
Like(3)

PaulHardyJan10,201410:39AM

Hello,

Firtsofall,welldoenfortheideaoftryingtoconvincepeoplethatOOisgood.Weinstantlycoemto
whatIcallthe"solutionmanager"problem,whichisifsomethingisreallygood,fantasticallygood,
thebestthingsinceslicedbread,andhasbeenaroundfortenyearsplus,thenwhydopeopleonly
useitifyourforcethemtoatgunpoint?

IhavebeenexperimentingwithABAPOOforyearsnow.Myhearttellsmeit'sthewayforwardbutitis
sodifficulttoproveittopeople.YouwouldthinktheinternetwouldbefullofABAPexamplessaying
look,it'seasiertodosuchandsuchinOOratherthanproceduralprogramming,andhere'swhy,and
hereareexamplesforsomecommonprogrammingtasks.DoyouknowforsomereasonIamfinding
itdifficulttofindtheseexamplesontheweb.

ThisiswhyIamtryingtoplugthisgapmyselfIwanttocomeupwithexamplesthatscreamoutin
lettersoffireathousandmileshighthatOOisobviouslybetterandeveryoneshouldmakethejump.I
haven'tmanagedthisyet.Ican'tevenconvincemycolleaguesatwork.

IagreewithJelenathattherearesomethingsinABAPwhereOOisnotsuited,itseemstomethatis
becauseSAPhasjustnotbuiltthesystemthisway.

ALVreportsareanobviousexamplewhereOOisofverydubiousbenefit.Ascanbeseeninyour
blogyouendupwithalotmorecodefornoobviousbenefit.

FormorecomplicatedprogramsIagreewithputtingDYNPROscreensintofunctionmodulesto
abstracttheUIlayer,soyoucanswopinfutureUItechnolgiesatalaterdate,butthenpeoplego
absoluetlyfreeenergycrazy,andreplacethebuiltinSAPDYNPROfunctionse.g.ONCHAININPUT
withworkaroundcodeoftheirowntoaddloadsofextracodetotryandalmostachievewhatwas
alreadythereforyouinthefirstplace.

Thisjustaddsahugeoverheadfortheprogrammer,andwhenitcomestomaintenanceitmakesthe
thinganightmaretodebugalaME21N.(PopIn/PopOut/Shakeitallabout/Nocodethatactually
seemstodoanything).

WouldIbeburnedatthestakeasawicthifIsuggestthatalotoftheMVCforDYNPROframeworksI
haveseenarejustpeopletryingtowrite"pure"codeforthesakeofwriting"pure"code,ratherthan
tryingtoachieveanysortofbenefit?

Forexample,doesputtingaSELECTIONSCREENforanALVreportinafunctionmodule,andthen
extractingoutalltheSELECTOPTIONSandpassingthembackintoaclassreallygiveyouany
benefit?"Oh,thentheselectionscreenisreusable"really?Ichallengeanyonetolookatthereown
systemandseealltheZALVreports,howmanyhavetheexactsameselectionscreen,andcanyou
besurethattheuserswillnotdayrequireonemoreextraselectionoptiononjustonereport?

TosummarisetherighttoolfortherightjobOOdoeshavewonderfuladvantages,itisdifficultto
convincepeople,Iamtryingmybest,asaredozensofothers,thebestexamplesinSAPGUI
programmingseemtobeinthebusinesslogicanddatabaselayersasfarasIcansee.

ExampleswhereyoutrytoramasquarepegintoaroundholeasinthemyriadofMVCforDYNPRO
examplesIhaveseendon'tseemtobeconvincinganybody,infactIfeartheyhavetheexact
oppositeeffect.

CheersyCheers

Paul
Like(28)

http://scn.sap.com/community/abap/blog/2014/01/09/classicalwaytoabapoostyleofcoding

5/9

9/14/2016

ClassicalwaytoABAPOOstyleofcoding|SCN
RonitGeorgeJan10,201411:34AM(inresponsetoMahadeoKedari)

ItsBlog

.
Like(0)

SuhasSahaJan10,20141:41PM(inresponsetoPaulHardy)

HelloPaul,

IalwayshavethesamepredicamentwhethertouseMVCforclassicalscreenprogramming?

Yourcommentdoesputthingsintoperspective,butformethedilemmawillcontinueuntilABAP
classesbuilttobeMVCfriendly.

BR,
Suhas

PSIdon'tthinkSAPisinvestingdollarsonclassicalscreenprogramminganymore&wemight
neverseeMVCfriendlyclass
Like(1)

SuhasSahaJan10,20142:08PM

HelloSumanth,

TbhABAPclassesarejustnotdesignedtobeMVCcompatible,youhavetodoalotofworkaroundto
achievethesameusingABAPclasses.

Thisisdefinitelyanoverkillifyouaredoingitforasingleprogram.Butifyouarebuildinga
standaloneapplicationwithlotsofscreensthenmaybeitmakesensetohavetheMVCarchitecture.

Ifyouwanttoknowthecomplexityinvolvedin"truly"decouplingscreenlogicfrombusinesslogic
justcheckthetransactionBPwhichisBDTcompatible.Youcanenhancethescreensinanypossible
way&theyarewaytooflexiblebuttheyarewaytoodifficulttodebugunlessyouunderstandthe
BDTframework

IamalwayshavingthedilemmawhentousepureOOforABAPscreenprogramming&whentokeep
itsimple.Tillnow,ihavenotfoundanysolutiontothat.

BR,
Suhas
Like(2)

BrunoEsperanaJan10,20142:10PM(inresponsetoPaulHardy)

"anightmaretodebugalaME21N.(PopIn/PopOut/Shakeitallabout/Nocodethatactually
seemstodoanything)."
Ismiled
Like(3)

MatthewBillinghamJan10,20143:50PM(inresponsetoPaulHardy)

TheproblemisthattherearenoreallysimpleexamplesthatshowthatOOisbetter.ImovedtoanOO
paradigmabouteightyearsago,whenIstartedwithanewclient,who'dletmedothingsmyway.

Withasimplereport,itseemsthere'snopoint.However,mosttimesonceyou'vedevelopedasimple
report,theuserscomebackandaskforenhancements.(It'sabitlikeworldcreatorstheysaythat
theywantasimplemargarita,butactuallywhattheyneedisafulldiscworld).

That'swhenOOshowsitspower.ItissimplyeasiertoenhanceanOOprogram(assumingitiswell
written!).Onoccasion,inamomentofweakness,I'vethough"oh,thisissosimple,I'lljustdoa
STARTOFSELECTIONENDOFSELECTIONreport,withoutanymodularisationatall.Ormaybejust
useafewforms.I'vealwaysregretteditbecauseevenawellwrittenclassicalprogramissomuch
morepainfultochangethanawellwrittenobjectorientedprogram.

WhatI'vediscoveredmorerecently,isthatifI'veareasonablesizedapplicationtodevelop,Icanjust
workoutonapieceofpaperthevariousobjects(classes!)involved,andhowtheyrelatetoeach
other,andgetmostofthedesignsortedoutbeforeIgetnearacomputer.Ithinkit'scalledUMLor
something...

Theonlywayyou'llfindouthowabsolutelyincredibleprogramminginOOisyouhavetodoit.No
oneI'vemetwho'smadetheconversionhaseverregrettedit.Justlikenoonewhowasforcedto
learnpianoasakid,regretsitasanadult.

So,comeonabappersleavethechildishworldofformsandfunctionmodulesbehind,andembrace
thedarkside...Imean"growup".
Like(17)

WouterPeetersJan11,201412:37PM

Greatread.MyjourneytoOOwasasfollows:
Traditional
OOw.localclasses(notafan)
OOGlobalstatic,aka'wannabeoo'?
OOGlobalinstance
OOGlobalinstancewithinterfaces
tobecontinued...

Buttocometothepoint,somenotes/opinions:
Localclasses:Idon'tfindthemveryreadableorreusableinareport,isthereanyonethatdevelops
likethis,ifyeswhy?(exceptioneventhandlerclass)

http://scn.sap.com/community/abap/blog/2014/01/09/classicalwaytoabapoostyleofcoding

6/9

9/14/2016

ClassicalwaytoABAPOOstyleofcoding|SCN
WhyintegratetheALVlogicintheclasstogetherwithdataretrieval?Doesthisviolateseperationof
concerns?

WhenIdevelopareportIalwaysaskmyselfwhenwilltherebeaneedtodifferentiatesomethingorto
reusethelogicIdevelopnow.CurrentlyIprefertodevelopaglobalinstanceclassw.interface,write
allthelogicanddataretrievalinit,andkeeptheALV/displayspecificlogicinthereport.
ThiswiththeintentionwhenaneedarrivestobringthisreporttoWebDynproorsomewhereelseI
canreusetheobjecttherewithoutanyneedtoadjust.

Greets,
Wouter
Like(4)

SumanthKristamJan16,20147:05AM(inresponsetoWouterPeeters)

HelloWouter,

Thanksforthesuggestion.

IalwaysnotabletoconvicefellowClassicalabaperstomovetoOOandnotexactlyexplainthe
advantagesofOOABAP.

Theonlywaytheyunderstandtheadvantagesisunlesstheydoit.

TosimplystuffIprovidedexampleoflocalclasses..andtherearesomeinstanceswhereifelttouse
localclassesratherthansuchasinterfaceswherevalidationsaresospecifictointerfaces.

YesGlobalinstancewithIntefacesisgoingwaytogetmajoradvantageofOO..

thanks,
Sumanth

Like(1)

AbhijitMoholkarJan16,20147:30AM

IwillpreferusingABAPObjectsifIhavetodesignanyfunctionalityfromscratchandthereisastrong
possibilitythat,itscomponentswillbereused.Iwouldalsoavoidusingcallingtraditionalfunction
modulecallsinmyobject.IthastobefullyOOP.

Itwillbeinterestingtoseewhetherprojectshaveavisibilityof%repetitivequeries/processing/logic
theywilldoanddecidetobuildreusableclasslibraries.Isitpossibleinpractice?Willsuchan
approach,getsupportfromthestakeholders?
Ireallydon'tseemuchpointinwritingOOcodeforthesakeofit.Instead,firstthefocusshouldbeon
identifyingtherightcandidatesforOOPanddevelopingthemusingpropermethodology.
Like(1)

MatthewBillinghamJan16,20147:52AM(inresponsetoAbhijitMoholkar)

AlldevelopmentsaregoodcandidatesforOOP.That'smyexperience.Alldevelopmentshavethe
potentialforreuse.Thereforeit'ssensibletowritetheminawaythatallowsforreuse.

Thatdoesn'tmeanthatyouhavetoobjectifytothenth,butatleastuselayeringanddividethe
frontendfromthebusinesslogic.Itcertainlydoesn'tmeanthatyoucan'tusefunctionmodulesor
developyourown(kindofdifficulttoimplementparallelprocessing,oruseBAPIs,withoutfunction
modules).

IwriteOOcodeallthetime.Notforthesakeofit,butbecauseevenforthesimplestprogram,it
makesitquickerandeasiertoenhanceandmaintain.Itmaytakealittlelongertodevelop,butthe
majorityofthecostofaprogramliesinmaintenancenotindevelopment.

Icannotthinkofasingledevelopment(frombasicreportstoentireapplications)overthelast17years
thatwouldhavebeenbestwrittennonOO.

Sothere'sachallenge:nameonedevelopmentthatitwouldbebesttowriteprocedurally.
Like(6)

AbhijitMoholkarJan16,20148:21AM(inresponsetoMatthewBillingham)

HiMatthew,

Iunderstandyourpoint.AsImentioned,itmakessensetounderstandthereusabilitylikelihoodand
developaccordingly.Personally,IwillnotpreferspendingtimeinwritingasimplereportusingOOP.I
willuseOOP,ifIamcertainthattherequirementwillbefrequentlyenhanced,borrowedORaltered,
butthenthat'smypreference.

MystillholdtheviewofusingOOP"Ifneeded".
Like(0)

MatthewBillinghamJan16,20149:26AM(inresponsetoAbhijitMoholkar)

Idevelopedasimplereportprocedurally,andthenhadtoenhanceit."HowIwishI'ddevelopeditin
objects"Isaidtomyself.

Thesecondtimethishappened,IdecidedthatImightaswelldevelopthereportinobjectstostart
with.Thepointisthatifanenhancementisrequired,it'llbequickerwithadecentlywrittenobject
orientedprogram.

I'vealsolostcountofthenumberoftimesthatacomponentthatwillprobablynotbereused(butI'll
writeitthatwayanyway)hasendedupbeingreused.

Tomymindsayingthat"oh,it'sjustsomethingsimple,Imightaswelldoitprocedurally"isn'tfarfrom
"ohit'sjustsomethingsimple,Iwon'tbotherwithencapsulation,meaningfulvariablenames,

http://scn.sap.com/community/abap/blog/2014/01/09/classicalwaytoabapoostyleofcoding

7/9

9/14/2016

ClassicalwaytoABAPOOstyleofcoding|SCN
modularisation...".Bywritingasimpleprogramprocedurally,youarecreatingunnecessaryworkfor
thepersonwhomaintains.If90%ofthecostofaprogramisinmaintenance,thentowriteaprogram
inanunoptimalway,justontheoffchancethatitwon'teverbechanged,couldbeseenas
irresponsible!Programmersingeneralneedtogettheirmindsoftheeffortofdevelopmentand
concentrateonmakingtheirprogramsasmaintainableaspossible.Againthatiswherethecost
lies.

Youdon'tonlyusegoodcodingtechniquesonly"ifneeded".Youdon'twriteprogramusing"OOP"
only"ifneeded".
Like(2)

SuhasSahaJan16,201410:19AM(inresponsetoMatthewBillingham)

HelloMatt,

Icouldnotagreemore.Butihaveacommenttomakeonthe"reusability".

Imhotherehastobesufficienteffortfromthedeveloperstoseeifthereareanyclasses/interfaces
whichcanbereused.Fore.g.,ihaveseendifferentprojectteamshavebuiltdifferentclassesto
accesstheBusinessPartnerdetails.Oneteammighthavecomeupwiththisnovelideatowrapthe
BPBAPIsinmethods,createaclasshierarchybasedontheBPtype,roleetc.Buttheniftheother
teamstartsbuildingit'sownOOmodel,thewholepointofreusablecodeislost.

IseethesameinstandardSAPaswell,justdoasearchfortabletypesdefinedusingBAPIRET2

Idon'tknowhowtotacklethisproblem.Isitsomethingingrainedinthedeveloper'smind(i'mnot
sure)?Ithinkyourideaofbrainstormingbeforeevenwritingalineofcodeshouldpluginthegap.

BR,
Suhas
Like(0)

MatthewBillinghamJan16,201410:29AM(inresponsetoSuhasSaha)

Itisadifficultissue.I'minthewonderfulpositionofbeingthemainprogrammer.However,oneofthe
other(ratherbigger)teamsmanagesthisbyhavingtightcontrolonthecreationofnewclasses,good
communicationswithintheteam,andacleardevelopmentstrategyandframework.
Like(0)

SuhasSahaJan16,20146:33PM(inresponsetoAbhijitMoholkar)

MystillholdtheviewofusingOOP"Ifneeded".
Itisneeded,therearenosecondthoughtsaboutit.
http://help.sap.com/abapdocu_740/en/abenobsolete_modularization.htm

Themainhatepointformeinproceduralprogrammingareglobalvariables.Idon'tthinkprocedural
programmingcanprovideencapsulation.Youcanmessaroundwithglobalvariableseasilyandthe
personmaintainingthecodewillbecursingyoulikeanything.

IamnotsayingthatyouuseOOforeverysinglething.IfindPersistenceclasses,SHMclassestoo
hardtodigest&tbhi'venotusedtheminproductivecodeever.Maybeifigetachancetodevelopan
standaloneapplicationimightusethem

BR,
Suhas
Like(2)

MatthewBillinghamJan16,20142:15PM(inresponsetoSuhasSaha)

Persistenceclassesarefineforwhenyou'rereading/writingsinglerecords.Forbulkdata,they're
totallyuseless.However,youcanstilluseOOwithSELECTSyoujustputtheselectsintothe
methodsdirectly.Solongasyoulayertheapplication,youretaintheflexibility.

IdidoneapplicationusingpersistenceclasseswrappingtheclassesinBusinessObjectclasses,
comprisingUpdate,Read,CreateandDeletemethods.Theapplicationonlyaccessthedatathrough
theBusinessObjectclasses(whichthenusethepersistenceclasses).Whatwasgoodaboutdoing
thisway,isthatalotofprogrammingbecamejustfollowingthesamepattern.Andonceyougoit
working,itwasverystable.

SharedmemoryI'veneverfoundarequirementfor.
Like(0)

SuhasSahaJan16,20146:32PM(inresponsetoMatthewBillingham)

However,youcanstilluseOOwithSELECTSyoujustputtheselectsintothemethods
directly.Solongasyoulayertheapplication,youretaintheflexibility.
That'swhatihavebeendoing

Butitdoesn'tgiveyoutherealOOflavourthatpersistenceclasses

give
Like(0)

MatthewBillinghamJan16,20147:12PM(inresponsetoSuhasSaha)

IjustthinkofthemasbasicelementsofABAPObjects.Justlikethe"for"statementinJava.
Like(0)

http://scn.sap.com/community/abap/blog/2014/01/09/classicalwaytoabapoostyleofcoding

8/9

9/14/2016

ClassicalwaytoABAPOOstyleofcoding|SCN

JelenaPerfiljevaJan16,201410:02PM(inresponsetoMatthewBillingham)

MatthewBillinghamwrote:

Sothere'sachallenge:nameonedevelopmentthatitwouldbebesttowriteprocedurally.
Haha,nicetry.Thethingisnooneiswritingblogstoconvinceanyonethatproceduraldevelopment
isbetter.ThesestatementsarealwaysmadeaboutOOP.Buttherearemanycaseswhereitactually
seemsmoreofa"potatopotahto"situation.

Let'ssayIcreateasimpleALVreportusing3routinesgetdata,getfieldcatalog,displayALV.InitI
use2wellknownstandardFMs.It'sastandalonereport,so"reusability"isreally0,otherthanusing
thesameFMsinotherreports.An"enhancement"wouldverylikelybejustaddinganewfieldi.e.
changeSELECTstatementandchangeALVstructuredefinition(ItrytodefineitinDictionary).Ifyou
dothesamethingwithclasses/methods,you'dstillneedtodothesameexactchanges.Exceptthe
programwillbelike2timeslonger(weseeitinthissameblogthecodejustgetslongerasitgets
"better")andyouwoulddealwiththecustomscreenandacontainerandabunchofincludes.Idon't
knowifallofthiswasactuallya"must"butsomeobjecthappyconsultantwroteareportlikethatin
oneofoursystems.Andthe"OOPversion"looksuglierbecausethecontainerisnotmaximizedand
hastwoannoyingscrollbarsevenonmywidescreen.Howtheheckisthatanybetter?

I'dhavetodisagreewithablanketstatementthatOOPis"better"andthereforeeveryonewhochoses
nottouseitreligiouslyis"lazy".Ifyouaskme,I'lltakeawellwrittenproceduralprogramovera
poorlywrittenOOprogramanytime.Inmy(totallyunqualified)opinionOOPismucheasiertomess
upandlessforgiving.Ontopofthat,theSAP'seffortstopushformoreuseofobjects(notsureifitwas
evenanorganizedeffortandnotjustaploytolureinthedeveloperswhoaremorecomfortablewith
OOthanprocedurallanguages)havebeen,well,ratherweak.EncapsulatinganFMinamethodand
sellingitasOOPyeah,right,thatwillconvinceeveryone.
Like(8)

SuhasSahaJan16,201410:57PM(inresponsetoJelenaPerfiljeva)

HelloJelena,
Andthe"OOPversion"looksuglierbecausethecontainerisnotmaximizedandhastwo
annoyingscrollbarsevenonmywidescreen.Howtheheckisthatanybetter?
Tbhi'veneverbeenafanofthecontrolframeworkelementsmyself(CL_GUI*),andusethemonlyif
there'san'editablefield'mentionedinthespecs

OnthecontraryifyouusetheSALVOMinsteadoftheREUSE_ALV*functions,youhavetobuildjust
2procedures
1.getdata(),
2.displayALV().

Nowwhetheryoumodulariseyourprogramsusinglocalclassesorsubroutinesthat'sentirelyyour
choice.

Amajorirritationihavewithsubroutinesareyouhavetopassactualparametersagainsteveryformal
parameter(eventheCHANGINGones),thats**ksbigtime Thereisnowayyoucanmarkaformal
paramasoptional.AndnottomentionsomegreatmindschangetheUSINGparamsinsidethe
subroutinestoo

BR,
Suhas

PSABAPistheonlyprogramminglanguageiknow,ihadthechoicetochoosebetweenOOand
procedural(4.5yrsago)andthankfullyichosetheformer
Like(3)

1 2 3 12

SiteIndex
Privacy

ContactUs
TermsofUse

SAPHelpPortal
LegalDisclosure

Copyright

http://scn.sap.com/community/abap/blog/2014/01/09/classicalwaytoabapoostyleofcoding

FollowSCN

9/9