Browsing Development Objects in the Project Explorer

The Project Explorer displays the contents of an ABAP project.

Use

You can use theProject Explorer to browse through a project in order to locate, edit, or display development objects of the ABAP Repository.

Overview

In the Project Explorer, the root of an ABAP project contains a list of ABAP packages.

By default, the following trees itemize a project:

Local Objects displays all local objects of the $TMP package.

Note
You can display your own local objects or those of other users.
Favorite Packages displays the packages that you have defined as favorites or from which you have currently opened development objects in the editor.
System Library displays a structured list of all packages that are stored in the corresponding back end system of your ABAP project.

The structured listing of ABAP packages enables you to access development objects by continually expanding the tree structure.

But there are more comfortable ways to find a specific development object. You can, for example,

Use CTRL + Shift + A if you know the object name
Use the ABAP Source Search if you know the specific coding that is used in the object to be found
Use the Where-used functionality if you know how the objects are referenced between each other
Navigate to a development object through pressing F3 from its usage in the source code

When the relevant development object is found and then opened, the corresponding position within the expanded tree is highlighted and the object is opened in the active editor.

Linking Content with the Editor

The Link with Editor functionality enables you to synchronize the cursor position within the Project Explorer in accordance to the selected object within the ABAP source code editor. This means, when opening another object from the editor, the cursor position within the Project Explorer is adopted in accordance. The relevant tree is then expanded.

Link with Editor is activated by default and effects all projects. You can turn it off at every time and reactivate it again choosing the Link with Editor icon from the toolbar. This enables you, for example, to freeze the Project Explorer while navigating within source code.

Figure 1: Toolbar icon to activate/deactivate the Link with Editor functionality

Example

The following example represents the content of an arbitrary ABAP project:

Figure 2: Containing packages and objects of an ABAP project

When using the Link with Editor functionality, ABAP Development Tools (ADT) only opens the relevant package and lists (possible) subpackages. Only the package of the relevant object is expanded with all of its objects. The relevant object is selected in the Project Explorer.

Example

You, as a developer, opened the CL_CLASS_2 object.

As a result, ADT opens the corresponding ABAP project in the Project Explorer as follows.

Figure 3: Display of the expanded folder with its trees and containing objects

The entire content of PACKAGE_C3 package is listed. But only the one – where the relevant object is stored – is expanded completely. In the tree, where the relevant object is stored, all containing objects are listed. Note that only here in the example the relevant object is highlighted in bold.

Note

To display the hidden objects of a partly loaded folder, select the relevant one and choose Load Full Content from the context menu or press F5.