topic Re: Convert structure to string and viceversa in Application Development and Automation Discussions

Convert structure to string and viceversa

oliver_am — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 09:40:19 GMT

Hello, I need to convert a structure with some amount fields to a char like field, and then do the opposite.

I can convert the structure to a cfield with this:

DATA: lv_content  TYPE asafbtabcontent,
      lo_record TYPE REF TO data.


GET REFERENCE OF ls_my_str INTO lo_record.

PERFORM record_to_cfield IN PROGRAM saplas_afb USING lo_record  CHANGING lv_content.

But, how to do the opposite?

Abap 731.

Trying something like this, but values are wrong.

  FIELD-SYMBOLS:
    <ls_my_str> TYPE zz_my_str.

 ASSIGN lv_content TO <ls_my_str> CASTING. "HANDLE lo_TYPEDESCR.
  IF sy-subrc EQ 0.
      ls_my_str = <ls_my_str>.
  ENDIF.

I seem to remember that there was a FM or METHOD * CONTAINER * to do this conversions, but don't remember the name.

Any clue?

Thanks

Re: Convert structure to string and viceversa

Tomas_Buryanek — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 09:50:12 GMT

Is this class what you are looking for?

CL_ABAP_CONTAINER_UTILITIES

Re: Convert structure to string and viceversa

former_member1716 — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 10:02:45 GMT

Hello Oliver AM,

It should be CL_ABAP_CONTAINER_UTILITIES. To know more about on how to use it, please follow the below Blog.

BLOG

Regards!

Re: Convert structure to string and viceversa

oliver_am — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 10:16:14 GMT

Thanks ! this is what I was looking for

Re: Convert structure to string and viceversa

matt — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 12:08:29 GMT

Just to comment that using external performs is bad practice (as is using PERFORMs since they're considered obsolete now).

Re: Convert structure to string and viceversa

oliver_am — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 17:38:42 GMT

I have a problem with the class CL_ABAP_CONTAINER_UTILITIES.

I've created a report to save the data from a table into a txt file.
If I read the downloaded file in the same system I can read and convert the data to the structure type correctly.

But I'm trying to read this file in other system, and in this other system the method READ_CONTAINER_C is not working fine. Returns wrong data and strange characters.

Do you know what can be the problem?
Version of first system; 731 and second system; 75D S4/HANA.

Code of the method READ_CONTAINER_C in both systems is the same.
Any clue?

Re: Convert structure to string and viceversa

oliver_am — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 17:39:58 GMT

Thanks Matthew, It's was only a try.
I'll try to use OO in the future and not use PERFORMs any more.

Re: Convert structure to string and viceversa

Sandra_Rossi — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 20:14:11 GMT

CL_ABAP_CONTAINER_UTILITIES is only a temporary solution when you convert a system from Non-Unicode to Unicode. In non-unicode programs, structures with packed fields could be transferred to character fields. It's considered incorrect practice since Unicode (it's not really connected to Unicode, it's just that it was a good occasion to clean ABAP code). If you want to transfer data in a standardized way, please use JSON or XML (it could be done via data clusters too, with the classes CL_ABAP_EXPIMP* (which support internal formats of several kernel versions), but I don't like it because it's a SAP proprietary method).