Using Text Mode (SAP Library - ABAP Programming (BC-ABA))

Using Text Mode

To open a file in text mode, use the IN TEXT MODE addition to the OPEN DATASET statement.

Syntax

OPEN DATASET <dsn> FOR .... IN TEXT MODE.

If you read from or write to a file that is open in text mode, the data is transferred line by line. The system assumes that the file has a line structure.

In each TRANSFER statement, the system transfers all bytes (apart from spaces at the end) into the file, and places an end of line marker at the end. For information about the TRANSFER statement, refer to Writing Data to Files.

In each READ DATASET statement, the system reads all of the data up to the next end of line marker. For information about the READ DATASET statement, refer to Reading Data from Files. If the target field is too small, the line is truncated. If it is longer than the line in the file, it is filled with trailing spaces.

You should always use text mode if you want to write strings to files or where you know that an existing file has a line construction. You can, for example, use text mode to read files that you have created using any editor on your application server.

Example

The following example works in R/3 Systems that are running on UNIX systems using ASCII.

DATA FNAME(60) VALUE 'myfile'.

DATA: TEXT(4),
HEX TYPE X.

OPEN DATASET FNAME FOR OUTPUT IN TEXT MODE.

TRANSFER '12        ' TO FNAME.
TRANSFER '123456  9 ' TO FNAME.
TRANSFER '1234      ' TO FNAME.

OPEN DATASET FNAME FOR INPUT IN TEXT MODE.

READ DATASET FNAME INTO TEXT.
WRITE / TEXT.
READ DATASET FNAME INTO TEXT.
WRITE TEXT.
READ DATASET FNAME INTO TEXT.
WRITE TEXT.

OPEN DATASET FNAME FOR INPUT IN BINARY MODE.

SKIP.
DO.
  READ DATASET FNAME INTO HEX.
  If SY-SUBRC <> 0.
    EXIT.
  ENDIF.
  WRITE HEX.
ENDDO.

The output appears as follows:

12 1234 1234

31 32 0A 31 32 33 34 35 36 20 20 39 0A 31 32 33 34 0A

This example opens a file "myfile" for writing in text mode. Three literals with length 10 characters are written to it. After the file has been opened for reading in text mode, the lines are read into the field TEXT (length 4). The first line is filled with two trailing spaces. The last five characters of the second line are truncated. The structure of the file is displayed by opening it in binary mode and reading its contents into the hexadecimal field HEX. The numbers 31 - 36 are the ASCII codes for the digits 1 - 6. 20 is the code for the space character. The end of each line is marked by 0A. Note that any spaces at the end of strings are not written to the file.