Start of Content Area

Function documentationCreating and Formatting Texts

Use

This section discusses:

Features

General Information on Texts

Where a certain text appears in a purchasing document depends on the relevant Text type. When you enter a text, the system determines the position in the sequence of information at which this text must be printed on the basis of the specified text type.

Text types are variable; that is, the text types used in your system can be defined by your system administrator via Customizing.

Header Text

Header text is text pertaining to the entire document. In the standard form (layout set), the header text is printed at the beginning of the document after the header data (vendor address, document number, contact person, etc.).

Because the header text appears at the beginning of the printed document, you should reserve it for information that the vendor should take special notice of. An example of header text would be special bidding instructions that should appear at the beginning of an RFQ.

Header Memo

The header memo is for internal use only; the text does not appear on the printed document.

You can use the header memo to write an internal comment relating to the relevant purchasing document. For example, the memo could be an internal note indicating that the vendor has had a quality control problem. Other users displaying the document can view this information, but it is not sent to the vendor.

Item-Specific Texts

These are texts pertaining to an individual item. Item text is printed after the item data (that is, the material number and short description, quantity, price, etc.).

The following are examples of item text types defined in the standard system:

Item Text

Detailed description of an ordered material. You can enter this text in addition to the item text copied from the info record or material master record.

Info Record PO Text

Text from the purchasing info record. This text can replace or supplement the PO text from the material master record.

Material Master Record PO Text

Description from the material master record. This text is taken from the purchasing data of the material master record.

Delivery Text

Text comprising delivery instructions. If the delivery instructions for the item differ from those for the rest of the document, you can enter them here.

To find out which item texts are available in the standard system, select an item (for example in a PO) and choose Item ® Texts ® Text overview.

Supplement Texts

Supplement texts have the same function as header text, since they apply to the entire document. However, they are printed after the main part of a document. An example of supplement texts are standard disclaimers and "boilerplate" texts that often appear in small print on the back of a purchase order.

To find out which supplement texts are available in the standard system, choose Header ® Texts ® Text overview while displaying a purchasing document.

Entering Purchasing Texts

This section discusses some special options and considerations for entering texts in purchasing documents.

It is assumed that you have a basic understanding of SAPScript, the SAP text editor. This section does not discuss the complete functionality of SAPScript; rather, it provides some important tips for using SAPScript to enter and format text in purchasing documents. For more detailed information on SAPscript, refer to the Basis documentation under BC - Word Processing with the SAPscript-Editor.

Choosing Texts

The first step is to decide which text type to assign the text to (that is, header, item etc.). To choose the text type, access the document in Create or Change mode; then select one of the functions shown in the following table.

Selection of text types

For...

Choose...

Header Text

Header ® Texts ® Text overview

Item Text

Select the desired item. Then choose
Item
® Texts ® Text overview.

Supplement text

Header ® Texts ® Text overview

 

Supplement texts for an existing document
can be entered directly from the Purchasing
menu. For example, choose Purchase order
® Maintain supplement and enter the
document number.

 

You enter your text in the text box of the text overview screen. If the text is too long, or you wish to format it, you can call up a complete screen for text entry (for example, via Item ® Texts ® Long text screen from the Text overview screen).

You can scroll down the text overview to display the remaining text types.

SAPscript editor

You enter purchasing texts using the SAPscript Editor. The SAPscript Editor is a multi-purpose text editor used in many SAP applications.

SAPscript allows you to apply character and paragraph formats to your text to give your printed purchasing documents a professional look. For example, you can apply a paragraph style to your text and print it in a predefined type face and size, such as Helvetica or Times Roman.

To enter text in the text editor, first display the text overview. Then position the cursor on the text type for which you want to enter text and choose Header ® Texts ® Long text screen.

Formatting Text

When text is printed, it is formatted automatically. The format depends on the type of purchasing form (layout set) chosen (for example, purchase order, order acknowledgment, or reminder/expediter).

The purchasing form contains predefined paragraph styles, which determine the indentation and fonts for text, for example. The form determines the default paragraph formatting to apply to a given text type (for example, an item text is indented 10 spaces and prints in Courier). If the leftmost column (the paragraph tag column) in the text editor contains an asterisk (*), then the standard paragraph format from the form applies.

You can also apply your own paragraph formatting to texts. You simply enter the desired paragraph format in the paragraph tag column.

Note

When editing text in a document that is to be printed, you can only apply paragraph formats that are defined in the relevant form. To determine which paragraph formats are possible, you must display the form defined for the purchasing document (see the section Layout of Purchasing Documents).

Standard Texts

Standard texts are reusable texts that are printed on purchasing documents. Some standard texts are predefined for the document. For example, the text for reminders is determined centrally by your system administration. You can also create and reference your own standard texts in purchasing documents.

Referencing Standard Texts for a Text Type

If you find that you must enter a certain text often, you can create the text in a standard text module. Then you can reference the standard text modules in your texts for purchasing documents.

For example, suppose it is your company's policy to include an indemnity clause in contracts or purchase orders for services. You could create a standard text module with the indemnity clause under the name PUR_INDEMNITY, using the prefix "PUR" as a naming convention for purchasing texts.

To reference the standard text from supplemental text in a contract, for example, you use the INCLUDE command:

/: INCLUDE PUR_INDEMNITY ID ST

Where /: is the paragraph style for commands, and ST is the document ID for standard texts.

For more information on creating standard texts and the INCLUDE command, refer to the SAPscript documentation BC - Word Processing with the SAPscript Editor.

Standard Texts for Purchasing Documents

Certain purchasing texts are supplied with the system and can be assigned to a purchasing document in Customizing. Examples of standard texts are the texts for reminders and urging letters (expediters), or the closing text at the end of a purchase order.

The form determines which of the standard purchasing texts appears in a purchasing document. Forms (layout sets) are discussed in the section Layout of Purchasing Documents.

You can create your own standard texts by choosing Tools ® SAPscript ® Standard text.

Adoption of Already-Existing Text

You can adopt a SAPScript standard text or a material master record text in the purchasing document. The "adoption" of a text means that it is copied into and stored in the relevant document.

You adopt existing texts in a document to ensure that subsequent changes to the source text do not affect the document text. For example, if a contract item references the purchase order text in the material master record, then any changes to the PO text in the material master record will be automatically applied to the contract and thus to release orders issued against the contract. To prevent this, you adopt the material master text in the contract (i.e. copy the former into and store it in the latter). This allows you to change the PO text in the contract only, without affecting the PO text in the material master record.

To adopt a selected text, choose Header ® Texts ® Adopt text from the Text overview.

Deleting Texts

You can delete a text by selecting it and choosing Header ® Texts ® Delete text from the text overview.

Referencing Database Fields in Text

You can include the content of a database field at any point in the text. The advantage of referencing a database field is that a value specific to the document is displayed in the printed document.

  1. Determine the complete name of the database field.
  2. You can get this information by displaying the help for the desired field and then choosing Technical info. Note the contents of the Transparent table and Field name fields, joined by a hyphen (-).

    For example, EKPO-MATNR is the qualified field name of the material number.

  3. Edit the desired text. Enter the field name at any position in the text, surrounded by ampersands (&) (for example, &EKPO-MATNR&).

Example

Suppose you need to specify the requirement tracking number, together with the item data, in a purchase order. (The requirement tracking number is not printed on purchasing documents using the standard form MEDRUCK.) You could specify the following in the item text:

Tracking number: &EKPO-BEDNR&

The content of database field EKPO-BEDNR is displayed when the document is outputted.