Input Help
In contrast to the previous procedure on Dynpros and selection screens, a new procedure for realizing input help is introduced for Web applications. This procedure is slightly more labor-intensive but also transparent and very flexible.
Previous Procedure in ABAP Environment
Previously in the ABAP environment there was a standardized form of input help that could be defined in the dictionary. Here it was possible to define the visualization of the entire process flow of the input help from
selecting the input list using the dialog. Highly-standardized input helps were made possible in the process flow and visualization. Individual specialties could only be implemented in a specific scope using exits in the fixed process flow of the search help processors. Alternatively, the input help could be programmed completely individually by the application for POV (PROCESS ON VALUE REQUEST), for ecample, by using the relevant dictionary interfaces (function module F4IF_*, F4UT_*).
Requests in Web Environment
Flexible procedures that make it possible to realize completely individual and application-specific input helps are necessary for applications in the Web environment. The visualization, in particular, should be Web-appropriate. Previous Dynpro-based visualization cannot be used here. The reason for this is that the control regarding the process flow and control of dialog always remains with the application, and not with the framework, which makes it possible to realize a absolutely flexible dialog procedure in the simplest way.
An important standpoint is that the input helps are intended for the current user group and are designed to be as simple and intuitive as possible. Special knowledge of underlying data structures or application-technical process flows can only be expected when realizing an expert search.
Simple Input Helps
In the first expansion phase, support for realizing simple input helps will be offered in the dictionary for BSP applications. For input helps that are more complex with regard to the size or structure of the input set or with regard to their dialog behavior, the input set can be determined by the relevant dictionary interfaces for search help: Function modules with prefix 'F4IF_' and 'F4UT_', such as F4IF_DETERMINE_SEARCHHELP, F4IF_EXPAND_SEARCHHELP, F4IF_SELECT_VALUES.
Input help that returns a two-column value list (such as constant values) is suitable as simple input help, whereby the second column should be a text column or a suitably adequate column for displaying values from the first column. The fixed values for domain KMONAT represent a suitable input help. This contains month numbers from 1 to 12 which are assigned fixed value text according to the relevant month name.
Field with input help with a dropdown list box:
Fixed values in dictionary: