Activatable Checkpoints

An ABAP program can contain the following statements for instrumentation of the program for control and test purposes:

• ASSERT

• BREAK-POINT

• LOG-POINT

These statements have no operative character and are thus not part of the program logic. They define Checkpoints, which according to the above statements have the three following types:

• Assertions

• Breakpoints

• Logpoints

There are conditional and unconditional checkpoints. An assertion is a conditional checkpoint and, as such, is linked with a logical expression. Breakpoints and logpoints, on the other hand, are unconditional checkpoints.

Since checkpoints are used solely for test and control purposes, it is generally not desirable to execute them in productive mode. For this reason, an ID addition can specified for each of the above statements. This ID links them with a checkpoint group.

Using a checkpoint group, it is possible to define the activation settings of their assigned checkpoints. Checkpoints linked to checkpoint groups are called activatable checkpoints. They can be activatable and deactivatable outside of the program. An inactive checkpoint is ignored during program execution -that is, if there is no suitable activation setting.

While logpoints are always activatable checkpoints, the specification of a checkpoint group for assertions and breakpoints is optional. Assertions and breakpoints without assignment of a checkpoint group are always active and are never ignored during program execution. The statements ASSERT and BREAK-POINT are therefore available in an activatable version as well as in a version that is always active. While breakpoints that are always active are not allowed in productive programs, an assertion that is always active causes a runtime error if the result of the corresponding logical expression is incorrect.

In the case of activatable checkpoints, the system searches for a suitable activation setting through the specified checkpoint group -that is, a setting that determines the activation and system behavior during execution of the statement. Alternatively, the activation can take place through the surrounding compilation unit. You can create activation variants for checkpoint groups, which simplify the grouping and mass activation of checkpoint groups.

You can maintain checkpoint groups and their respective activation variants using Ttransaction SAAB or through forward navigation from the ABAP Workbench depending on the value of the addition ID.

This documentation describes the maintenance of checkpoint groups, activation variants, and the corresponding activation settings. For information about the statements ASSERT, BREAK-POINT, LOG-POINT, and their ID addition, as well as a description of the system behavior when such a statement is reached, refer to the ABAP keyword documentation.