The Input Help Process

The input help (F4) is a standard function of the SAP system that allows the user to display a list of possible values for a screen field. A value can be directly copied to an input field by selecting it from the list.

 

Fields that have input help are shown in the SAP system by the input help key to the right of the field. This key appears as soon as the cursor is positioned on the corresponding screen field. The help can be started either by selecting the input help key or with function key F4.

 

If the number of possible entries for a field is very large, you can limit the set of values displayed by entering further restrictions.

 

The possible entries are displayed with further useful information about the values shown. This feature is especially useful if the field requires the entry of a formal key.

 

As the input help is a standard function, it looks and behaves the same throughout the entire SAP system. The development environment, therefore, provides tools for attaching a standardized input help to a screen field.

 

The precise description of the input help for a field is usually defined by its semantics. For this reason, the input help for a field is normally defined in the ABAP Dictionary.

 

 

 Input Help Requirements

The following requirements must be met by the input help of a screen field (search field):

• Information (about the context) known to the system must be taken into consideration in the input help. This includes entries the user already made in the current input template as well as information obtained in previous dialog steps. Normally, the input help uses the context to limit the set of possible values.
• The input help must determine the values that can be offered to the user for selection. The data to be displayed as supplementary information in the list of possible values must also be determined. When the possible values are determined, the restrictions resulting from the context and from further search conditions specified by the user must also be taken into consideration.
• The input help must hold a dialog with the user. This dialog always contains the presentation of the possible values (with supplementary information) in list form and the possibility to select a value from this list. A search template in which the user can define conditions for the values to be displayed is also sometimes required.
• If the user selects a value, the input help must return the value to the search field. The input template often contains more fields (often only display fields) containing further explanatory information about the search field. The input help should also update the contents of these fields in this case.

 

 

Elementary Search Helps

The ABAP Dictionary object search help is used to describe an input help. The definition of a search help contains the information the system needs to satisfy the described requirements.

 

An elementary search help defines the standard flow of an input help. You can define the following components of this flow in the search help:

• Where the data displayed in the hit list must come from (selection method).
  Which enhanced options are to be provided for the search method (type-ahead and full text search).
• What information must be displayed in the dialog box for value selection and in the hit list (search help parameters).
• Which field contents can be taken into account for hit list selections and which values in the hit list can be returned to the screen fields (search help parameters).
• Which dialog steps must be executed in the input help (dialog behavior).

 

The interface of the search help controls the data transfer from the input template to the input help and back. The interface defines the context data to be used and the data to be returned to the input template when a value is selected.

 

The internal behavior of the search help describes the value help process itself. This includes the selection method with which the values to be displayed are determined, as well as the dialog behavior describing the interaction with the user.

 

As with a function module, a search help distinguishes between the interface with which it exchanges data with other software components and the internal behavior (for function modules, the latter is defined by the source text).