BC - SAPscript Printing with Forms
Overview
When dealing with forms it important to understand the relationships between the individual components of SAPscript.
SAPscript consists essentially of 5 components:
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An editor for creating and editing the lines of a text. This is called by the application transactions when a user wants to maintain texts for an application object.
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Styles and forms for designing the print formatting. These are created independent from the individial texts using the relevant maintenance transactions and then assigned to the individual texts later.
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The composter as the central module for formatting. The task of the composer is to format a text with the relevant formatting information for a specific output device. This information is taken from the underlying style and form.
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A programming interface which makes it possible to connect SAPscript components to application programs of your own and to control the output using forms.
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Different database tables for saving texts, styles, and forms.
Basically, you could say that within the form maintenance a form is assigned to a document which contains the information on the appearance of the text (format, font, layout, and so on). The print program provides itself with the necessary data from the form and from the database and controls the output. The SAPscript composer, which is responsible for processing the form, is activated by different function modules.
Not every user of an SAP system comes into contact with all components. Depending on the task area, a user is confronted with different areas.
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Processors create texts on items, requests, customers, vendors, and so on. They usually only come into contact with the SAPscript editor.
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An experienced user uses the transactions on style and form maintenance to format the display.
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Developers who want to include SAPscript in applicatios of their own or create prints using forms only see SAPscript from the perspective of the programming interface.
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The composer (or form processor) is invisible to the outside. It is the central SAPscript component that takes over the print format of texts.
The documentation highlights the basic principles of printing with forms. The relationship between forms and the print program is described in detail and explained using examples.
The programming interface is also described. It makes it possible to integrate the text processing functions provided by SAPscript in the ABAP programs. This interface is made up of a collection of ABAP function modules, different data structures, and control tables.