📘 FAQs in Interactive Reports – SAP ABAP

 

1Q: What are the event key words in interactive reporting?

Ans:

1. AT LINE-SELECTION
   Moment at which the user selects a line by double-clicking on it or by positioning the cursor on it and pressing F2.

2. AT USER-COMMAND
   Moment at which the user presses a function key.

3. TOP-OF-PAGE DURING LINE-SELECTION
   Moment during list processing of a secondary list at which a new page starts.

2Q: What is secondary list?

Ans:

• Secondary lists allow you to enhance the information presented in the basic list.

• The user can, for example, select a line of the basic list for which they want to see more detailed information.

• You display these details on a secondary list.

• Either secondary lists may overlay the basic list completely or you can display them in an extra window on the screen.

• The secondary lists can themselves be interactive again.

3Q: How to select valid lines for secondary list?

Ans:

• To prevent the user from selecting invalid lines, ABAP/4 offers several possibilities.

• At the end of the processing block END-OF-SELECTION, delete the contents of one or more fields you previously stored for valid lines using the HIDE statement.

• At the event AT LINE-SELECTION, check whether the work area is initial or whether the HIDE statement stored field contents there.

• In the latter case, create a secondary list, since you previously stored field contents for valid lines only.

• After processing the secondary list, clear the work area again.

• This prevents the user from trying to create further secondary lists from the secondary list displayed.

4Q: How to create user interfaces for lists?

Ans:

• The R/3 system automatically generates a GUI for your lists that offers the basic functions for list processing, such as saving or printing the list.

• If you want to include additional functionality, such as pushbuttons, you must define your own interface status.

• To create a new status, the Development Workbench offers the Menu Painter.

• With the Menu Painter, you can create menus and application toolbars.

• You can assign function keys to certain functions.

• At the beginning of the AT END-OF-SELECTION block, activate the status using:
  SET PF-STATUS 'STATUS'.

5Q: Can we call reports and transactions from interactive reporting lists?

Ans:

• YES, interactive reporting also allows you to call transactions or other reports from lists.

• These programs then use values displayed in the list as input values.

• The user can, for example, call a transaction from within a list to change the database table whose data is displayed.

6Q: How to maintain lists?

Ans:

• To return from a high list level to the next-lower level (SY-LSIND), the user chooses Back on a secondary list.

• The system then releases the currently displayed list and activates the list created one step earlier.

• The system deletes the contents of the released list.

• To explicitly specify the list level into which you want to place output, set the SY-LSIND field.

• The system accepts only index values which correspond to existing list levels.

• It deletes all list levels whose index is greater or equal to the specified index.

• Example: If you set SY-LSIND = 0, all secondary lists are deleted, and the current secondary list overwrites the basic list.

7Q: What are the page headers for secondary lists?

Ans:

• On secondary lists, the system does not display a standard page header and it does not trigger the event TOP-OF-PAGE.

• To create page headers for secondary lists, enhance TOP-OF-PAGE using:
  TOP-OF-PAGE DURING LINE-SELECTION

• This event is triggered for each secondary list.

• Use system fields such as SY-LSIND or SY-PFKEY for different headers using control statements like IF, CASE.

8Q: What is meant by stacked list?

Ans:

• Stacked list is another name for a secondary list.

• It is displayed on a full-size screen unless coordinates are specified using the WINDOW command.

9Q: Is the basic list deleted when the new list is created?

Ans:

• No. It is not deleted.

• You can return to it using standard navigation functions like Back or Cancel.

10Q: What is meant by hotspots?

Ans:

• Hotspot is a list area where the mouse pointer becomes an upright hand.

• A single-click on a hotspot acts like a double-click.

• Supported from R/3 release 3.0c.

11Q: In which system field does the name of current GUI status exist?

Ans:

• The current GUI STATUS is stored in the system field: SY-PFKEY

12Q: What is meant by hide area?

Ans:

• The HIDE command stores field contents temporarily in the HIDE AREA.

• During interactive events, values are restored from the hide area.

• Place the HIDE statement after the WRITE statement for that line.

13Q: When is GET CURSOR used in interactive lists?

Ans:

• When hidden info is insufficient to identify the selected line.

• GET CURSOR fetches the name and value of the field under the cursor.

14Q: How to pass data from list to report?

Ans:

ABAP provides 3 methods:

1. Automatically using system fields

2. Statements in the program to fetch data

3. Passing list attributes

15Q: How to call other programs?

Ans:

Report	Transaction
SUBMIT AND RETURN	CALL TRANSACTION
SUBMIT	LEAVE TO TRANSACTION

System Fields Used in Interactive Reporting:

Field	Description
SY-LSIND	Index of current list created (Basic list = 0)
SY-LINCT	Total line count of a list
SY-LINNO	Current line number
SY-LISTI	List level index from which event was triggered
SY-LILLI	Absolute line number from which event triggered
SY-LISEL	Content of the selected line
SY-CUROW	Cursor row position
SY-CUCOL	Cursor column position
SY-UCOMM	Function code triggering the event
SY-PFKEY	GUI status of current list

Interactive Techniques:

• TOP-OF-PAGE DURING LINE-SELECTION:
  Used for different page headers in secondary lists.

• HIDE:
  Stores field content temporarily. Example:
  HIDE: SPFLI-CARRID, SPFLI-CONNID, NUM.

• READ LINE:
  Reads content of a list line. Example:
  READ LINE SY-INDEX FIELD VALUE BOX.

• GET CURSOR:
  Captures field or line from cursor position. Syntax:
  GET CURSOR FIELD <field> VALUE <val>.

• SET CURSOR:
  Sets cursor in the current or previous list.

Typical Structure of ABAP Program:

1. Report Definitions *

2. Table and Data definitions *

3. Initialization event

4. Screen Select Options / Inputs *

5. Selection-screen event

6. Start-of-selection event

7. Performs and other Events *

8. End-of-selection event

9. Initialization