topic Re: Search Help? in Application Development and Automation Discussions

Search Help?

Former Member — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:29:48 GMT

hi friends,

Can any one tell me about the Elementary and Collective Search helps?When they are used? and who will create that ?

Thanks in Advance...

bye.

Re: Search Help?

Former Member — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:44:34 GMT

Elementary Search help consists of only 1 table fields where as collective search help is a combination more than one search helps.

Regards

Haritha.

Re: Search Help?

Former Member — Wed, 30 May 2007 22:51:52 GMT

Search help is used to give list of possible values for particular field.

For example, a Search help for MARA-MATNR will display possible Materials(MATNR) when user presses F4 for the screen field.

Search helps are created by developer ususally. There are some standard search helps created by SAP for standard tables.

Collective search help is group of Search helps.

To get the feel of them:

Go to SE16.

Enter MARA as table name and press enter.

on the second screen, press F4 for field MATNR(Material number).

What appears is a collective search help and each tab in this is called elimentary search help.

For easy and complete understanding of search helps, refer to:

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/cf/21ee2b446011d189700000e8322d00/content.htm

Re: Search Help?

Former Member — Wed, 30 May 2007 23:41:20 GMT

if you create new screen devlopment and if you some custom tables or sap tables which will not have F4 value then we go for serch help..

Elementary serach help : it is applicable to only one table and if screen has only one table using then we go for elementary serach help.

Collective search help : it is combination of elementary search help( more than two elementary serch help),if screen has diffrent custom tables or sap tables which we do not have F4 value then we go for Collective search help.

Some times if user enter one value on one field ,then second should get the data according first field,in that case we go collective search help,there we will write code under search help exit.

Reward Points if it is helpful

Thanks

Seshu

Re: Search Help?

former_member196299 — Thu, 31 May 2007 03:36:13 GMT

Hi ,

Below are some basics about search helps , please go through them . a developer only create the search helps if the requirement comes .

) Elementary search helps ( ESH 😞 These kind of search helps describe a search path. The elementary search help must define where the data of the hit list should be read from (selection method), how the exchange of values between the screen template and selection method is implemented (interface of the search help) and how the online input help should be defined (online behavior of the search help).

An ESH defines the standard flow of an input search. The following components of this flow can be defined in the search helps.

• Where does the data displayed in the list come from( selection method ).

• What information should be displayed in the dialog box for value selection and the in hit list ( search help parameters ) .

• What field contents can be taken into account for hit list selection and which values in the hit list can be returned to the screen fields (import and export parameters).

• What dialog step should be executed in the input help ( Dialog behavior ) .

Selection Method: The possible input values of fields displayed in the hit list are determined at runtime by a database selection. In Selection method we provide the

Table name from where the data is being selected. If data retrieval is from more than

two tables then we can create a view ( database view or help view ) and then use it in Selection method . If the tables are client specific then the client field must be copied to the view or else the selection will be for all the clients.

Sear help parameters: A search help has an interface consists of parameters. These parameters defines the fields of the selection method that should be used in the input field. The parameters are copied from the corresponding selection method, that is they always have the same name as the corresponding field of the selection method.

If the search is restricted with a parameter of the search help, this is used in the data selection for formulating a WHERE condition for the field of the selection method with the same name. A data element should be assigned to each search help parameter in other words you define a type for the search help parameter.

Import and Export parameters: The interface of a search help defines the context data that can be used in the input help (import) and the data that can be returned in the input template (export) .

Collective Search helps ( CSH 😞 These kind of search helps are the combination of various elementary search paths, so they can provide a some alternative search paths.

While defining the CHS we need to provide all the ESH we want to include in that

CSH .A collective search help also has an associated interface for transporting the values they use both the ESH parameter and the input template.

A CSH is a collection of single or multiple elementary search helps and it combines all the meaningful search paths. While linking the elementary search helps with the collective search help there must be at-least one parameter assignment done for linking both of them. This parameter assignment should be done between the interface parameters of the collective search help with that of the included search helps.

Regards,

Ranjita

Re: Search Help?

Former Member — Thu, 31 May 2007 04:43:27 GMT

hi aravind,

have a look on this documentation,

Check this info. Hope this will prove satisfactory.

There are 3 ways to create search help :

1)In the PAI of the screen, add a module Process on value request.For example:

PROCESS AFTER INPUT.

MODULE USER_COMMAND_100.

PROCESS ON VALUE-REQUEST.

FIELD field_name MODULE value_request_for_field_name.

*field_name is the field for which you require search help.

In the Module value_request_for_field_name call this function 'F4IF_INT_TABLE_VALUE_REQUEST'.

2)The above procedure can be used if the field you have defined doesnt have an existing search help.If it already has search help and the field in the screen is taken from the dictionary,then in the attributes,u can check from from dictionary under the dictionary tab.

3)A manual search help can also be created in the se11 transaction by clicking on the search help radio button and giving the table and field name for which search help is required.

Creating Elementary Search Helps

Procedure

In the initial screen of the ABAP Dictionary, select object class Search help, enter the name of the search help and choose Create.

A dialog box appears in which you must select the type of search help.

Select Elementary search help and choose .

The maintenance screen for elementary search helps appears.

Enter an explanatory text in the field Short text.

You can for example find the search help at a later time using this short text.

In the Definition tab page enter the selection method of the search help.

You can enter the name of a table or a view (database view, projection view or help view) here. If you enter a table that has a text table, the name of the text table is automatically entered in the corresponding field.

Using the input help (F4 help), select fields of the selection method as parameter in the Search help parameter area. Select the fields that should be used in the dialog box for value selection or in the hit list.

If the selection method is a table that has a text table, both the fields of the table and the fields of the text table are offered in the input help.

The data element of the parameter is automatically copied from the selection method. The data element defines the output attributes and the F1 help of the parameter in the hit list and in the dialog box for value selection.

You can assign the parameter another data element. To do so, select the Mod flag. The Data element field is now ready for input. Then select a data element with the input help (F4 help). Only data elements whose data type, length and number of decimal places is the same as those of the previous data element can be assigned.

This removes the link between the data element of the search help parameter and the data element of the selection method field having the same name. If you cancel the Mod flag, the data element of the assigned table field is used again.

Define the attributes of the search help parameters.

Select the IMP flag if it is an import parameter. Select the EXP flag if it is an export parameter.

You can define the dialog for the input help with the fields LPos, SPos and SDis. Enter the parameter position in the hit list in LPos. If you enter nothing or the value 0 here, the parameter is not displayed in the hit list.

Enter the parameter position in the dialog box for value selection in SPos. If you enter nothing or the value 0 here, the parameter is not displayed in the dialog box for value selection.

Set the SDis flag if the parameter should be a pure display field in the dialog box for value selection. The user is thus informed that the contents of the parameter restrict the value, but he cannot change this restriction. This makes sense for example when the parameter is an import parameter or if it has a default value.

You can assign the parameter a default value in the Default value field.

Select the dialog type of the search help.

The dialog type defines how the hit list is displayed in the input help.

Save your entries.

A dialog box appears in which you have to assign the search help a development class.

Choose .

Do not forget to link the search help to a screen field. The search help attachment is not part of the search help definition; it is part of the object definition to which the search help is attached.

Result

The search help is activated. You can find information about the activation flow in the activation log, which you can display with Utilities ® Activation log. If errors occurred during activation, the activation log is automatically displayed.

Other Options

Assign a hot key: If the search help is to be accessed with a hot key, you must enter a one-place ID in the Hot key field. All the elementary search helps contained in a collective search help should have different short cuts.

Assign a search help exit: In exceptions, you might have to change the standard flow defined by the search help with a search help exit. In this case enter the name of the search help exit in the corresponding field.

Test the search help: You can test the flow of an input help defined by the elementary search help with . A dialog box appears in which you can simulate the behavior of the search help under different conditions. You can obtain information about the options provided in this window with.