SDN Contribution

Utilities for downloading and uploading OO

ABAP classes in XML format
Applies to:
SAP WebAS 6.20 and above.

Summary
This article will present two utility reports for downloading and uploading OO ABAP class. They
can be used for transporting classes from system to system and also they demonstrate
CL_XML_DOCUMENT usage, SEOK package functions usage, etc.
Author(s): Sergey Korolev
Company: Deloitte & Touche
Created on: 2 August 2006

Author Bio
In his pre-SAP era Sergey Korolev was a loyal Delphi programmer, developing component
libraries and proprietary applications. Since 1999 he has been working as an Workflow/ABAP
consultant and developer. Now he is a senior Workflow/ABAP consultant at Deloitte & Touch
RCS working for various customers.
2006 SAP AG 1

Table of Contents
Utilities to download and upload OO ABAP class in XML
format....................................................1
Why?...............................................................................................................................................
.3
Why
XML?.......................................................................................................................................3
Usage..............................................................................................................................................
.3
Download utility............................................................................................................................3
Selection screen parameters....................................................................................................3
Upload utility.................................................................................................................................4
Versions
supported..........................................................................................................................4
Weaknesses....................................................................................................................................
4
Source
Code....................................................................................................................................5
Copyright.........................................................................................................................................
.6
2006 SAP AG 2

Why?
If you are closely acquainted with ABAP Objects and more generally with OO technology and
paradigm, then it is likely that you have your own OO developments you want to reuse.
Personally I have some. The problem is that for one reason or another not always you can use
SAP transport system to port your classes from one system to another. There is a standard
program RWBPRINT which can be used (with debugging tricks) to download ABAP class data,
but frankly it is not quite convenient, its strength is that it can be used as a usage template of
some function modules for accessing ABAP class data.

Why XML?
When thinking of file format I had remembered that SAP SmartForms has upload/download
functionality which uses XML format. Also I was already familiar with CL_XML_DOCUMENT
class which offers DOM model functionality for XML documents. And also I had an idea of
utilizing XSLT transformation somehow to make myself familiar with it (unfortunately, there were
no need, as SAP function modules for reading and creating ABAP classed have fully compatible
parameters which can be converted from/to XML without special transformations).
And yes, everybody uses XML nowadays.

Usage
Download utility
Program YRS_CLASS_DOWNLOAD_XML has quite simple selection screen (see below).
Selection screen parameters
Parameter
Class name

Show XML file in browser

Type

Notes

Parameter

ABAP class name to be

downloaded. Can be
selected via search help

Flag

If set, resulting file will be

displayed in additional
window,