Apps Written Like Reports

ABAP Cloud has no selection screen, no WRITE list and no CL_SALV_TABLE. The abap-cloud-gui add-on brings the programming model of a classic report to abap2UI5 instead: a class inheriting from z2ui5_cl_cgui_report has the event blocks as methods, PARAMETERS and SELECT-OPTIONS as attributes, and write( ), alv( ) and message( ) as calls. It runs as an abap2UI5 app, on ABAP Cloud as well as on NetWeaver down to 7.02, and no UI5 view is written by hand.

It suits a quick report or tool on ABAP Cloud, a first step into abap2UI5 in familiar terms, and the classic reports a company takes to ABAP Cloud - Migrating Classic Reports converts those with report2cloud.

Installing It

With abapGit, after abap2UI5: the release v1.0.0 of the repository, or the zip attached to it - abap-cloud-gui-1.0.0-702.zip is the copy downported to 7.02. The package holds classes, two interfaces and the two tables of the variants and the layouts; nothing else is set up.

A First Report

CLASS zcl_hello DEFINITION PUBLIC
  INHERITING FROM z2ui5_cl_cgui_report
  FINAL
  CREATE PUBLIC.

  PUBLIC SECTION.
    DATA p_name  TYPE string.
    DATA p_times TYPE i.

  PROTECTED SECTION.
    METHODS initialization REDEFINITION.
    METHODS selection_screen REDEFINITION.
    METHODS start_of_selection REDEFINITION.

  PRIVATE SECTION.
ENDCLASS.


CLASS zcl_hello IMPLEMENTATION.

  METHOD initialization.

    set_title( `Hello World Report` ).
    p_times = 3.

  ENDMETHOD.

  METHOD selection_screen.

    screen->parameter( val        = p_name
                       text       = `Your name`
                       obligatory = abap_true
        )->parameter( val  = p_times
                      text = `Lines` ).

  ENDMETHOD.

  METHOD start_of_selection.

    write( |Hello { p_name }!| )->uline( ).
    DO p_times TIMES.
      write( |Line { sy-index }| )->new_line( ).
    ENDDO.

  ENDMETHOD.

ENDCLASS.

Start it like any abap2UI5 app, ?app_start=zcl_hello: the selection screen comes up, Execute (F8) runs start_of_selection( ) and shows the list, Back (F3) returns to the selection screen.

The Parts of a Report

Classic	In the class
PARAMETERS, SELECT-OPTIONS	public attributes, laid out in selection_screen( ) with screen->parameter( ), select_option( ), block_begin( ), radiobutton( ), checkbox( ), button( )
INITIALIZATION, AT SELECTION-SCREEN [OUTPUT, ON field]	initialization( ), at_selection_screen( ), at_selection_screen_output( ), at_selection_screen_on( field )
START-OF-SELECTION, END-OF-SELECTION	start_of_selection( ), end_of_selection( )
WRITE, ULINE, SKIP, HOTSPOT, HIDE	write( ) and the list it returns
CL_SALV_TABLE	alv( table ) - columns from RTTI and the DDIC, sort, filter, totals, layouts, Excel export
AT LINE-SELECTION, AT USER-COMMAND	at_line_selection( ), at_user_command( ucomm )
ON VALUE-REQUEST, ON HELP-REQUEST	at_value_request( field ), at_selection_screen_on_help( field ); the F4 of the DDIC, search helps and CDS value helps come by themselves
MESSAGE, POPUP_TO_CONFIRM	message( ), popup_to_confirm( )

Beside these, the runtime brings selection variants on the server, the last entries of a field, a draft of a selection screen left without executing, SET / GET PARAMETER ID, SUBMIT and CALL TRANSACTION between report classes, dynpros of fields, stand-ins of the SAP GUI controls and intent navigation in the Fiori launchpad. The repository's README is the reference for all of it.

Trying It in the Browser

The samples of the add-on run on its own page, abap2ui5-addons.github.io/abap-cloud-gui: each classic report beside the class report2cloud writes of it and that class running as an abap2UI5 app, in a copy of the abap2UI5 playground that carries the add-on. A report of your own can be pasted there, converted and started the same way. The abap2UI5 playground itself runs the framework alone and does not carry the add-on.

In a system, the samples are part of the package: ?app_start=z2ui5_cl_cgui_sample_05 starts a complete flight report with a selection screen, an ALV grid, a classic list and a drilldown.