The ABAP Invective, or, The Prime Directive for De...

JimSpath · ‎2024 Aug 13

If you browse the app dev space here, you'll run the gamut of enterprise apps from personnel systems to warehouse management to environmental controls, as you would expect from a global software at scale supplier. In the past several days I encountered accessibility challenges on this platform, thinking there must be better way.

What I've seen since the new platform lit up this year are suboptimal code presentations, and worse. I don't blame this on the technology. Nor is the fault solely on the SAP community management team, or entirely users fault. Can we fix this mess, or not? Or throw in the towel and admit our limits?

The iceberg tip I tippled was one of the currently running contests or challenges, where one may solve a particular constructed puzzle, replying with your answer. Including code and/or configuration samples.

Tireless prompts by @Sandra_Rossi to have users not simply cut and paste code into plain text boxes, or worse methods of sharing algorithms is the prime mover educating users how best to leverage the available tools. Expert Advice: How to post code in sap community >2024

Faults/Fixes? Is there a root cause for poor renders? Can we cure it?

Is it the platform tools?

A bit, I think. Beyond the obstacle of signing in and finding the right place to post, the code display tools are hard to find, sometimes tricky to use, and the available styles are limited (but improving).

There is also no serious emphasis on communicating clearly built-in to the Khoros platform, beyond picking tags and labels..

Users?

Some may post quickly here, as they have many other tasks to complete, and little time to dig deeply into the culture of which questions and answers are clear and unambiguous, and which are lost in translation.
Most take improvement hints to heart, if mentored. It's in your self interest to not just write better code it's to better share your code. Do developers normally deliver apps with 0 documentation?

Example illustrated by what gets to my email box:

Email with CODE

...reply on 2024-08-007 4:56 PM
Re: Task 1 - Create CDS View Entity ( August Developer Challenge )
Hi all,

Here is my solution for the task!

Data Preview of the CDS View Entity:

Code of the generator class [My reformat 1]:

CLASS zcl_p350812_generate_data DEFINITION PUBLIC FINAL CREATE PUBLIC. PUBLIC SECTION. INTERFACES if_oo_adt_classrun. PROTECTED SECTION. PRIVATE SECTION. ENDCLASS. CLASS zcl_p350812_generate_data IMPLEMENTATION. METHOD if_oo_adt_classrun~main. DATA travels TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF zp350812_travel. " Delete existing data in travel table DELETE FROM zp350812_travel. " Select data from demo table and apply mapping for status SELECT travel_id, description, total_price, currency_code, CASE status WHEN 'N' THEN 'O' WHEN 'P' THEN 'O' WHEN 'B' THEN 'A' ELSE 'X' END AS status FROM /dmo/travel INTO CORRESPONDING FIELDS OF TABLE @travels. " Insert modified data into travel table INSERT zp350812_travel FROM TABLE @travels. out->write( |{ sy-dbcnt } records inserted into travel table.| ). ENDMETHOD. ENDCLASS.

Code of the generator class [My reformat 2]:

CLASS zcl_p350812_generate_data DEFINITION PUBLIC FINAL CREATE PUBLIC.
PUBLIC SECTION.
INTERFACES if_oo_adt_classrun.
PROTECTED SECTION.
PRIVATE SECTION.
ENDCLASS.
CLASS zcl_p350812_generate_data IMPLEMENTATION.
METHOD if_oo_adt_classrun~main.
DATA travels TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF zp350812_travel.
" Delete existing data in travel table DELETE FROM zp350812_travel.
" Select data from demo table and apply mapping for status
SELECT travel_id, description, total_price, currency_code, CASE status WHEN 'N'
THEN 'O' WHEN 'P' THEN 'O' WHEN 'B' THEN 'A' ELSE 'X' END AS status FROM
/dmo/travel INTO CORRESPONDING FIELDS OF TABLE @travels.
" Insert modified data into travel table
INSERT zp350812_travel FROM TABLE @travels.
out->write( |{ sy-dbcnt } records inserted into travel table.| ).
ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.

On the other hand, entries below have zero content when viewed as a notification email, compared to the above:

Answer, Screenshot, Invisible

If I only looked at that feed for topics to delve into, which do you think has appeal?

SAP?

The community team has done great work supporting the users given time and money budgets and priorities. I regularly see flames like "it was better before" and "it's been broken for <time>" and "I'm quitting this place," for which I have no adequate response. I can't blame anyone who tries to contribute yet meet serious obstacles that "harsh their buzz."
The SAP development team members like @qmacro, Thomas Jung, e al are great in setting the bar for clear communication methods. Outside of work, DJ posts on social media, including highly descriptive alt-text for images (e.g., "... There's a screenshot of part of the task description made to look as though it's suspended from a pole sticking up on the cabin roof. ...").

Tilted edit of DJ's Mastodon Post with ABAP and more

The rest of the SAP bunch? It depends how in tune they are with the community ethos.

Mentors and Champions?

Wait that's me; here's what I've done: I ran public platform usability test (pre launch) in September 2023, as I often would have done in an in-person setting.
"Bonus points if you can give sample code or an example with code snippet in your response," I wrote.
I had trouble finding the source code "icon". The old one looks like "{;}" and the new one looks like "(/)".

I myself stumbled to produce readable clear code: https://community.sap.com/t5/welcome-corner-blog-posts/virtually-test-driving-an-sap-community-platf...

Ye Olde Way
Before

The New Way

After

A user in the future will thank you (Do it "for Frodo") for sharing your code clearly!

References and callbacks:

While drafting this, I found an inspiring challenge quote:

In my role as software developer, my comfort and my freedom are less important to me than the freedom of the software users and the ease of use of the software.

https://mastodon.social/@edzer/112903004996196963

One of my parents worked at the State Library for the Blind and Handicapped; the other volunteered at the State Workforce Technology Center assisting people to gain meaningful employment despite any limits.
A college room-mate worked with Gallaudet College and the kind of activists who protest non-accessible accommodations using wheelchairs. For a time, I hacked on the Lynx text browser code base, a tool that allows screen-readers to function for the blind and vision-impaired https://etc.usf.edu/techease/4all/web-accessibility/the-lynx-text-web-browser/

Lastly, Vive la France?
https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/france-facts/symbols-of-the-republic/article/libe...