Modification-Free Enhancements for Web Dynpro ABAP

In many cases, it will be necessary to change or enhance applications delivered by SAP or ones that already exist. Unstructured changes to the source code or layout of an application are called modifications. Modifications can cause conflicts when a new release of the application programs is imported. To avoid such conflicts, you can create enhancement implementations for existing applications that were implemented using Web Dynpro ABAP.

These enhancement implementations are independent development objects that are managed separately from the original objects. They are part of the enhancement concept that is integrated in the ABAP Workbench in Application Server ABAP (AS-ABAP). The original objects they are based on are not changed by this enhancement and can therefore be updated whenever there is a release change, usually without any problems. You can find information about special cases where an adjustment is necessary in Adjusting Enhancements After an Upgrade.

In Web Dynpro ABAP the following modification-free enhancements are possible:

• You can enhance ABAP source code in a Web Dynpro application by using Business Add-Ins (BAdIs). ABAP source code enhancements using explicit or implicit enhancement points are not available to Web Dynpro ABAP.

• You can make enhancements to individual parts of a Web Dynpro component without application development having to first implement explicit enhancement points. You can make the following enhancements:

  • Add UI elements to a view or hide them

  • Add new nodes in a controller context

  • Create completely new views or windows as an enhancement

  • Embed additional views to a window in enhancement mode

  • Create new component usages