New way to maintain settings in ABAP

[antonsikidin]

source code https://github.com/AntonSikidin/global_settings

Time-to-time constants appear in your code. Some time constants are less constant. They have different types for example date of feature start, rfc_dest to other system, and number of parallel tasks.

To maintain settings you have to create a table of 1 row or class for constant. Both this way has different costs to create settings, add settings, and change settings. Less is better.

And you have tens of tables of 1 row that replicate each other.

I have a solution that has the best part of both ways to maintain settings. Easy to create, easy to add, and easy to maintain. As a bonus, you can have documentation for settings like flag_25 type xfeld.

We can hold

• single value
• single structure
• table of value
• table of struct

to hold this different variable in one table I serialized them in JSON and saved them in the table of text255

to read settings:

• select data
• join string
• deserialize

After installation navigate to screen #2

We need to adjust something

Make layout bigger

from

to

Change field size: Double click

Visible length 50

Double click

Visible length 15

Double click

Text “Is Table?”

Activate!

To describe your settings go to ZTR_GS_CONFIG (Global Settings Configuration).

First level – project name

Second-level variables of this project

1. Name of variable/structure/table
2. Short description
3. Abap type. For data elements, this element must be used in a table or structure
4. Sign that it is a table. You can’t use table type

The third level is a long description of what these settings are for, how they change program flow, and what possible value can hold

Changes save in transport requests.

To edit the value of settings go to ZTR_GS_EDITOR in each system( development, quality, production )

Enter the project name or search.

In the variable block list all settings of this project. You can view or change by clicking on the var name.

Long description in Description block.

 to view history.

use  for navigation.

You can easily work with these settings in the program.

REPORT Z_TEST_NEW_SETTINGS.

DATA
      : lr_gs TYPE REF TO zcl_gs " settings object

*        variable to hold settings data
      , lv_data  TYPE datum
      , lv_struct TYPE SCARR
      , lt_table_of_date  TYPE TABLE OF datum
      , lt_table_of_struct TYPE TABLE OF SCARR
      .

START-OF-SELECTION.
*create object
  lr_gs  = NEW zcl_gs( 'FIRST_PROJECT' ).

*read settings
  lr_gs->get_object( EXPORTING iv_var_name =  'DATE'
                     IMPORTING ev_data     =   lv_data ).

  lr_gs->get_object( EXPORTING iv_var_name =  'STRUCT'
                     IMPORTING ev_data     =   lv_struct ).

  lr_gs->get_object( EXPORTING iv_var_name =  'TABLE_OF_DATE'
                     IMPORTING ev_data     =   lt_table_of_date ).

  lr_gs->get_object( EXPORTING iv_var_name =  'TABLE_OF_STRUCT'
                     IMPORTING ev_data     =   lt_table_of_struct ).
*display
  cl_demo_output=>write( lv_data ).
  cl_demo_output=>write( lv_struct ).
  cl_demo_output=>write( lt_table_of_date ).
  cl_demo_output=>write( lt_table_of_struct ).

  cl_demo_output=>display( ).

 

You cannot use a structure or table with includes with suffixes like this

[shais]

Interesting.

One improvement suggestion (I've already implemented once by myself):
A hybrid solution: Create a class automatically out of your parameters/settings table.

[antonsikidin]

@shaisshow me your solution