The ABAP Keyword Documentation gets a new design (part 2)

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A few weeks ago, we informed you about changes in the design of the ABAP Keyword Documentation. The new design is applied to the ADT version as well as the Web and Help Portal versions. In this blog, we will take a look at the ADT version that was released with ABAP Release 7.93, SAP BTP ABAP Environment 2308. Since the feedback from you for the ADT version was very positive, we have not changed much since the release.

Approach

As mentioned in the first blog, we started our design journey by rewriting the CSS for the Help Portal version. At that time, we did not know that we would be using it for the ADT version as well. But since the browser window in ADT then only supported the Internet Explorer for Windows systems, we had to have a very simple CSS. Starting with basic changes like fonts and margins, we developed a thorough layout for displaying hints, examples, and tables. These include color coding using lines on the left edge of a colored box and alternating rows. There is even implemented documentation for annotations within the documentation with a different layout than the source document.

Outcome

Here are some examples of how the new design compares to the old design. Overall, the following changes were made:

• Each keyblock title now has an underline (HTML element: hr).


• A stripe in a specific color is added to the left side of a keyblock.

Header

The following image shows the header element for the new layout:

Header

Result

• You can choose between the Standard ABAP and ABAP Cloud versions.


• Link to send us feedback.


• Link to open the web version of the documentation.

Effect

The following image shows the Effect keyblock for the new and old layouts:

Effect keyblock

Result Minor text changes for code and links.

Hint

The following image shows the Hint keyblock for the new and old layouts:

Hint keyblock

Result

• A stripe is added to the left side of the keyblock in a specific color (here: blue).


• The keyblock is highlighted with a gray background.

Example

The following image shows the Example keyblock for the new and old layouts:

Example keyblock

Result

• A stripe is added to the left side of the keyblock in a specific color (here: yellow).


• The code block is highlighted with a gray background.

Executable Example

The following image shows the Executable Example keyblock for the new and old layouts:

Executable example

Result

• Buttons for Execute example and Open example class are reworded and rearranged.


• A stripe is added to the left side of the keyblock in a specific color (here: yellow).


• The code block is highlighted with a gray background.

Syntax

The following image shows the Syntax keyblock for the new and old layouts:

Syntax

Result No major changes.

Table

The following image shows a Table for the new and old layouts:

Table

Result Zebra stripes are added.

As you may notice, the change is not large, but still enough to make an improvement.

KTDs in the ABAP Keyword Documentation?

Yes. KTDs (Knowledge Transfer Documents) of selected development objects, such as CDS annotations or some ATC test descriptions, are included in the ABAP Keyword Documentation with ABAP Release 7.95, SAP BTP ABAP Environment 2402. The source is written in a markdown dialect and converted to XML by our converter. In doing so, we have the freedom to transform the source (via XSLT) into a slightly different structure, for example, adding attributes for indents and changing the markup style of headings. Here is an example of the look and feel:

Knowledge Transfer Document

KTDs in the newest ADT version layout of the ABAP Keyword Documentation will be available with ABAP Release 7.96, SAP BTP ABAP Environment 2405.

This is how far we've come on the design journey for the ADT version. Suggestions for improving the layout? Comment down below.