Value Help

Value help (the classic ABAP F4 input help) lets users pick a value from a list instead of typing it. abap2UI5 covers the basics with two built-in popups and lets you build anything custom on top.

Suggestions on the Input

The lightest variant — type-ahead from a bound list, no popup, no roundtrip after the initial render. Bind suggestionitems to an internal table and pick the columns via the suggestion_item template:

TYPES: BEGIN OF ty_country,
         code TYPE c LENGTH 3,
         name TYPE string,
       END OF ty_country.
DATA mt_countries TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF ty_country.
DATA mv_country   TYPE string.

mt_countries = VALUE #( ( code = `DE` name = `Germany` )
                        ( code = `FR` name = `France`  )
                        ( code = `IT` name = `Italy`   ) ).

DATA(view) = z2ui5_cl_ui5_view_builder=>factory(
    )->ele( n = `View` ns = `mvc`
        )->a( n = `xmlns`      v = `sap.m`
        )->a( n = `xmlns:mvc`  v = `sap.ui.core.mvc`
        )->a( n = `xmlns:core` v = `sap.ui.core`

        )->ele( `Page`
            )->ele( `Input`
                )->a( n = `value`           v = client->_bind( mv_country )
                )->a( n = `suggestionItems` v = client->_bind( mt_countries )
                )->a( n = `showSuggestion`  b = abap_true

                )->ele( `suggestionItems`
                    )->tag( n = `ListItem` ns = `core`
                        )->a( n = `text`           v = `{CODE}`
                        )->a( n = `additionalText` v = `{NAME}` ).

client->view_display( view->stringify( ) ).

Selection Popup

For a "pick from this list" dialog, open a popup with the candidates in it and let the press event write the chosen value back. No sub-app and no navigation are involved — the popup is a second view of the same class, so the selected row is simply an attribute.

CLASS z2ui5_cl_sample_f4 DEFINITION PUBLIC.

  PUBLIC SECTION.
    INTERFACES z2ui5_if_app.

    TYPES:
      BEGIN OF ty_s_carrier,
        carrid   TYPE c LENGTH 3,
        carrname TYPE c LENGTH 20,
      END OF ty_s_carrier.

    DATA mv_carrid   TYPE string.
    DATA mt_carriers TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF ty_s_carrier WITH EMPTY KEY.

  PROTECTED SECTION.
  PRIVATE SECTION.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS z2ui5_cl_sample_f4 IMPLEMENTATION.
  METHOD z2ui5_if_app~main.

    CASE abap_true.

      WHEN client->check_on_navigated( ).
        DATA(view) = z2ui5_cl_ui5_view_builder=>factory(
            )->ele( n = `View` ns = `mvc`
                )->a( n = `xmlns`     v = `sap.m`
                )->a( n = `xmlns:mvc` v = `sap.ui.core.mvc`

                )->ele( `Page`
                    )->tag( `Input`
                        )->a( n = `value`            v = client->_bind( mv_carrid )
                        )->a( n = `valueHelpRequest` v = client->_event( `F4` )
                        )->a( n = `showValueHelp`    b = abap_true ).

        client->view_display( view->stringify( ) ).

      WHEN client->check_on_event( `F4` ).
        " On a system this is your SELECT:
        "   SELECT carrid, carrname FROM scarr INTO TABLE @mt_carriers.
        mt_carriers = VALUE #( ( carrid = `LH` carrname = `Lufthansa` )
                               ( carrid = `UA` carrname = `United Airlines` )
                               ( carrid = `AA` carrname = `American Airlines` )
                               ( carrid = `SQ` carrname = `Singapore Airlines` ) ).

        DATA(popup) = z2ui5_cl_ui5_view_builder=>factory(
            )->ele( n = `FragmentDefinition` ns = `core`
                )->a( n = `xmlns`      v = `sap.m`
                )->a( n = `xmlns:core` v = `sap.ui.core`

                )->ele( `Dialog`
                    )->a( n = `title` v = `Choose airline`

                    )->ele( `List`
                        )->a( n = `items` v = client->_bind( mt_carriers )

                        )->ele( `items`
                            )->tag( `StandardListItem`
                                )->a( n = `title`       v = `{CARRNAME}`
                                )->a( n = `description` v = `{CARRID}`
                                )->a( n = `type`        v = `Active`
                                )->a( n = `press`       v = client->_event(
                                                                val = `PICK`
                                                                t_arg = VALUE #( ( `${CARRID}` ) ) ) ) ).

        client->popup_display( popup->stringify( ) ).

      WHEN client->check_on_event( `PICK` ).
        mv_carrid = client->get_event_arg( ).
        client->popup_destroy( ).

    ENDCASE.

  ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.

The chosen key travels in the event argument, so nothing has to be looked up again on the way back. type="Active" is what makes a StandardListItem pressable — without it the press event never fires.

For a ready-made picker with sorting, multi-select and a search field, the popups add-on carries one.

Pass i_multiselect = abap_true for multi-pick; the result table is then in ls_res-table.

DDIC Search Help

For value helps that exist as DDIC search help objects (SE11 → search help), the generic search help builder wraps the F4 framework so you can fire any standard search help by name and get the picked row back. Install it like any other add-on.

Custom Dialog

When neither popup fits — e.g. a filter bar with multiple columns, ranges, fuzzy search — build the F4 as a separate app with its own view and call it via nav_app_call. See Popup → Separated App for the pattern.

Working Samples

Complete apps from the sample catalogue that use what this page describes. Each is a single class — pull the repository with abapGit and start it with ?app_start=<class>.

Sample	Class
Value Help: Suggestions and F4 Dialog	Z2UI5_CL_SMP_APP_009
MultiInput with Tokens (C)	Z2UI5_CL_SMP_APP_078