In many cases, it is superfluous to call the SAPscript fullscreen editor for editing transaction texts. It may be sufficient to offer only the first text lines on the screen. This allows you to display several texts on one screen, even together with other data of the application object. If all text lines fit into this reserved area, the user can even change the text directly on the application screen. You must call the editor only if you allow the user to enter more than one line.

If a text contains more lines than are reserved on the application screen, you can display a flag, The user then knows that the text displayed on the screen is not complete.

This procedure is called inline processing. SAPscript supports it only in parts. For inline processing, you use the function modules READ_TEXT_INLINE and EDIT_TEXT_INLINE, which have the same functionality as READ_TEXT and EDIT_TEXT.

READ_TEXT_INLINE transfers the first few text lines into a second internal table (INLINES). The application program must then transfer these lines at the event PBO into the corresponding screen fields. The application must decide whether to display the character formats on the inline screen. If not, it may be necessary for the application program to include a paragraph format. At the PAI event, the application program must retransfer the corresponding screen fields into the table INLINES and call the function module EDIT_TEXT_INLINE. It merges the text lines in table INLINES with the text lines in table LINES, reformats the text, and places the first few text lines back into table INLINES.

To automatically branch to the fullscreen editor after merging the texts, use another parameter. To determine, whether a text consists of more lines that fit onto the inline screen, and to display the corresponding flag to the user, compare the number of lines of table LINES with the number of lines of table INLINES.

In contrast to editing texts in the fullscreen editor, inline processing encounters some restrictions:

• The system cannot automatically concatenate words that are split by the end of the line.

• Inline processing does not support the editing functions offered by the fullscreen editor. You can use only the elementary editing functions for screen fields, which are generally available.

• You cannot scroll the text.

• If you suppress the format field of the SAPscript text line in the display, you must use the fullscreen editor to enter control statements.

• The system stores changes to the text lines immediately in the original lines table of the text, automatically using function Save of the editor. Thus, you cannot restore the original version of the text, unless you cancel the update task and reset all changes made by the entire transaction.