How can we generate a new version using Eclipse

[pokrakam]

Title says it all: I'd like to manually create a new version of a class or program, as we can do from SE38 via menu options Utilities > Version > Generate Version

Sounds like something we should be able to do in Eclipse, but I can't find it. Am I missing something?

[matt]

Doesn't look possible.

TBH, I've never needed it since we have local versioning.

[SuhaSaha]

Does "local" version not help? I understand this is local to your eclipse client and you can't share with your colleague.

[pokrakam]

Thanks, but no, the point is to create snapshots of multiple changes done within a transport.

I was hoping for a simple solution, of course it's possible to open it in SapGui and generate the version but that's clunky. And for classes it gets messy as you need to switch to the form based editor and open each method to pull a version.

[FredericGirod]

mike.pokraka I think you said it, the solution is a GIT server

[pokrakam]

Thanks, yes local versioning is really great, but we need global.

Use case is to have more fine-grained audit than the default transport-generated versions if multiple people change an object within the same transport.

[matt]

Could you not achieve the same goal using ToCs? I'm pretty sure there's a plugin for that.

[matt]

And talking of plug ins, that looks like an easy one to do.

[pokrakam]

SAPGUI is already using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, creating a dummy TOCs is upgrading it to a steamroller 🙂

Of course the real solution is Git, but we're not there yet.

I don't have the Java skills or Eclipse know-how to write a plugin either. Not sure it is that straightforward, classes could be tricky as they are all in their own includes with their own versioning and the Eclipse compare merges them. It could be that's why SAP haven't added the feature to Eclipse yet...

Also the GUI solution is only possible in on premise. I might see if I can do something in ABAP.

[matt]

My plugin design would be to add a run as option. In the outline context menu, you could run as Create Toc, for example, and capture the object name, and then call a FM (or rest service) on the backend which generates a ToC containing only that object.

I've already done most of the work in another app I'm developing, so I'll probably give it a go over the next few weeks. My employer allows me to a few weeks a year for R&D 🙂.

My only concern is I don't actually know much about git so I'm not sure how to make it available for others.

I tell you what - you write the FM, and I'll develop the plugin.

[matt]

It'd have to be a ToC though, wouldn't it? Generated versions are temporary, I think. When you release the transport, they disappear.

[abo]

I can't even find how to rollback to an earlier version from Eclipse without resorting to the GUI 😕

[FredericGirod]

c5e08e0478aa4727abc4482f5be390b2 did you try with right-click > compare ... ?

[abo]

frdric.girod

of course... NOT 😄

That specific menu entry did not inspire me! I kept looking for "version".

[FredericGirod]

There was this blog, but has you, I prefer using SAPGui when I want to be sure of the action

https://blogs.sap.com/2012/07/24/comparing-abap-source-code-using-adt/

[pokrakam]

c5e08e0478aa4727abc4482f5be390b2 in the comparison on the top right you have the option of merging non-conflicting changes or overwriting the entire content.

[pokrakam]

matthew.billingham no, generated versions are permanent. At least I'm pretty sure because it used to be my "Git" in the bad old SapGui days. But now you have cast a tiny seed of doubt so I will double check next time I do a transport.

[matt]

Just checked on 7.31, and definitely temporary.

[matt]

And on 7.52

[abo]

mike.pokraka

no chance to compare against a git repo for local objects in demo installations, right?

[ThFiedler]

Hi Mike,

the creation of local versions in the ABAP backend is not supported in ADT.

There a plans to use GIT as version management system for the ABAP platform integrated with ADT.

But we still have some miles in front of us.

Regards,

Thomas.

[pokrakam]

Thanks for the answer, I was beginning to suspect as much.

Looking forward to what you guys are cooking up 🙂

[Chad_He]

Hi~Thomas Fiedler,

Is this function still not supported in ADT in nw757?

[ThFiedler]

Hi,

no, there is no option in ADT to create temporary versions on the A BAP backend. From my perspective the local history in Eclipse is much more convenient. What do you think?

Regards,

Thomas.

[matt]

I agree with you, thomasfiedler

8e33a417cd514f378426d831bc17b113 But I've written one anyway. Temporary versioning plugin

[Chad_He]

matthew.billingham
Thank you for your effort, and thank you your explain blog.

I'll try this plugin

[pokrakam]

matthew.billingham Finally got to test it (755) and indeed these versions disappear when the TR is sent on its way. Been using them for years and never noticed 🙂

[matt]

You can do it like this:

https://blogs.sap.com/2023/06/16/eclipse-adt-plugin-for-temporary-versioning/