If in your report called APP1 you need to save a file in a server folder (ex.: /export/app1/) and you don’t want it to be a selection screen parameter, how do you do it?

The simplest is to create a constant with the folder’s physical name: /export/app1.

But… what if tomorrow someone decides to change the folder location?

To avoid having to change your program in case this happen you can do this:

1. create a logical folder in AL1 (ex.: DIR_APP1) pointing at the physical folder (ask your system administrators if you don’t have permissions);

2. store the logical folder name in a program constant;

3. use the code below to convert the logical folder into the physical folder.

DATA: physical_dir TYPE DIRNAME_AL11.

CALL 'C_SAPGPARAM' ID 'NAME' FIELD gc_logical_dir_app1
        ID 'VALUE' FIELD physical_dir.

Thank you Nuno Morais for the tip.

Greetings from Abapinho.