User-Defined Texts and Documents

Use

To describe a value assignment in more detail, you can enter any user-defined text and assign documents to it. A document is a file that can be managed in Document Management (DMS), that is a document can be a text file, a construction drawing, or a graphic, for example.

When importing specification data, characteristics can be assigned phrases that do not yet exist in the SAP system. In order not to lose the phrases, you can create them as characteristic-dependent user-defined texts.

Prerequisites

The following prerequisites must be fulfilled so that you can assign a document to a value assignment:

You have created a document info record for the document in Document Management and stored the file for the document accordingly. So that a document can be printed on a report, you must store it in the SAP system or in a DMS archive. For more information, see the Document Management component.

You have made the necessary settings in Customizing for Document Management

You have set the Document indicator for the user-defined text type in the IMG activity Specify User-Defined Text Types in Customizing for Basic Data and Tools .

The following prerequisites must be fulfilled so that you can define characteristic-dependent user-defined texts:

You have set the required user-defined text type as characteristic-dependent in the IMG activity Specify User-Defined Text Types in Customizing for Basic Data and Tools .

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

In Customizing for Basic Data and Tools , you can also specify how many user-defined texts can be assigned to a characteristic per user-defined text type. The system checks this when you assign user-defined texts to characteristics.

In phrase set-characteristic assignment, you have assigned the required characteristic-dependent user-defined text type together with a phrase set to a specific characteristic of a value assignment type.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

Within a value assignment type, a characteristic-dependent user-defined text type may be assigned to a characteristic only once. You can assign another characteristic-dependent user-defined text type to another characteristic of the same value assignment type.

Features

User-Defined Texts

You can use the editor to enter texts of any length.

Characteristic-Dependent User-Defined Texts

You can assign user-defined texts to a characteristic of a value assignment type. You assign a phrase to the characteristic in question, for example, see user-defined text, and, using the User-defined text function, create a text in the relevant characteristic-dependent user-defined text type.

Documents

Document Management in the SAP system is used to store and manage documents. When you assign a document to a value assignment, you can use the input help in Document Management to help you search for documents.

When you assign a document, the system inserts the short text in the User-defined text field and behind it in brackets, the key of the document. If the document short text changes in Document Management , this change is updated the next time you open the value assignment screen.

If a language was entered for the user-defined text, the short text is displayed according to the following priority:

User-defined text language

If not available, system language

If not available, English

If not available, language that Document Management provides

If the application for the respective document format is installed locally, you can display the assigned document directly from the value assignment type by double-clicking it.

You can print assigned documents on reports using the symbol for the start of a user-defined text (see Symbol Type: Specification ).

Activities

Editing User-Defined Texts

To enter a user-defined text for a value assignment instance, proceed as follows:

Follow the procedure Editing Value Assignments

Choose the User-Def. Texts/Docs tab page.

If you want to edit the user-defined text of a value assignment instance other than the one displayed, select the required value assignment instance using one of the following methods:

Enter the sort sequence of the value assignment instance in the Sequence field and confirm your entries.

On the Value Assignments tab page, select the value assignment instance and choose the User-Def. Texts/Docs tab page again.

Enter data as required. To enter a longer text, proceed as follows:

Enter a user-defined text type.

Choose the User-defined text field by double-clicking.

The long text editor screen appears.

Enter the text and format it as required.

Choose Back .

If you set the environment parameter LONGTEXT_FORMAT_SUPPORT in Customizing for Basic Data and Tools under Specify Environment Parameters , all formatting (character formats, paragraph formats, and so on) is retained when the text is printed out on a report.

If your text is longer than 132 characters or you have formatted it, the user-defined text field is not ready for input.You can then only edit the text using the text editor.

Save your entries.

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If you have defined a field for the user-defined text type for the value assignment type in Customizing for Basic Data and Tools under Set Up Table-Based Value Assignment , you can also edit the user-defined text on the Value Assignments tab page. To do this, enter the user-defined text in the user-defined text type field in the row for the value assignment instance or open the long text editor by double-clicking the user-defined text field or choosing with the quick info text User-Defined Text . Then edit the user-defined text in the long text editor. From the Value Assignments tab page however, you can edit user-defined texts in the logon language only.

Assigning Documents

To assign a document from Document Management to a value assignment instance, proceed as follows:

Follow the procedure Editing Value Assignments

Choose the User-Def. Texts/Docs tab page.

If you want to assign the document to a value assignment instance other than the one displayed, select the required value assignment instance using one of the following methods:

Enter the sort sequence of the value assignment instance in the Sequence field and confirm your entries.

On the Value Assignments tab page, select the value assignment instance and choose the User-Def. Texts/Docs tab page again.

Assign the required document as follows:

Use the input help to select a user-defined text type for which the D (document assignment to user-defined text type) indicator was set and confirm your entry.

The user-defined text field is no longer ready for input and now has an input help that you can use to choose documents in Document Management

Use the input help to select the required document and confirm your entry.

Save your entries.

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

If you have defined a field for the user-defined text type for the value assignment type in Customizing for Basic Data and Tools under Set Up Table-Based Value Assignment by means of which you can assign documents, you can also assign the document on the Value Assignments tab page. To do this, call the input help for the user-defined text type field in the row for the required value assignment instance, select the required document, and confirm your entry.

Assigning User-Defined Text Types to Characteristics

To assign a user-defined text type to a characteristic, proceed as follows:

Choose one of the following:

In the phrase set header, in phrase set names, in phrase assignment, or in the phrase set hit list, choose Utilities → Attribute Assignment

In the Basic Data and Tools menu , choose Phrases → Edit Phrase Set-Attribute Assignments.

The property tree appears.

Double-click the value assignment type you want to edit.

The SAP system lists all characteristics for that value assignment type.

In the UserDfndTxtType field, enter the key for the required user-defined text type for a characteristic

Confirm and save your entries.

Choose Back .