Component Definition 

Every component (DC) is defined by a set of files, stored and versioned together with the component in the repository.

·        A file with the reserved name .dcdef stores the basic attributes such as name, description and component type, the parent component (if there is one), a list of child components (if there are any), a list of dependencies, links to the component sources, and the access control list. The .dcdef file must be stored directly in the _comp folder.

·        The folder _comp/def contains one file for each public part of the component, which carries the name of the public part with the extension .pp. This file contains a list of the development objects belonging to the public part and an access control list for this public part.

Both .dcdef and .pp files are stored in an XML-based format; you can display them in the content display of the Repository Browser or with any text editor. However, this is not necessary. To create and edit these files, use the component tools of the SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio.

In exceptions, you can manually repair the .dcdef or a .pp file of a component. Note that direct manipulations are dangerous and can render a component unusable.