Summary of ActiveX Controls
The SAP Automation OCX controls run on Windows 95 and Windows NT.
The following table describes some of the SAP Automation OCX controls that are documented here. Follow the link to see the detailed documentation of each control.
Tool |
Function |
| Logon Control |
Creates a connection object that enables COM-compliant programs to log onto R/3. The Logon method of the connection object establishes a connection to R/3. It provides the option to suppress the display of the standard SAP Logon dialog box to the user, so that you could provide your own logon dialog (for example, if you wish to specify the logon system or account programmatically.) |
| Function Control. |
Provides objects (functions collection, function, logon, tables, table, exports, export, imports, import, parameter types, and so on) to call function modules (RFCs) on an R/3 System. |
|
Table Factory Control (Also called Table Control) |
Works with the Function control to manage tables attached to Function objects. In addition, the Table Factory encapsulates Table objects for easier access by the client application. |
| Table View Control. |
Allows on screen viewing of an internal table (see Table Control) from R/3’s RFC library in a spreadsheet format. |
| Table Tree Control |
Allows displaying and management of tables (see Table Control) that contain hierarchically structured data (trees of parent nodes and their children) visible. Table Trees allow the programmer and user to manage tables containing directory trees. |
Transaction Component (Also called Transaction Control) |
Provides screen and field object management, so a user can remotely call R/3 transactions or use them in programs. Exposes R/3 batch input capability (BDC) to COM-compliant programs and applications. This means that the external program can send input field values to an R/3 screen, but output field values are not returned. Makes using batch input easier to COM-compliant programs by eliminating the need to populate the fields of the BDC table, which is a prerequisite to using the standard R/3 batch input method. |
BAPI ActiveX Control |
Allows you to develop external client/server applications (with R/3 as a server) that access business functions in the SAP System by calling BAPIs (Business APIs) through OLE Automation. Achieves this by allowing you to create (on the client) local instances of business objects, which act as proxy objects for the business object in the SAP system. The meta information required from the R/3 System is retrieved dynamically at runtime. |
SAP DCOM Connector-based Components
The following SAP Automation components use the SAP DCOM Connector:
Tool |
Function |
|
DCOM Connector Logon Component |
Helps programs using the SAP DCOM Connector in handling the connection parameters of COM objects created by the DCOM Connector. The DCOM Connector Logon Component provides a Logon dialog with which you can get the necessary connection parameters from an end user. The DCOM Connector Logon Component also allows you to easily copy connection parameters into a DCOM Connector COM object. |
|
Repository Services |
Provides read access to the metadata of business objects and RFC function modules in an R/3 system to COM-compliant programs and applications. Also allows you to save a copy of the metadata in a local database and then access the data offline. |
Repository Browser (Also called the SAP Browser Control) |
A control that can be hosted by any ActiveX container. It consists of a window with two panes for browsing SAP BAPI and RFC metadata information. (See the SAP Assistant screen: it uses the SAP Browser control)Allows online calling of RFC functions from within the control. Also exposes several methods to enable the container application to control and automate metadata browsing. Allows you to export properly formatted metadata information to MS Excel. |
|
BAPI Gateway |
Allows you to dynamically call BAPIs and RFCs through the DCOM Connector, that is, it allows you to determine at run time which BAPIs or RFCs you call. Eliminates the need to use the SAP DCOM Connector wizard for creating the BAPI component. Use the SAP Automation
Repository Services component to obtains the metadata for the BAPIs or RFCs you wish to call at run time. |
Relationship Between the Controls and SAP Assistant
Older versions of SAP Assistant have used several of the ActiveX controls described in the first table above.
SAP Assistant Uses the SAP DCOM Connector
The SAP Assistant product currently uses the SAP DCOM Connector, and it therefore now uses the above DCOM Connector-based components.
The SAP Assistant product uses the Repository Services component to read metadata of RFCs and BAPIs from the SAP System. It uses the SAP Browser control to display the BAPIs and RFCs and their details. Both the Repository Services component and the SAP Browser Control are now using the SAP DCOM Connector.
The SAP Assistant uses the BAPI Gateway and the DCOM Connector Logon Component in place of the following controls:
DCOM-Compatible Component |
Replaces ActiveX Control(s) |
|
BAPI Gateway |
Function Control, BAPI ActiveX Control |
|
DCOM Connector Logon Component |
Logon Control |
If you are developing new applications that use DCOM and the SAP DCOM Connector, we recommend that you, too, use these components.