Methods are used in object determination and in activation. Methods are procedures for selecting objects or for defining a condition for activation.

You can use methods to create logical conditions comprising individual comparisons. You combine these by means of logical AND or logical OR statements. A comparison consists of two comparison operands and a comparison operator, such as a > b. The operands are either functions that are valid in the current environment, or they are constants. The method results in the values True or False for an activation and for one or more objects during the selection.

• Function that is defined on table/field – comparison operator – function that is defined for a table/field or value or literal (to differentiate between the two types of function, see note below).
• Function that is defined for a table/field – IN – (literal1, literal2, literal3,...)
• Function that is defined for a table/field – IN – Function that is defined for an ABAP function module and returns the values from the table/field function category, that was used as a comparison operand first.

Possible comparison operators: = <> <= >= <>

You can link these terms with each other using AND, and for the business process row type (but only there), also using OR. These can, in turn, be separated from each other by parentheses.

Row type Business Process:

• SenderProcessCategory <> "01" – all processes are selected that do not belong to the "01" category (see "Characteristics" tab page in the master data).
• SenderProcess IN ("1", "2", "3") – business processes 1,2 and 3 are selected if they exist.
• SenderProcessAttribute1 = "EXPENSIVE" – all business processes are selected if they have the "EXPENSIVE" attribute.
• SenderProcess IN ProcessFromProcessGroup (GroupName = "GPG1") – all business processes from group GPG1 are selected.
• SenderProcessCompanyCode = "0001" OR SenderProcessProfitCenter = "IT" – all business processes that are either assigned to company code "0001" (see master record) and/or profit center "IT".

Row type Cost Center/Activity Type:

• SendCostCenter IN CostCenterOfAGroup (group name = "G1") AND SendActivityType = "FST" – all cost centers in group "G1" are selected on which activity type "FST" has been planned.

The following terms/operators are not allowed:

• Function that is defined in ABAP function module – comparison operator – function that is defined for an ABAP function module.
• Function that is defined in table/field – comparison operator – function that is defined for an ABAP function module.
• The arithmetic operators: + - * /

The following are allowed:

• Function that is defined for an ABAP function module – comparison operator – function that is defined for an ABAP function module.
• Function that is defined for a table/field – comparison operator – function that is defined for an ABAP function module or vice versa.
• Function that is defined for a table/field – comparison operator – function that is defined for a table/field.
• Function that is defined for a table/field – IN – (literal1, literal2, literal3,...)

Possible comparison operators: = <> <= >= <>

You can use the Boolean operator AND and OR to link terms.

The following terms/operators are not allowed:

• Function that is defined for a table/field – IN – function that is defined for an ABAP function module.
• The arithmetic operators: + - * /

There are two types of function:

• A function that is defined for a table/field
• A function that is defined for an ABAP function module

The following explains what type each function is:

1. Call up Maintain Environments and Function Trees (transaction CTU6).
2. Choose the function.
3. Choose the Realization tab page:
4. If the Table Name/Field Name fields contain entries, then this is a function that is defined for a table/field.

If the ABAP Function Reference field has an entry, then this function was defined for an ABAP function module.

The editor was improved and thus the quantity operator IN had to be introduced. Values that you entered in the old editor in a column in one of the editors are now defined using IN and a bracketed literal value sequence separated by a comma.