ABAP 7.40

ABAP 7.40: Modernizing Your ABAP Development

ABAP, SAP’s core programming language, has been continuously evolving to keep up with modern development practices. The release of ABAP 7.40 introduced a range of powerful features that streamline ABAP coding, making it cleaner, more efficient, and expressive.

In this blog, let’s explore some of the key highlights of ABAP 7.40 and how they can transform your development experience.

1. Inline Declarations

No more lengthy data declarations! Inline declarations allow you to declare variables directly where they’re used, leading to more compact and readable code.

ABAP

DATA(carrname) = CONV string( scarr-carrname ). 

Use code with caution.

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2. Constructor Operators (NEW, VALUE)

Creating internal tables and structures gets significantly easier with constructor operators.

ABAP

TYPES: BEGIN OF flight_info,

         carrid TYPE scarr-carrid,

         connid TYPE spfli-connid,

       END OF flight_info.

DATA flights TYPE TABLE OF flight_info 

   WITH EMPTY KEY.

flights = VALUE #( FOR wa IN spfli 

                    ( carrid = wa-carrid 

                      connid = wa-connid ) ).  

Use code with caution.

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3. The FOR Iteration Expression

The FOR expression brings a more structured and streamlined approach to looping over internal tables.

ABAP

DATA text TYPE string.

FOR <line> IN itab INDEX INTO lv_index

  WHERE ( cityfrom = ‘NEW YORK’ )

  LET text = |{ <line>-cityfrom } – { <line>-cityto }| IN

    ( text = text ).

Use code with caution.

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4. Enhanced String Handling

String manipulation becomes a breeze with new string functions and string templates.

ABAP

DATA flight_route TYPE string.

flight_route = |{ wa-cityfrom } – { wa-cityto }|. 

Use code with caution.

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5. Conditional Operators (COND, SWITCH)

Simplify your conditional logic with COND and SWITCH, offering cleaner alternatives to traditional IF…ELSEIF…ELSE structures.

ABAP

DATA result TYPE i.

result = COND #( WHEN sy-subrc = 0 THEN 1

                  WHEN sy-subrc = 4 THEN 2

                  ELSE 0 ).

Use code with caution.

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Beyond the Basics

These are just a few of the highlights of ABAP 7.40. Other notable features include:

• Table Expressions: Write SQL-like expressions directly in ABAP
• REDUCE and FILTER: Introduce functional-style programming techniques
• Method Chaining: Write more elegant object-oriented code
• CORRESPONDING: Enhanced structure mapping

Embracing the Change

ABAP 7.40 modernizations create a more expressive and developer-friendly ABAP. If you’re used to older versions of ABAP, don’t be afraid to start using these features. Practice with small examples and gradually integrate them into your projects.

Resources to Learn More:

• SAP Help Portal: [invalid URL removed]
• SAP Community Blogs: [invalid URL removed]