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SAPControlsTechnologyPart2
byadminonMay28th,2012
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AnthonyCecchiniisthePresidentofInformationTechnologyPartners(ITP),anSAP
consultingcompanyheadquarteredinPennsylvania.ITPofferscomprehensiveplanning,resourceallocation,
implementation,upgrade,andtrainingassistancetocompanies.Anthonyhasover17yearsofexperience
inSAPR/3businessprocessanalysisandSAPsystemsintegration.HisareasofexpertiseincludeSAP
NetWeaverintegrationALEdevelopmentRFC,BAPI,IDoc,Dialog,andWebDynprodevelopmentand
customizedWorkflowdevelopment.Youcanreachhimatajcecchini@itpsap.com.

TheControlsTechnologyFramework,AutomationController,and
AutomationQueue
InthismonthsblogIwillcontinuetotakealookattheSAPControlsTechnologyandhowwecanuseitin
ourdevelopment.

ThereisconstantcommunicationpassedbetweencontrolsontheSAPGUIandtheapplicationthatresides
ontheapplicationserver.TheSAPControlsTechnologyFrameworkandtheAutomationControllerarethe
vehiclesbywhichthesecommunicationstakeplace.

TheControlsTechnologyFrameworkresidesontheapplicationserver(thebackend),andtheAutomation
Controllersitsonthepresentationserver(thefrontend).Theintegralcomponentthatoptimizesthe
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8/23/2016 SAPControlsTechnologyPart2|ITPartnersBlog

communicationbetweenthetwoistheAutomationQueue.

LetstakeacloserlookatthebenefitsthisarchitectureoffersbyexamininghowtheSAPControls
TechnologyFrameworkenablesintegrationanduseofyourcontrolsthroughABAPOOmethods,andhow
theAutomationQueueprovidesa
buffertotheAutomationControllertohelpavoiddecreasedsystemperformance.

TheSAPControlsTechnologyFrameworkABAPOOMethods
TheControlsTechnologyFrameworksupportsallthecontrolsthatareimplementedwithintheSAPGUI.It
encapsulatesallavailablecontrolsinglobalwrapperclassesofABAPObjects,andevenmaintainsalistof
thecontrolinstancesyouhavecreated.Toworkwithcontrolsonyourscreen,yousimplycreateobjectsof
thesewrapperclasses,calltheirmethods,andreactontheirevents.Therefore,whenintegratingacontrolinto
yourprogram,youareactuallyjustcallingdeliveredmethodsoftheControlsTechnologyFramework.

ThecontrolsatthefrontendareutilizedbyusingthemethodsoftheControlsTechnologyFramework
classesCL_GUI_CFW,CL_GUI_OBJECT,andCL_GUI_CONTROL.

TheSAPControlsTechnologyFrameworkoffersyouclassesfor:
Creating,initializing,andpositioningcontrolstobedisplayedonthefrontendorPresentationLayer
Makingacontrolvisibleorinvisible
Checkingwhetheracontrolisstillactiveorhasbeendestroyed
Queryingacontroltoretrieveinformationregardingitsheightorwidth
Enablingthepossibilitytoimplementuserinteractionintheprogrambyusingevents(examplesofevents
areclick,doubleclick,draganddrop,andsoon)
Bufferingcontrolmethodsinaqueueandtransferringthemtothefrontendforexecution
Destroyingcontrolsatthefrontendandfreeingthememorytheyoccupy

Letstakeacloserlookateachoftheseclassesinturn

TheCL_GUI_CFWClass

TheCL_GUI_CFWclasscontainsonlystaticmethods,whichapplycollectivelytoallthecontrolsthatexist
atthefrontend.Thetwomostcommonlyusedmethodsaredispatchandflush:

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8/23/2016 SAPControlsTechnologyPart2|ITPartnersBlog

Thedispatchmethod

Inthecaseofcertainevents(applicationevents)theeventhandlermethodisnotcalledbeforethePAI
(ProcessAfterInput)event.IfyouwishtocalltheeventhandlerwithinthePAIevent,thedispatchmethodis
used:

CALLMETHODcl_gui_cfw=>dispatch
IMPORTING
return_code=return_code.

Thevalueofreturn_codeindicateswhetherornotthecallwassuccessful.Ifyoudonotcallthismethodin
yourprogram(explicit),thesystemcallsthismethodautomaticallyaftertheendofthePAIevent(implicit).

Theflushmethod

ThismethodisusedtoforcesynchronizationoftheAutomationQueue.Allthebufferedmethodsinthe
queuearethentransferredtothefrontendviaRFCforexecution:

CALLMETHODcl_gui_cfw=>flush
EXCEPTIONS
cntl_system_error=1
cntl_error=2.

Ifthereisanyerror,anexceptionistriggered.Ifyoudonotcallthismethodinyourprogram(explicit),the
systemcallsthismethoditselfaftertheendofthePAIevent(implicit).

TheCL_GUI_OBJECTClass

TheCL_GUI_OBJECTclassisthesuperclassofallcontrolwrapperclasses.Thecommonlyusedmethods
areis_validandfree:

Theis_validmethod

Thismethodinformsyouwhetherornotacontrolforanobjectreferencestillexistsatthefrontend.Suppose
youwanttofindoutwhetherornotthevariablemy_controlhastheobjectreferenceofaninstantiated
control.Inthatcase,youusethefollowingcode:

CALLMETHODmy_control>is_valid
IMPORTING
result=result.

Ifthevalueofresultis1,thenthecontrolisactive.Avalueofzeromeansitisinactive.

Thefreemethod

Thismethodisusedtodestroyacontrolatthefrontend.Themethodalsodeletestheentryofthecontrol
fromtheControlsTechnologyFrameworksystemtable.Youshouldalsoinitializetheobjectreferenceafter
thismethodcall:

CALLMETHODmy_control>free
EXCEPTIONS
cntl_error=1
cntl_system_error=2.

Freemy_control.

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8/23/2016 SAPControlsTechnologyPart2|ITPartnersBlog

TheCL_GUI_CONTROLClass

TheCL_GUI_CONTROLclassisinheritedfromthesuperclassCL_GUI_OBJECT.Allcontrolclassesare
theninheritedfromthisclass.Itcontainsthefollowingmethodsforsettingattributesofthecontroland
implementingeventhandling:

Theconstructormethod

ThismethodiscalledbythecontrolwrapperwhenyouinstantiateacontrolbytheCREATEOBJECT
statement.

Theset_registered_eventsmethod

Thismethodisusedtoregistertheeventsofthecontrol(thiswillbecoveredinmoredetailintheupcoming
blog,Part3,oneventhandling):

CALLMETHODmy_control>set_registered_events
EXPORTING
events=it_events
EXCEPTIONS
cntl_error=1
cntl_system_error=2
illegal_event_combination=3.

Thetableit_eventscontainsalistoftheeventsthatyouwanttoregister,andisbasedontheDDICstructure
CNTL_SIMPLE_EVENT.

Theget_registered_eventsmethod

Thismethodreturnsalistofalleventsregisteredforacontrol:

CALLMETHODmy_control>get_registered_events
IMPORTING
events=it_events
EXCEPTIONS
cntl_error=1.

Again,theit_tableeventsshouldbebasedontheDDICstructureCNTL_SIMPLE_EVENT.

Theset_visiblemethod

Usethismethodtomakeacontrolvisibleorinvisible:

CALLMETHODmy_control>set_visible
EXPORTING
visible=visible
EXCEPTIONS
cntl_error=1
cntl_system_error=2.

IfthevalueofthevariablevisibleisequaltoX,thecontrolbecomesvisible.Whenitisequaltospace(
),thenitbecomesinvisible.

Theis_alivemethod

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8/23/2016 SAPControlsTechnologyPart2|ITPartnersBlog

Ifacontrolisalreadydestroyedandyoutrytodestroyitagain,anerrorwilloccur.Toavoidthiswecan
determinethestateofacontrolusingthefollowingcode:

CALLMETHODmy_control>is_alive
RETURNING
state=state.

Ifthecontrolisactiveandvisible,thenthevalueofstatewillbeequaltotheattributestate_aliveofthe
control.

HowtheAutomationQueueprovidesabuffertotheAutomation
Controllertohelpavoiddecreasedsystemperformance.
Eachcontrolclassmethod,ifcalledimmediatelyfromyourABAPprogram,couldopenaseparateRemote
FunctionCall(RFC)connectionbetweentheapplicationserverandthefrontend.ToomanyRFCcallscan
resultinpoorsystemperformanceandexcessiveconsumptionofsystemresources.Toavoidthis,the
ControlsTechnologyFrameworkmethodsarenotexecutedwhentheyarecalled.Theyareinsteadinserted
intoabuffercalledtheAutomationQueuebeforebeingsentforexecutiontotheAutomationController(the
presentationserver)atdefinedsynchronizationpoints.Automaticsynchronizationoccursattheendofthe
PBO(ProcessBeforeOutput)event.Synchronizationcanalsobeforcedbycallingthestaticmethod
CL_GUI_CFW=>FLUSH.

TheAutomationQueuefollowsaFIFO(FirstIn,FirstOut)principle.Atsynchronization,themethodsthat
arecalledfirstareexecutedfirst.Foreveryinternalsession,thereisaseparateAutomationQueuetohandle
itscontrols(seebelow).

Atsynchronization,theAutomationQueuepassesitscontents(methodsm1,m2,andm3,inthatorder)tothe
frontend.Themethodsareexecutedatthefrontendandtheresultsarereturnedtothebackend.

ThatwasabriefoverviewoftheControlsTechnologyFrameworksuseoftheAutomationController,and
AutomationQueue.WealsoexploredtheOOClassstructureandcommonlyusedmethodsinABAP
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Toreadpart1ofthisseriesontheAdvancedControlTechnologyFramework,usethefollowinglink.SAP
ControlsTechnologyPart1

IfyouenjoyedthisblogontheControlsTechnology,pleaseclickonthelinkbelowandsignupforour
newsletter.WedeliverrelevantSAPTechnicaltips&tricksandcurrentnewsrighttoyourinbox!

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