Search Helps

Search Helps

The input help (F4 help) is a standard function of the R/3 System. The user can display the list of all possible input values of a screen field with the input help. The display of the possible input values can be supplemented with descriptive information about the individual values. This is meaningful especially when the field requires the input of a formal key.

Process of an Input Help

A user calls an input help with the following steps (some steps can be omitted, depending on the definition of the input help):

The user starts the input help to display the possible input values for a field in a screen template.
The system offers the user a number of possible search paths.
The user selects one of these search paths. Each search path offers a number of restrictions to limit the number of possible input values. These values are offered in a dialog box for restricting values when the search path is selected.
The user enters restrictions if required and then starts the search.
The system determines the values that satisfy the entered restrictions (hits) and displays them as a list (hit list).
The user selects the most suitable line from the hit list by double-clicking.
The input value is returned to the screen template (possibly together with other values).

Steps 2 and 3 are omitted if there is only a single search path available. In this case the dialog box is offered immediately for the value restriction. You can also output the hit list directly after starting the input help. Steps 2 to 4 are omitted in this case.

This standard process can be completely defined by creating a search help in the ABAP Dictionary. This search help must be assigned to the screen fields in which they should be available (see Attaching Search Helps to Screen Fields).

There are two types of search help:

Elementary search help: An elementary search help (see Structure of Elementary Search Helps) corresponds to a search path. The elementary search help must define where the data of the hit list should be read from (selection method), how the exchange of values between the screen template and selection method is implemented (interface of the search help) and how the online input help should be defined (online behavior of the search help).

Collective search help: A collective search help (see Structure of Collective Search Helps) contains a number of elementary search helps. A collective search help combines all the search paths that are meaningful for a field. The collective search help links the input template with the elementary search helps.

See also:

Example for Search Helps

Search Help Exits

Creating Elementary Search Helps

Creating Collective Search Helps