I’m 6 years old! (Thank you Caleb Prichard for the photo)

It is common to find an ALV data structure explicitly defined in the code. If this is done, the field catalog has to be manually constructed. If a predefined structure (from DDIC or declared as a TYPE) is used instead, the field catalog can be automatically built. This approach is always better and results in less code, even if the field catalog needs to be adjusted here and there. https://abapinho.com/en/2011/12/automatizar-catalogo-alv/

Many times we do READ TABLE itbl or LOOP AT itbl just to do a CHECK SY-SUBRC = 0. In these cases, the actual data read is not needed. For these cases always use TRANSPORTING NO FIELDS. This way is faster and avoids having to declare a target structure.

Imagine you have a program executing an infinite cycle or, at least, a cycle with 70x7 iterations. It is neverending, and you want to know what’s going on there. In the past you had to go to SM50, select the process and choose from the menu “Administration | Program | Debug”. But now there is a much easier way.

No matter how many times things go around in ABAP, everything ends up in SE38. Even the methods of the ABAP classes are saved in includes. Sometimes, when there is a dump, it says the problem is, for example, here: CL_MESSAGE_HELPER=============CM001.

You’ve released a transport order because you thought everything was ready. However, one more minor modification was still missing. So now you will have to create a new order and transport both of them. What a drag. Don’t worry.

Do you know about the EGSAP_TECH app? It’s a SAP knowledge bank. Here is a description in the words of its own creators:

Abapinho received a letter. Mr. Abapinho, Everybody knows how to set default values in select options using the DEFAULT keyword. What some people may not know is that one can also set the default option, sign and even if allows for intervals or just fixed values.

Today I will teach you how to chain exceptions. It’s a very practical solution to a complicated, not so obvious problem. Let’s start by describing the problem. Imagine you are in the application BANANA. The application is quite complex. It has three modules: BANANA1, BANANA2 and BANANA3. Each one has its exception class ZCX_BANANA1, ZCX_BANANA2 and ZCX_BANANA3. Since the application is in fact well designed, all the exception classes inherit from the same ZCX_BANANA.

When calling a function module which returns exceptions you normally give them sequential numbers like this: CALL FUNCTION 'GO_BUT_PLEASE_COME_BACK' EXPORTING ali = 'To the moon' EXCEPTIONS NOT_FOUND = 1 GOT_LOST = 2 OTHERS = 3. But Code Inspector may be configured to report a warning if afterwards you are not careful to add an IF or a CASE to look at SY-SUBRC,

In classes, consider using exceptions classes over the old ones. These have great advantages and, once understood, are simple and allow for simpler code. https://zevolving.com/2011/12/class-based-exception/

In reports, instead of WRITE TEXT-001, use WRITE ‘bla bla bla’(001). This way a default text will always be there and besides the readability of the program is improved. https://abapinho.com/en/2011/11/programas-poliglotas/

SALV classes are more versatile and more recent than the old function modules. So, for new ALVs always use SALV. The only exception is editable ALVs which SALV classes are still very incapable of doing. https://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-10365 https://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-10366

We start with two variables: DATA word1 TYPE string. DATA word2 TYPE string. DATA: phrase TYPE string. word1 = ‘this’. word2 = ‘that’. And we want to concatenate them adding the word “plus” between them and, of course, separate them by space.

In Greek mythology, the gods’ most commonly used means of communication with mortals was rape. They would rape for no reason whatsoever. The closest thing we have to rape in ABAP is the command “SUBMIT”, which is also the most common way of communicating between two programmes.