SAP Scripts Tutorial: SE71, SE78,

SCC1, VF03, SO10

SAP script is the SAP System's own text-processing system.It looks
and feels a lot like other leading text-processing systems.

It is used to print preformatted text in pre-formatted forms.

Components of SAPScript
SAP Scripts comprises of five main components:

1. An editor for entering and editing the lines of a text

2. Styles and layout sets for print layout. These are created
independent of the individual texts using the corresponding
maintenance transactions and are allocated to the texts later
3. The composer is a central output module. The SAP script
composer is invisible to the outside
4. A programming interface that allows you to include SAP script
components into your own application programs and to control
the output of layout sets from within the programs
5. Several database tables for storing texts, styles and layout sets

Layout Set
To output documents using the programming interface, R/3
application programs need so-called layout sets (a kind of form).In
SAP script a layout set describes the layout of the individual print
pages and uses text elements to supply definable output blocks,
which a print program can call.A layout set can be defined as a page
design for a document

Layout set on its own doesn't contain any data. The selection of data
for the document is done through the print program.   The print
program selects the data from database table and feeds it to the
layout set. When the print program is executed the document is
printed on the screen, printer.

Usually a SAPScript Layout consists of following components

1. Header Data: Header data is used for information and control

of SAP printing. The header data comprises of 2 parts - Device
Independent - Stores information like Start page , Default
paragraph ,Language Attributes etc. And Device
Dependent stores information like Page format ,Orientation
Lines per inch etc
2. Paragraph and Character Formats: Paragraphs are
formatted using various attributes. For instance Standard
paragraph attributes specify Left or Right margin, Alignment
,Line spacing etc. Font attributes specify Font family ,Font size
etc. Character formats allow to format entire blocks of text
within a paragraph
3. Windows and Text Elements: Windows are individual text
areas (header address, date, footer) in a page . It helps
combine the information contained in a document into certain
groups and make each group appear on the printed page in an
individual area.You can define text elements (window texts) for
each window. The print program accesses text elements by
name, formats them and prints them in the respective window.
The paragraph and the character formats used must be
defined in the form.
4. Pages: They are individual pages of a document and must
have a unique name. You will often find different layouts for
individual pages: The first page of an invoice differs from the
subsequent pages, on which you need not repeat general
information, such as address or customer data.
5. Page Windows: While defining windows and pages, you do
not yet determine the position and spacing of the texts to be
 output.A page window defines the rectangular output area in
the output medium by specifying the left upper edge of the
output area and its width and height

Control Commands
The purpose of "control commands" is to allow control of the output
formatting.These commands are not interpreted by the SAP script
editor, but are passed through to the SAP script Composer for
processing. This includes, for example, line and page formatting, the
formatting of text according to the paragraph and character formats
specified.

Syntax

Enter /: in the paragraph format

Examples

 NEW-PAGE - Explicit page break

 PROTECT .........ENDPROTECT - To print complete paragraph in
one page.
 INCLUDE - To include the content of another text into current
text
 PERFORM - To call a subroutine of any ABAP program

Print Program
The execution of script is done through an ABAP program, which is
referred as Print Program. Each print program should have an ENTRY
form , which will be called from customization.

For a standard configuration we can see the form name (script

name), print program name and output type in the table TNAPR.The
print program uses the Form control functions to call the script.

The print program call either all or some of the form control
functions to execute the script

 OPEN_FORM (Mandatory) Opens the layout set output

  CLOSE_FORM (Mandatory) Ends the layout set output
 START_FORM (Optional) Starts a new layout set
 WRITE_FORM (Mandatory) Calls a layout set element
 END_FORM (Optional) Ends the current layout set

Output Types
The output type can specify, a printed form that you need for
internal use or a form that you want to send to a customer or vendor
. The output type can also be an internal electronic mail message
that you want to send to staff in another department.

For example "Print out" can be classified as one output type of a

billing document, i.e. when this output type is executed the billing
document is printed. Similarly "Fax" can be an output type, i.e.
when this output type is executed a fax of the billing document is
sent

All the output types for any document (e.g. billing document) will be
stored in the table NAST.Output types are executed through the
program RSNAST00 .

Example : Output type in a billing document-

1. Go to VF03
2. Enter billing document number and press enter again
3. Chose Output under the menu Goto -> Header
4. Here Z101 is an output type of a print output
Standard Texts and Graphics
Standard Texts for your report can be created using
transaction SO10

Graphics and printer macros are uploaded with report RSTXLDMC

into individual standard text documents or through
transaction SE78. Graphics are uploaded  in "Baseline TIFF 6.0"
format (.tif files on PC)

SAP Script & Standard text elements can exported or imported

between two systems using RSTXSCRP program

Copying Scripts Across clients:

SAP Script is a client dependent object.Unlike programs, changes

done to SAP script in one client will not be reflected in other clients.
For copying script from one client to another, go to SE71 and use
"Copy from Client" option available under Utilities menu or import
the transport request, in which the script is saved, from the original
client using the transaction SCC1 .

Important Points to Note

1. SAP script does not maintain any versions. So when modifying

the SAP script , ensure that the changes are well documented
in script. This applies to the standard texts too.
 2. The output of the form will differ when viewed on the screen
and on the printer. So always test the output of the script on
the printer.