When creating server applications with the Java RFC Class Library you can manually create all the parameter objects for the RFC function you are serving. As an alternative, you can let the Java RFC Class Library automatically create all the necessary parameter objects.

When you create server function objects manually, you perform more steps: you must construct the parameter objects for each of the server function offered by your program.

You must perform the following steps for each server function object:

• Create all of its import parameter objects (each import parameter object can be a simple parameter or a structure parameter).
• Create all of its export parameter objects (each export parameter object can be a simple parameter or a structure parameter).
• Create all of its table parameter objects.
• If a parameter is a table or a structure, you must also create and add all of the individual field objects to the parameter object.
• Add the created parameter objects to their parent server function object.

Letting the Java RFC Class Library automatically create server function objects eliminates the tedious tasks of creating and adding the parameter objects to the server function object.

To allow for automatic creation of parameter objects, you must first define the signatures needed by the server function you intend to offer in your application (This means that you create a dummy RFC function in R/3 with the parameters of the function you intend to offer).

You do so in the R/3 system, using the R/3 Function Builder (Transaction SE37).

Once you define the signatures of your function in the R/3 system, the Java RFC Class Library can obtain the function's metadata for the purpose of automatic creation of your server function and its parameter objects.

Note that although it is not required to do so, you may define a dummy function in the R/3 system for a function you offer even when you manually create all function objects. The dummy function in this case can be useful for testing the RFC function on the calling R/3 system.

When using automatic creation of parameter objects, the Java RFC Class Library makes calls to R/3 to obtain this metadata.

Therefore, while the advantage of creating function objects automatically is in saving programming effort, it results in more calls to the R/3 system, which may be less efficient at run time.

For the details of creating a server application with one of these methods, see the topics: