Documentation Structure and Writing Conventions 

Overview of Conventions

As you write BAPI documentation, keep in mind the following:

Short Texts

As you write short texts in the Function Builder, follow the conventions below:

Change parameters usually end in "New", for example, RequisitionItemsNew.

You can document these parameters as follows:

Formatting Hints

Avoid using complex SAPscript coding. The output may look OK in SAPscript, but frequently the HTML controls are unable to display complex formatting correctly. For this reason you should always have a look at the layout of your documentation in the BAPI Explorer.

To align lines of text (for example, like a table), use the SAPscript format PE.

Hierarchical Relationships in BAPI Documentation

A BAPI interface consists of several parameters. These parameters may consist of one field or several fields, or of a whole table. Depending on this hierarchical relationship, BAPI documentation consists of:

The documentation on the business object and its key fields completes the BAPI documentation.

Each BAPI documentation developer must ensure that documentation is available in all the above-named places. At the same time, ensure that the information is not redundant. That is, do not write something in one document class that has already been written in another document class.

To prevent such redundancy, hyperlinks to parameter documentation are automatically inserted in function module documentation, so that users can directly access documentation on individual parameters. Similarly, you can add links to data element documentation from the parameter documentation, if required.

The contents and structures of the individual document classes are described in Structure of Function Module Documentation and in Structure of Parameter Documentation.

Hyperlinks to other Documentation

To add a hyperlink to the documentation of another BAPI or parameter:

  1. Display the function module of the BAPI you want to link to in transaction SE37.
  1. To link to the function module documentation, choose the pushbutton Function module documentation, and copy the topmost line of the display, for example FU.BAPI_REQUIREMENT_CREATE.
  1. To link to parameter documentation, select the Documentation tab, and display the parameter documentation by double-clicking in the parameter short text. Copy the topmost line of the display (including the spaces); for example, FU.BAPI_REQUIREMENT_CREATE NUMBER.
  1. Link to the documentation as follows:

Hyperlinks to the IMG

To create a link from the BAPI documentation to an IMG entry:

  1. Open the IMG entry in a separate R/3 session.
  1. Choose Information -> Title and key.
  1. Copy the key of the IMG entry, for example SIMGSIMG_OLMA_OMJI.
  1. In the BAPI documentation in the Function Builder session, choose Insert -> Link, and select the document class Implementation Guide Chapter (SIMG).
  1. Enter the key of the IMG entry in the first field and in the field below specify the text of the hyperlink in the BAPI document.