You can use the Application Enhancement Tool to add fields to an object. You can choose the expert mode to adapt some of the technical settings, for example, data element and technical field names.
You have enabled the configuration mode in the general settings on the central personalization page of the WebClient UI.
Start the WebClient UI and select the application that you want to enhance.
Start the page configuration in the application.
Choose the Display Enhancements
pushbutton to display or create a new field.
Note
You can also choose the Create Field
pushbutton if you want to directly create a new field. However, you cannot enable or disable the expert mode.
Enable or disable the expert mode.
Choose the New
pushbutton in the Fields
block to create a new field.
Select a valid package. The namespace is automatically derived from the package name.
Select an object part in which the new field is available, for example, header, item, and so on.
You enter the details of the new field in the Field Details
dialog box. Once you have created a new field in the Fields
block, the enhancement ID and the field ID are automatically generated.
If you want to create a calculated field, select the Calculated (Read-Only)
checkbox.
If this checkbox is active, the Calculated
Field Value
block is shown. The block stays in display mode as long you have not defined the field details.
Enter the new field name in the Field Label
field.
In the Search-Relevance
field, specify whether the new field is to be used in the search.
If the field is relevant for the search, it is available in the search criteria and/or the result list. You can select one of the following options:
Not search-relevant
Search criteria
Result list
Search criteria and result list
In the Field Type
field, select one of the following field types: decimal number, numerical, date, time, indicator, currency, quantity, text with capital letters, text with small and capital letters, or application reference.
If you have selected Currency
or Quantity
as the field type, an additional reference field for the currency or quantity unit is created, to which the related check table is assigned.
If you have selected Application Reference
as the field type, the field is displayed as a hyperlink that allows you to navigate to an object (business object).
If the user defines a field with his or her own data element, the field type is derived from the data element. The Application Enhancement Tool tries to match the derived field type with the field types provided by the tool. If the tool does not find any match, the Manual
field
type is selected. This option is only available if the expert mode is enabled.
In the Field Sub-Type
field, select the field sub-type:
If you have selected Application Reference
as the field type, select the navigation object, that is, the business object where the navigation leads.
Note
Fields of type Application Reference
can have different length. The length depends on what was defined by the application.
If you have selected Quantity
as a field type, select the dimension. The dimension determines the units of measurement that are made available.
In the Render/Validate As
field, select a rendering option to determine the field behavior. Depending on the field type, the following options are available:
Show Check Table as DDLB
E-Mail
Calculated Image
Hyperlink
If you have selected Hyperlink
, a hyperlink is added to the field enhancement. This hyperlink can contain a maximum of 60 characters. The field is displayed as a hyperlink in display mode,
and as normal text in edit mode.
Note
A field with this rendering option is not available in Floorplan Manager for Web Dynpro ABAP.
Enter the field length (number of characters).
Field type |
Field length (characters) |
---|---|
Uppercase / lowercase text |
Maximum: 60 (for calculated fields: 255) |
Currency |
Maximum: 31 Fixed number of decimals: 2 |
Quantity Decimal number |
Maximum: 31 Maximum number of decimals: 10 |
Numerical |
Maximum: 32 (for calculated fields: 31) |
Date |
Fixed length: 8 |
Time |
Fixed length: 6 |
Indicator |
Fixed length: 1 |
Enter the decimals, if you have selected decimal number, currency or quantity as the field type.
Note
If you have enabled the expert mode beforehand, you can change the field ID and the reference field ID. You can enter your own data element. The field type depends on the selected data element.
If you have selected the Calculated (Read-only)
checkbox, define the formula in the Calculated Field Value
block. For more information, see Calculated
Field.
For some applications, it might be necessary to make the new field available for other systems and scenarios. You can make the new field available for the following systems and scenarios if they are supported by the enhanced application:
Business Intelligence (BI) reporting
CRM interactive reporting (as characteristic or key figure)
R/3 Adapter
CRM Mobile (Synchronized BDocs)
Note
For CRM Mobile, you need to use namespace Z for the enhancement. Furthermore, the software component BBPCRM needs to be modifiable. You can change this option in transaction SE03
at if you have administration rights.
You can assign input help to a new field. This input help is automatically available at runtime. You can assign dropdown lists to the new field. In the Dropdown List
block,
choose the Insert
pushbutton to create a new dropdown list and enter the values. You can create dropdown lists for the following field types: numerical, text with capital letters, and text with small and capital letters.
Alternatively, you can assign check tables or search helps to new fields. Enter the technical name of the check table or search help.
Recommendation
The specified field length only affects the length of the value code for a dropdown list, not the length of the value description — this is displayed on the UI, and has a maximum length of 60 characters. We recommend to keep the length of the field as short as possible, to prevent an overload of the database tables. This is also recommended for check tables.
Note
A combination of dropdown list, check table, and search help is not allowed in the same field.
The Generate
checkbox indicates that you want to generate a field. The checkbox can be selected or deselected in the Fields
block or in the Field Details
dialog box. This checkbox is selected by default
for new and changed fields. If you want to exclude a field from generation, you need to deselect the checkbox.
After you have entered the details of your new field, return to the overview page of the enhanced object by choosing the Back
pushbutton. In the overview page of the enhanced object, you can save and generate your data.
You need to choose a transport request, if you have defined a transport package in Customizing for UI Framework
under . If you are working with a local package, a transport request is not necessary.
After every generation, a system message informs you that you need to restart the WebClient UI by choosing the Restart
pushbutton. The restart is automatically performed in the following situations if you have started the Application Enhancement Tool from the
UI Configuration Tool:
When you close the page configuration dialog box
When you navigate to another application via the navigation bar, before you have restarted the WebClient UI
Note
If the WebClient UI is not automatically restarted, you need to log off and log on again before you start the application and the UI configuration, to make the new field available on the user interface.
After the WebClient UI has been restarted, select the application and start the page configuration of the application to make the new field available on the user interface. If you have started the Application Enhancement Tool from the UI Configuration Tool, you can return to the UI Configuration
Tool, by choosing the Back
pushbutton, and add the new field to the UI configuration before you restart the WebClient UI.
Note
Fields that you added to a business object might also appear in the Available Fields
list of a view configuration that is associated with another enhanced business object, if these business objects have the same enhancement
place. However, at runtime only the fields created for the rendered enhancement object is displayed. If you want to display these fields at runtime, you can add them as reusable fields.
You can choose the How To Deploy
pushbutton to see a list of all transport requests. If an element is locked in a transport, the enhancement uses the locking transport for this element of the enhancement. It is necessary to release all transports together.