ABAP system fields are always available in ABAP programs. The runtime system fills them according to context. They can then be used in programs to query the system status. System fields are variables but you should always treat them as though they were constants, and only read them. If you change their values, important information for the flow of the program may be lost. In exceptional circumstances, system fields may be overwritten in an ABAP program to control the system – for example, SY-LSIND (for navigating to a detail list).

With one exception the names and data types of the system fields are stored in the ABAP Dictionary in the SYST structure and realized as components of the predefined structure SY in ABAP programs.

The system field SY-REPID is not part of SYST or SY. Instead, every program contains the predefined constants SY-REPID and SYST-REPID, which both contain the name of the corresponding program. Furthermore, there are two predefined types of the same name, SY-REPID and SYST-REPID.

All system fields are addressed using SY field name and their types using SYST field name.

The following table lists the definitions of the structure SYST in the ABAP Dictionary alphabetically. The character in the first column indicates how you can use the corresponding system field in ABAP programs. Name is the name of the component, Type is the Dictionary data type, and Length is the field length defined in the Dictionary. The Use column shows in which environment the system fields are set. The Description indicates the content.

Key:

The following is a thematic summary of the system fields with notes on their use:

System information

• Information on the current R/3 System

• Information on the user session

• Date and time information

• Information on the current ABAP program
• Background processing
• Batch input

ABAP programming

• Constants
• Character strings
• Loops

• Internal Tables
• Database accesses
• Return value

• Screens
• Selection screens

• Lists
• Messages

Internal system fields

Obsolete system fields

Application server, for example HS0333, PAWDF087

Operating system of application server, for example HP-UX, SINIX

Release status of R/3 System, for example 30D, 46A

Name of R/3 System, for example B20, I47

Client number the user logged on with, for example 000, 400.
For database accesses with Open SQL, SY-MANDT is used as the first key field of the WHERE clause.

Indexes external modes. Zero in first mode. In new modes, opened using the Create Mode function or by calling a transaction using /o, it is raised by 1. If previous modes were deleted, the free numbers are used first. Modes opened using CALL TRANSACTION … STARTING NEW TASK start back at 0.

Logon name of user, for example KELLERH, BC400-01.

The following system fields are always set automatically. If necessary, the GET TIME statement synchronizes the application server time with that of the database server and writes it to the system field SY-UZEIT. SY-DATUM and the system fields for the local time zone, that is SY-TIMLO, SY-DATLO, and SY-ZONLO are also reset.

Local date of user, for example 19981129, 19990628.

Current (application server) date, for example 19981130, 19990627.

During daylight saving time X, otherwise empty.

Factory calendar weekday, Sunday 0 … Saturday 6.

Local time of user, for example 154353, 225312.

Time difference to Greenwich Mean Time (UTC) in seconds, for example 3600, 10800.

Current (application server) time, for example 164353, 215312.

Time zone of user, for example CET, UTC.

• SY-CALLD is set to ‘X‘ in a program called using CALL TRANSACTION, CALL DIALOG, or SUBMIT … AND RETURN.

• SY-CALLD is set to SPACE in a program called using LEAVE TO TRANSACTION, entering a transaction code on a screen, and processing batch input folders.

• With SUBMIT (without RETURN) SY-CALLD retains the previous value.

In externally called procedures, the name of the calling program, otherwise the name of the current program. If an externally called procedure calls another external procedure, SY-CPROG keeps the name of the first main program and is not given the name of the main program of the further caller.

With executable programs this is the linked logical database.

Screen group of current screen. You can assign several screens to a common screen group. You can use this, for example, to modify all of the screens in the group in a uniform way.

Number of current screen During the selection screen processing, SY-DYNNR contains the screen number of the current selection screen. During list processing, SY-DYNNR contains the number of the container screen. While a subscreen is being processed, SY-DYNNR contains its screen number. This also applies to tabstrips.

With executable programs, the database program of the linked logical database.

Name of current ABAP program. With externally called procedures this is the name of the procedure’s main program.

If SY-REPID was transferred to an external procedure as an actual parameter before Release 6.10, the formal parameter was not given the name of the caller, but the name of the procedure’s main program. SY-REID had to be transferred to an auxiliary variable before the call or you had to use SY-PROG.

As of Release 6.10, SY-REPID is a separate constant that is no longer part of the structure SYST or SY. It can be transferred to external procedures directly.

Name of current transaction code.

• OPTIONS FROM in the CALL TRANSACTION USING statement can set SY-BINPT to empty for the whole program execution, as well as at the end of the BDC data.
• In CATT procedures, SY-BINPT is always empty.

Contains a horizontal line with length 255. Can be used when creating the list.

Contains a vertical line (|). Can be used when creating the list

• If the operators CO, CN, CA, NA, CS, NS, CP, NP are used in comparisons, SY-FDPOS is assigned offset values depending on the comparison result.

• SEARCH … FOR … sets SY-FDPOS to the offset of the found search string.

• APPEND sets SY-TABIX to the index of the last table row, that is the total number of entries in the target table.

• COLLECT sets SY-TABIX to the index of the existing or appended table row. With hashed tables, SY-TABIX is set to 0.

• LOOP AT sets SY-TABIX to the index of the current table row at the beginning of every loop pass. After leaving a loop, SY-TABIX is set to the value it had before entering the loop. With hashed tables, SY-TABIX is set to 0.

• READ TABLE sets SY-TABIX to the index of the table row read. If no row is found with binary search while reading, SY-TABIX contains the index of the next-highest row or the total number of rows +1. If no row is found with linear search while reading, SY-TABIX is undefined.

• SEARCH <itab> FOR sets SY-TABIX to the index of the table row, in which the search string was found.

With the statements DESCRIBE TABLE, LOOP AT, and READ TABLE, SY-TFILL is filled with the row number of the addressed internal table.

With the statements DESCRIBE TABLE, LOOP AT, and READ TABLE, the system fills SY-TLENG with the row size of the addressed internal table.

• DELETE sets SY-DBCNT to the number of lines deleted.

• FETCH sets SY-DBCNT to the number of lines already read by the current cursor.

• INSERT sets SY-DBCNT to the number of lines inserted.

• MODIFY sets SY-DBCNT to the number of lines processed.

• UPDATE sets SY-DBCNT to the number of lines changed.

• ASSIGN sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if assignment to field symbol is possible, otherwise 4.
• ASSIGN <dref>->* sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if dereferencing is possible, otherwise 4.

• AUTHORITY-CHECK sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if the user has the necessary authorization, otherwise 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 28, 32, or 36 depending on the cause.

• CALL DIALOG with USING sets SY-SUBRC to 0, if processing was successful, otherwise <>0.

• CALL FUNCTION sets SY-SUBRC according to the exception handling.
• CALL METHOD sets SY-SUBRC according to the exception handling.

• CALL SELECTION-SCREEN sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if the user chose Enter or Execute and 4 if the user chose Cancel.

• CALL TRANSACTION with USING sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if processing was successful, otherwise <>0.

• CATCH SYSTEM-EXCEPTIONS sets SY-SUBRC if there are runtime errors after the ENDCATCH statement. The value is specified in the program.

• COMMIT WORK sets SY-SUBRC to 0.

• COMMIT WORK AND WAIT sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if update was successful, otherwise <>0.

• COMMUNICATION INIT DESTINATION … RETURNCODE sets SY-SUBRC as specified.

• CONCATENATE sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if the result fits into target variable, otherwise 4.

• CREATE OBJECT sets SY-SUBRC if the exceptions of the instance constructor are handled.

• CREATE OBJECT in OLE2 sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if an external object was created, otherwise 1,2, 3 with different causes.

• DELETE sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if the operation was successful, otherwise 4 or <> 0 depending on cause.

• DEMAND … MESSAGES INTO sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if a message table is empty, otherwise <> 0.

• DESCRIBE LIST sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if row or list exists, otherwise 4 or 8.

• EXEC SQL - ENDEXEC sets SY-SUBRC to 0 in almost all cases. Only if no set was read with FETCH is SY-SUBRC 4.

• FETCH sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if at least one row was read, otherwise 4.

• GENERATE SUBROUTINE POOL sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if generation was successful, otherwise 8.

• GET CURSOR sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if the cursor is correctly positioned, otherwise 4.

• GET PARAMETER sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if value found in SAP Memory, otherwise 4.

• IMPORT sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if import of data objects was successful, otherwise 4.

• IMPORT sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if import of data objects was successful, otherwise 4.
• LOAD REPORT sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if the operation was successful, otherwise 4 or 8 depending on cause.
• LOOP sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if loop over extract was passed at least once, otherwise 4.

• LOOP AT sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if loop over internal table was passed at least once, otherwise 4.

• MODIFY sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if operation was successful, otherwise 4.

• MODIFY LINE sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if list row was changed, otherwise <> 0.

• MODIFY sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if operation was successful, otherwise 4.

• OLE2 automation, bundled commands set SY-SUBRC to 0 if all were successfully executed, otherwise 1, 2, 3, 4 depending on cause.

• OPEN DATASET sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if the file was opened, otherwise 8.

• Open SQL commands set SY-SUBRC to 0 if operation was successful, otherwise <>0.

• OVERLAY sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if at least one character is overlayed, otherwise 4.

• READ DATASET sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if the read operation was successful, otherwise 4 or 8 depending on cause.

• READ LINE sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if list row exists, otherwise <> 0.

• READ TABLE sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if the table row was found, otherwise 2, 4, 8 depending on cause.

• REPLACE sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if search string could be replaced, otherwise <> 0.
• ROLLBACK WORK always sets SY-SUBRC to 0.

• SCROLL sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if scrolling in list successful, otherwise 4 or 8 depending on cause.

• SEARCH sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if search string was found, otherwise 4.

• SELECT sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if at least one row was read, otherwise 4 or even 8 with SELECT SINGLE FOR UPDATE.

• SET COUNTRY sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if country ID was found in table T005X, otherwise 4.

• SET BIT sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if bit was set, otherwise <> 0.

• SET TITLEBAR sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if title exists, otherwise 4.

• SHIFT … UP TO sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if position was found in character string, otherwise 4.

• SPLIT sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if size of target fields is sufficient, otherwise 4.

• UPDATE sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if operation successful, otherwise 4.

• WRITE … TO sets SY-SUBRC to 0 if assignment successful, otherwise 4.

System fields are set at the PAI event for every screen. These can be also used for interactive list processing, except for SY-DATAR, SY-LOOPC, and SY-STEPL.

Horizontal cursor position Counting starts at column 2

Vertical cursor position Counting starts at row 1

Set to X at time of PAI if at least one screen input field was changed by the user or other data transfer, otherwise empty.

Number of rows currently displayed in a screen table (table control).

GUI status of current screen. Can be set at PBO using SET PF-STATUS.

Number of columns in current screen.

Number of rows in current screen.

Index of current row in a screen table (table control). Is set at every loop pass. Outside a loop, for example during the POV event for a table row, SY-STEPL is not set appropriately.

Text that appears in the title bar of the screen. For selection screens and lists this is the program name, otherwise SAP R/3. Can be set during PBO using SET TITLEBAR.

Function code that triggered the event PAI. Every user action that triggers PAI is assigned a unique function code, with one exception: Choosing Enter triggers PAI and different function codes can be transferred to SY-UCOMM:

• If there is an entry in the command field of the standard toolbar, this is transferred to SY-UCOMM as the function code.

• If there is no entry in the command field and a function code is assigned to the ENTER key, this function code is transferred to SY-UCOMM.

• If the command field does not contain an entry and no function code is assigned to the ENTER key, it is empty and the content of SY-UCOMM is not affected.

When creating a list you can use the following system fields to navigate. They help to ensure that output statements do not overwrite any existing output and that the system does not try to write outside the list. The current output position is always in the system fields SY-COLNO and SY-LINNO and is rest for every output statement. The remaining system fields contain further values for the list creation.

Current column during list creation. Counting starts at 1. SY-COLNO is set by the following output statements:

• WRITE, ULINE, SKIP set SY-COLNO to the next output position.

• BACK sets SY-COLNO to 1.

• POSITION <col> sets SY-COLNO to <col>. If <col> lies outside the page, the subsequent output statements are ignored.

• NEW-LINE sets SY-COLNO to 1.
• NEW-PAGE sets SY-COLNO to 1.

Page length of list. SY-LINCT is 0 for a standard list of any length and has a value unequal to 0 for lists with fixed page length.

• LINE-COUNT in the statements REPORT, PROGRAM, FUNCTION POOL sets SY-LINCT for the current program.
• LINE-COUNT in the SUBMIT statement sets SY-LINCT for the called program.

Current row during the list creation. Counting begins at 1 and includes the page header. SY-LINNO is set by the following output statements:

• WRITE, ULINE, SKIP raise SY-LINNO by 1 in the case of a line break.

• BACK sets SY-LINNO to the first row after the page header. BACK in connection with RESERVE sets SY-LINNO to the first row of a block of lines.

• NEW-LINE raises SY-LINNO by 1.

• SKIP TO LINE <lin> sets SY-LINNO to <lin>. If <lin> does not lie between 1 and the page length, the system ignores the statement.

Line width of list Without further influence this is the standard window width: If SY-SCOLS >= 84, SY-LINSZ = SY-SCOLS; if SY-SCOLS < 84, SY-LINSZ = 84.

To change the width of the output list, use the LINE-SIZE option of the REPORT or NEW PAGE statement.

• LINE-SIZE in the statements REPORT, PROGRAM, FUNCTION POOL sets SY-LINSZ for the current program.
• LINE-SIZE in the SUBMIT statement sets SY-LINSZ for the called program.

Current page during the list creation.

• WRITE, ULINE, SKIP raise SY-PAGNO by 1 in the case of a line break.

• NEW-PAGE raises SY-PAGNO by 1, but only if at least one output follows both on the current page and after the NEW-PAGE statement.
• NEW-SECTION of the NEW-PAGE PRINT ON statement sets SY-PAGNO to 1.

Is set to N in the statements REPORT, PROGRAM, and FUNCTION-POOL if the NO STANDARD PAGE HEADING addition is used, otherwise empty. NEW-PAGE does not set SY-WTITL.

At each interactive list event and for READ-LINE, the system automatically fills the following system fields:

Page number of the first displayed page of the list from which the event was triggered. Counting starts at 1

Line from which the event was triggered Counting begins at 1 and includes the page header.

Contents of the line from which the event was triggered

Index of the list from which the event was triggered

Index of the list that is being created (basic list: 0, detail list > 0). Each time an interactive list event occurs, the system automatically increases SY-LSIND by 1. SY-LSIND can be changed in the ABAP program to navigate between detail lists. Changes to SY-LSIND are not taken into account until the end of the list event. Therefore, any manipulation of SY-LISND should be done using the last command of the processing block.

ID for list levels within the program. SY-LSTAT can be filled with values during list creation in the ABAP program. The value valid when the list is completed is saved with the list. In the case of an interactive list event, SY-LSTAT is set to the value it was assigned during the creation of the list from which the event takes place. SY-LSTAT is no longer maintained and should therefore no longer be used.

Number of the first displayed column of the list from which the event was triggered. Counting starts at 1.

Number of the upper-most displayed row of the upper-most page of the list, from which the event was triggered. Counting begins at 1. This does not include the page header.

When printing lists, the spool and runtime systems require certain internal information, which is available in the following system fields and is set during print activation.

Contains a value that displays where printing was started, for example NEW-PAGE for program-controlled printing or RSDBRUNT for printing from the selection screen.

Contains the name of the spool file during printing.

Contains the name of the spool number during printing.

The SET MARGIN statement fills the system fields SY-MAROW and SY-MACOL, which determine the number of lines on the upper margin and the number of columns on the left margin when printing.

The print parameters are transferred to the spool system by the runtime system in a structure of dictionary type PRI_PARAMS. Before this structure was used, its purpose was served by system fields. Today a subset of the PRI_PARAMS structure is still written to system fields with the same names when printing is activated. This information is redundant and should not be used.

If you execute the MESSAGE statement, the following system fields are set. If you execute the MESSAGE … RAISING statement in function modules and methods, these fields are also set in the calling program, if it handles the exception.

SY-MSGID contains the message ID.

SY-MSGNO contains the message number.

SY-MSGTY contains the message type.

SY-MSGV1 to SY-MSGV4 contain the field contents that are used for the message’s placeholders.

• If you request database locks using the ENQUEUE function module, the field SY-MSGV1 contains the name of the user who holds the lock, in the case of the FOREIGN_LOCK exception.

• IN the case of CALL TRANSACTION or CALL DIALOG with the USING addition, a message displayed during the called screen sequence is returned in the fields SY-MSGID, SY-MSGTY, SY-MSGNO, SY-MSGV1, ... , SY-MSGV4.

• During Remote Function Call (RFC), error messages are transferred from the remote system to the calling system and SY-MSGID, SY-MSGTY, SY-MSGNO,SY-MSGV1, SY-MSGV2, SY-MSGV3, SY-MSGV4 are set. If short dumps or type X messages occur, the system also sets the fields.

Internal system fields are only for internal use in the ABAP runtime environment and are defined in the kernel. Under no circumstances must they be overwritten in ABAP programs and they should also not be read (processed).

Undocumented

Undocumented

Undocumented

Name of spool output file.

Undocumented

Flat file (USING/GENERATING DATASET).

Length of a field.

Number of decimal places of a field.

Output length of a field.

Data type of a field.

Bundling

Undocumented

Undocumented

Undocumented

Undocumented

On Commit flag. This system field is set to different values depending on the call status of an ABAP program. Of these, only the value of ‘P’ is guaranteed. If at all, SY-ONCOM must only be queried for ‘P’.

The value 'P' means that the program is already executing a subroutine started using PERFORM … ON COMMIT and therefore a further subroutine call using PERFORM ... ON COMMIT would cause a runtime error.

Undocumented

Undocumented

Undocumented

Undocumented

Undocumented

Undocumented

Undocumented

Undocumented

Undocumented

Undocumented

Call status of an executable program.

Call type of an executable program.

Undocumented

Undocumented

Undocumented

Extended function code Is filled, like SY-UCOMM, by user actions on lists. Before the length of SY-UCOMM was increased from 4 to 70 characters, SY-XCODE was used internally to evaluate lengthy entries in the command field of the list’s standard toolbar. Use SY-UCOMM in application programs.

SYSTEM-EXIT subroutine.

SYSTEM-EXIT program.

In the transition from R/2 to R/3, some system fields were carried over that are no longer filled. These system fields are obsolete and can no longer be used.

In R/2, ID for which SAP applications are installed. Not filled in R/3.

In R/2, ID for daily background scheduling. Not filled in R/3.

In R/2, ID for monthly background scheduling. Not filled in R/3.

In R/2, ID for single background scheduling. Not filled in R/3.

In R/2, ID for immediate background scheduling. Not filled in R/3.

In R/2, ID for weekly background scheduling. Not filled in R/3.

In R/2, root name of request report for background processing. Not filled in R/3.

In R/2, ID for immediate spool output for background processing. Not filled in R/3.

In R/2, rate specification/result field from CURRENCY CONVERSION. Not filled in R/3.

In R/2, table rate from CURRENCY CONVERSION. Not filled in R/3.

In R/2, rate date from CURRENCY CONVERSION. Not filled in R/3.

In R/2, rate table from CURRENCY CONVERSION. Not filled in R/3.

In R/2, rate type from CURRENCY CONVERSION. Not filled in R/3.

Dialog system of R/2 System Not filled in R/3.

Previously, current function code menu. Not filled in R/3.

Local database, not implemented.

Local database operation, not implemented.

Previously, name of file for matchcode access. Not filled in R/3.

Current line character for the MARK statement. However, the language element MARK will only be supported for a short time.

In R/2, maximum number of pages per list. Not filled in R/3.

ABAP prefix for background jobs. Not filled in R/3.

Undocumented

In R/2, you could process spool files using the TRANSFER statement, set by SY-SPONR. Not filled in R/3.

Previously, name of external storage file for extracts. Not filled in R/3.

Previously, maximum number of entries in an internal table. Not filled in R/3.

Previously, name of an internal table after an access. Not filled in R/3.

With the statements DESCRIBE TABLE, LOOP AT, and READ TABLE, SY-TOCCU was filled with the value of the initial main memory requirements for the addressed internal table. No longer filled.

Previously, ID whether an internal table is stored in the paging area. Not filled in R/3.

Previously, index of last read row in an internal table. Not filled in R/3.

Previously, offset of internal tables in roll area. Not filled in R/3.

Previously, company code currency after reading booking segment. Not filled in R/3.

In R/2, number of selected list row for detail list in window. Use SY-LILLI.

In R/2, cursor position for detail list in window. Use SY-CUCOL.

In R/2, index of list for detail list in window. Use SY-LSIND.

In R/2, cursor position for detail list in window. Use SY-CUROW.

In R/2, content of selected row for detail list in window. Use SY-LISEL.

In R/2, window coordinate for detail list in window. No correspondence in R/3.

In R/2, window coordinate for detail list in window. No correspondence in R/3.

In R/2, window coordinate for detail list in window. No correspondence in R/3.

In R/2, window coordinate for detail list in window. No correspondence in R/3.