ABAP Training

Debugging

Debugging
ABAP Training Debugging Techniques 2

Objectives
 Online debugging tools
 Starting the debugger
 The debugger’s views
 Using break points
 Setting static break points
 Setting dynamic break points
 Setting watch points
 Setting breakpoints at keywords or events
ABAP Training Debugging Techniques 3

Objectives
 Deleting and deactivating breakpoints
 Stepping through program codes
 Displaying field contents
 Displaying internal tables
 Displaying ABAP/4 lists
 Replacing field values at runtime
 Changing internal tables at runtime
 Switching to the ABAP/4 editor
 Releasing the database during debugging
ABAP Training Debugging Techniques 4

Online Debugging Tools : A Review

 The ABAP/4 debugger lets you stop a program during runtime and
examine the flow and results of each statement during execution.
 Stepping through a program with the debugger helps you to detect and
correct errors in your code.This documentation is designed for
developers new to the workbench’s debugging facilities or for those who
want to learn the tool to use the tool more effectively.
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Working With Debugger

 Switch on the debugger

 Set and delete static and dynamic break points.
 Set watch points
 Stop a program at specific key words or events or when a field contents
change.
 Continue processing after an interrupt.
 Display field contents during runtime.
 Display the contents of an internal table.
 Change field contents for testing purposes.
 Change the contents of an internal table.
 Display and use debugger’s views.
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Contd…………….
 Debugging strategies form within ABAP/4 development work bench. We
can set breakpoints in a program and then start the program within the
debugger. Alternatively, we can run the program in the debugger without
any breakpoints.
 A breakpoint is a signal within a line of code that tells the ABAP/4
runtime processor to interrupt the program at the line. Setting break
points is a good strategy if we want to examine a program:
 After the system has already processed certain events

 Just before a specific event is carried out

 By skipping quickly to a specific routines or calls.

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Starting the Debugger

 On running a program in the debugging mode the following steps can be
followed.

 In the object browser, Select a report or transaction.

 Choose debugging in the ABAP/4 editor initial screen. Choose
Program Execute Debugging or choose debugging.
 From any screen , Choose SystemUtilities Debug ABAP/4.
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Debugger’s Views
 A debugger selects different views, by selecting appropriate view name in
debugger’s menu.
 Purpose of various buttons
 Overview - displays the structure of the program to be
debugged.
 Fields - displays the fields content and technical characteristic
 Table - displays the content of an internal table.
 Call stack - displays an active event chain and the call sequence
up to the current breakpoint.
 Structure of the debugging view
 Each debugging view has the same structure. The top half of the
screen displays a portion of the programs source code. The lower half
shows information specific to that particular view .At the line ‘source
code of’ appears two push buttons to scroll through the program code.
The line currently ready for processing is indicated by “>”.A small stop
sign appears to the left of each dynamic break point .
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Using Breakpoints
 A breakpoint is a signal within a program’s code , which tells the ABAP/4
processor to interrupt the program at a particular point. The type of
breakpoint depends on the purpose of debugging.
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ABAP Debugging Screen

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Types of Breakpoints
 Static
These are user independent , set directly into a program’s code with the
editor. User dependent breakpoints also is possible.

 Dynamic
Set within the ABAP/4 debugger or editor. This type is visible when the
program is displayed in the editor.

 Watch points
Set within the ABAP/4 debugger .Watch points are field-specific. This is
used to observe changes to a particular field .The debugger interrupts
the program when fields content change.
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Event Breakpoints, Static Breakpoint,

Dynamic Breakpoint
 Key word (statement) or event breakpoints
Set within the ABAP/4 debugger. The debugger interrupts
the program when the ABAP/4 processor comes in contact
with a specific key word (statement) or event in program’s
code.
 When a static breakpoint is used?
Static break point are generally user-independent. On
setting this breakpoint , every use who executes the
program encounters the breakpoint. This is used when
several developers are working in the same program, and all
wants to the program to interrupt at the same place during
execution.
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Event Breakpoints, Static Breakpoint,

Dynamic Breakpoint
These breakpoints are visible in the programs code.
 When a dynamic breakpoint is used?

Dynamic break point is user-specific. If we want to interrupt

a program when we execute and while others are running,
we use dynamic break-point. Dynamic breakpoints are more
flexible than static breakpoint , they can be removed or
deactivated during runtime.
 When to use watch points.
We can set watch points only from within the debugger.They are useful
if we want to interrupt a program only when there is a change in a
particular field or a field string. We can set and remove watch points as
needed .This , as dynamic breakpoint , does not disturb the other users
of the same program.
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When to Use…..

 When to use breakpoints at keywords (statements) or events.

From within debugger , we can allocate breakpoint for specific ABAP/4
keywords or program events. This is useful if we do not know exactly
where a key word or event occurs , but still want the program to be
interrupted just before the command or event is carried out.

 Setting static breakpoints.

To set a static break point use ‘BREAK-POINT’ keyword. Place the break
point on the line where to interrupt the program:
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Contd…..
Report rsdebug1
……………
Check account
If SY-SUBRC NE 0.
Break-point.
ENDIF.
…….
When we start the report , ABAP/4 interrupts the processing at the break
point.
We can number breakpoints like BREAK-POINT1 ,BREAK-POINT2..For easier
identification.
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Removing Breakpoints
It is necessary to remove the breakpoints after debugging. Use function
Utilities  Global search to help in locating break-points in larger
programs. It is necessary to remove breakpoints since it may cause
serious disruptions in productive process.
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Setting Dynamic Breakpoints

We can set dynamic breakpoint , without changing the program’s code.

Following are the steps to set a breakpoint in ABAP/4 Editor.
 Place the cursor on the line where to position the breakpoint.
 Choose Utilities --> Breakpoint Set or press the ‘stop’ pushbutton at
the top.
 A display of all breakpoints in a program can be obtained by selecting
UtilitiesBreakpointDisplay .
 The dynamic breakpoint display leads to navigate to a certain
breakpoint or delete one or all breakpoints from the program code.
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Setting Watchpoints
 A watch point is set to interrupt a program when the contents of a
specific field or a string change.
 Following are the steps to set a watch point.
 On the debugging editor, enter the table-field.

 Press the pushbutton ‘Watchpoint’ on the top left .

 A dialog box appears , asking for the ‘local watch point’,

 Relational operator and comparison field .Fill in as per

requirement.
 Fill the appropriate value in the text field next and press the tick .

 A display of watch points can be viewed by goto-->control

debugging--> Watchpoint.
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Setting Breakpoints at (Statements)

Keywords or Subroutines
 If we want to interrupt the program directly before a certain keyword
event or a subroutine , we use this facility.
 We can achieve this with the following steps in the editor.
 Choose either Breakpoint Breakpoint at Statement or subroutine

or function module.
 The system will display a small screen prompting to enter statement

keyword or subroutine etc., as per requirement.

 The system will set a breakpoint each time the statement , or

subroutine appears in the program.

 For break point in form routines , it is possible to access the current

program , not external subroutine calls.

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Deleting a Dynamic Break-point

 To delete a dynamic breakpoint , place the cursor in a line and choose
BreakpointSet/Delete or Delete.
 Deleting this breakpoint is also possible by double clicking the
appropriate line.
 From within the editor, deleting the dynamic breakpoint is done by the
following steps.
 Choose Goto--> Control Debugging-->Breakpoint.

 The System will list all the breakpoints.

 Select one breakpoint.

 Choose individual by double clicking on the icon ‘Stop’

 and it deletes .

 Temporary deleting of Dynamic breakpoint is possible by selecting the

appropriate line and select Breakpoint Deactivate/Activate in the abap
Debugger.
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Deleting Watchpoints
 Watch points are special break points set for specific fields. To remove a
watch point , the following steps will do.
 Choose Goto --> Control debugging-->Watchpoint. A display of the

watch point occurs , and can be deleted by pressing ‘delete’

checkbox at the end of each Watchpoint .

 Displaying the Location of breakpoints.

 Select Goto--> Control Debugging -->Breakpoints to get an

overview of all existing breakpoints in a program’s code. From the

breakpoint display , it is possible to set or delete individual
breakpoints.
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Stepping Through Program Code

From within the debugger several options for stepping through the program
 Single step: execute a program statement by statement. If single step
is chosen while on a line that calls a FORM routine , for example the
next mouse click carries to the called routine. After stepping the way
through the subroutine, returns to the line of code directly following
the subroutine call.
 Execute: process a program line by line. On choosing execute while
on a line, that calls a FORM routine, the debugger executes the
subroutine subroutine and halts at the line of code directly following the
call. Thus this skips over the lines of the subroutine itself.
 Continue: processes the program up to the next active dynamic or
static break point. If no further breakpoints exists, the system executes
the report in its entirety without stopping.
 Return: returns the debugger to where a calling program resumes
control.Can be used from within a subroutine call.
ABAP Training Debugging Techniques 23

Displaying the Field Contents

While debugging display of the critical of the critical contents of the
fields are possible.
 Display of the contents up to eight fields or field strings can be done. We
can enter the field names directly in the spaces provided or double click
the field in the code display and the system lists it as a variable
automatically.
 We can use the variable screen to display the contents of any system
field or all field that a program references. Also the debugger to display
fields defined in the ABAP/4 dictionary can be used.
 To display the contents of dictionary fields, we must define relevant
table in the TABLES statement of the current program.
 Additionally the contents of the fields from external programs can be
displayed. For this we need to place the name of the external program in
brackets in front of the field name.
ABAP Training Debugging Techniques 24

Displaying Internal Tables

Within the debugger , we can display the contents of an internal table by
choosing the table pushbutton.
 The system displays the table view. Specify a table name in the internal
table field or double click on the table. If the internal table contains a
header line, this line appears before the actual table contents and is
marked in the display by >>>>>>>.The table rows are numbered. We
can scroll through the table display using the index field or the scroll
icons. If we want to see those parts of the tables that are not visible on
the left or right of the screen , use the push buttons for horizontal
scrolling or simply shift the title bar of the table.
 Using the column header line, we can also change the sequence of the
fields we want to see. If we remove a field name from the column
header line, then the system deletes the field from the display. If we
specify an incorrect field name, the system displays a string of question
marks.
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A View of Internal Table Display

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Contd….
 If the space you leave to display a field is too small , the system
truncates the display and indicates this by a “<” character.
 As with the field display , we can customize the display format for
internal tables. The standard entry in the format field is an E (for
edited) . you can change this to an X for hexadecimal or a C for
character display.
 Once we have finished examining the internal table , return to the
screen with the field display and program code by selecting the program
button.
 Displaying ABAP/4 lists.
If we are debugging an online report that generates a list, we can
display this list in the debugger. As soon as this list is started, the display
list pushbutton appears. Choose display list to switch to the list display.
The system displays all the lines generated so far in their respective
formats.
Note : the current list line is formatted only after completion (NEW-
LINE).
ABAP Training Debugging Techniques 27

Replacing Fields at Runtime

 While we are debugging a program , we might want to change the

content of specific fields to influence our program’s flow. If error analysis
reveals that a field contains a wrong value , for example , we can
replace the faulty value at run time to determine if the program then
runs correctly.

 We can change the values of all fields , database tables (with offset) and
internal tables referenced in a report . if we alter the values of database
fields , we do not change them in the database itself , but only in the
work area ABAP/4 provides for one run of the report .The system
displays an appropriate message if any format errors occur.
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Replace the Value

 We can replace value in the following steps.
1.Go to the variable display screen. This is the debugger’s default view.
2.Double click on a variable to place it in the variables display.
3.Enter a new value in the field contents row .
4.Choose the ‘change field content’ button.
 ABAP/4 writes the new value back to the program field or fields and the
system notes the change in the system log. If we forget to click on the
‘change field content’ push-button , the system ignores the values we
entered.
Note: ABAP/4 accepts our entries in the contents column exactly as we
specified them. You need to pay special attention to the correct format.(
Upper or lower case , right justified output with packed numbers).
ABAP Training Debugging Techniques 29

Changing Internal Tables at Runtime

The debugger allows to manipulate the contents of an internal table
during runtime. We can delete, edit or add a row to an internal table.
 To delete an entry from an internal table:
1. Go to the table display screen
2. Enter the table name in the internal table field.
3. Choose enter.The system displays the table’s contents.
4.Place the cursor on the line you wish to remove from the table.
5.Press ‘delete’ pushbutton.
The line disappears from the table and the system adjusts the line
numbering accordingly.
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Editing a Row
 The functions change , insert and append are field-specific in the
debugger and can be carried out only one field at a time by pressing the
respective pushbuttons.
 For example ,if we want to edit the following line:
Lh001 FRANKFURT NEWYORK 145400 400 x,
We first need to decide which field to change.
Then the following steps must be done.
1.Place the cursor on the row and field we want to edit.
2.Choose change.
3.Enter a new value for the field.
4.Choose enter.
The system updates the line and displays the new contents in the table.
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Adding a Row
 We can add a new row to an internal table by using either append or the
insert function. Append places the new line at the end of the table.
Insert lets us to position the line anywhere.
 To add a new row to the end of the table , the following steps will do.
1.Choose append.
2.Enter a value for the first field in the line.
3.Choose enter. The system adds a line to the table and fills in the first
field.
4.Enter the remaining fields of the line by following the procedure for
editing a row as described above.
 To insert a new line anywhere in the internal table ,position the cursor
on the line directly following the line where we want the new row to
appear. Then ,choose insert button and proceed as we want to append
the line.
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Switching to the ABAP/4 Editor

 We can switch from the debugger to ABAP/4 editor at any time. If we
discover a program error during the debugging process , for
example,we can enter the ABAP/4 editor to immediately correct the
error in the program’s code. We can also switch back to the editor in
order to set new static break-points.
 After we set static breakpoints in the editor,they are not active in the
debugger when we switch back.We must re-generate the program.Then
the breakpoints appear in the debugger.
 To return to the editor for the program currently being debugged ,
Select development-->ABAP/4 editor.
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A Representation of Debugging Process -

Branching to Debugging Mode
ABAP/4
Debugger
ABAP/4 Editor Object List

Development object ... ... ...

Debugging ...
Test/execute
Program B170D051 ...

Breakpoints Any screen

Program ... . Breakpoint ... . ... ... ... System Help

...
Utilities ...
... Debug ABAP/4
/h ...
ABAP Training Debugging Techniques 34

Debugging Mode

Execute Single step Execute Continue Table

PROGRAM B170D051. O S V F T P
DATA: DIFF TYPE P,
. View pushbuttons
.
.
COMPUTE DATE_1 = SY-DATUM.
.
.
.

Variables
DATE_1 00000000 R
SY-DATUM 19940223 R
R

X R
ABAP Training Debugging Techniques 35

The Most Important Debugging Functions

Single Step Processes the next program line.

Execute In contrast to the single step, executes

all processing steps belonging to one line.

Continue Processing continues until the next breakpoint or

until the end of the program.

Table Displays the contents of internal tables.

Breakpoint With the functions of this menu you

define breakpoints.
Editor You go to the ABAP/4 editor.
Hexadecimal- Data contents can be displayed in hexadecimal format.
display
ABAP Training Debugging Techniques 36

Setting Breakpoints
1
ABAP/4 Editor Menu Utilities
-> Breakpoints

Keyword BREAK-POINT

2
Debugging mode Line selection (double-click)

Menu: Breakpoint
-> Set/delete
Goto
-> Breakpoints
ABAP Training Debugging Techniques 37

Summary
 Static break-point are user independent (YES/NO)
Yes
 Dynamic breakpoints are not user-specific(yes/no)
No
 Dynamic breakpoints are visible in the program(yes/no)
Yes
 Dynamic breakpoints are more flexible than static breakpoints(yes/no)
Yes
 Static breakpoints are hard-coded in the program(yes/no)
Yes
 Temporary deletion of dynamic breakpoints are not possible(yes/no)
No
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Summary Contd…..
 Watchpoints can be set only from within the debugger (YES/NO).
Yes
 How can a temporary deletion of dynamic breakpoints are done?
ACTIVATE/DEACTIVATE in the debugging editor.
 What are the different options to step through the program in the
debugger?
Single step
Execute
Continue
Return
 While debugging ,it is impossible to correct wrong values in a table’s
field dynamically during runtime (YES/NO)
No
ABAP Training Debugging Techniques 39

Summary Contd……
 Addition and deletion of fields in a table is possible in debugger
Yes
 From the ABAB debugger , switching to ABAP/4 editor is not allowed.
No