The alert container is a container for the exchange of (application-specific) variables, such as company code or material number, between the local systems (alert providers) and the central alert server. It is therefore the interface between the application that triggers the alert and the central Alert Framework.
Use
When you use application-specific variables in your container definition, you supply the values for these variables by writing them into the container as name-value pairs. These are then interpreted by the Alert Framework on the central system. The runtime container is implemented as an internal table of the structure SWCONT with only the columns Element Name and Value being relevant.
When the container is filled, no check is performed as to whether the elements entered and the data type of their values are in accordance with the container definition. You must ensure that the element names and the data types that you use are in accordance with the definition.
Due to technical restrictions between the Workflow Container and SAPscript, only the first 80 characters of a container element are taken into account, when the variables are replaced during runtime.
For more information on using containers in general, see Macro Instructions for Processing a Container in the SAP Business Workflow documentation.
Internal Usage of the Container
The Alert Framework uses the alert container not only for the exchange of application-specific variables, but also for the exchange of internal information. The following variables are used for this purpose.
Name |
Meaning |
Typing |
_ALERT_RECIPIENTS |
Recipient list |
type salrttrcp |
_ALERT_ACTIVITIES |
Subsequent activities |
type table of salrtsacti |
_ALERT_EXPIRATION |
Expiry date/time (time stamp) |
type timestamp |
_ALERT_DYNAMIC_SHORTTEXT |
Short text |
type salrtdcatd (CHAR60) |
_ALERT_DYNAMIC_LONGTEXT |
Long text |
type table of CHAR255 |
_EVT_OBJECT |
Triggering object |
type BORIDENT |
_ALERT_LOGICAL_SYSTEM |
Logical system in which the alert is triggered |
type RFCDEST |
If you define your own variables, ensure that no naming conflicts arise. The names of the variables used internally by the Alert Framework all start with an underscore.
It may sometimes be appropriate to write variables used internally directly into the container. If, for example, you want to pass URLs to the Alert Framework as subsequent activities, you could instead fill an internal table of the structure SALRTSACTI and write the table into the container with the element name _ALERT_ACTIVITIES.
Constants for standard elements in the alert container can be found in the include <ALRT01>.
The alert container is the main component of the interface between the alert provider (triggering application) and the central alert server.