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Dynamic Data Accessor Helper Class for ABAP

Why

Sometimes you need to access ABAP data objects dynamically. For example, when:

  • you do not know the structure of the ABAP object and to dynamically access the value of the field, you are forced to use ASSIGN .. COMPONENT with field symbol
  • you do a cross-release development in ABAP and do not know if some field exists, so you need dynamic access to data
  • you access data from the optional ABAP component and also need dynamic access to the ABAP structure field or internal table row
  • you need a key or index access to a dynamic internal table

Normally, if you need to access ABAP fields/structure components dynamically, you will end up coding like this:

Accessing Data Objects Dynamically (as suggested in the documentation)

FIELD-SYMBOLS: <table>  TYPE ANY TABLE,
               <line>   TYPE ANY,
               <field>  TYPE ANY.

ASSIGN COMPONENT `FIELD1` OF STRUCTURE <line> TO <field>.
IF <field> IS ASSIGNED.
  WRITE: <field>.
ENDIF.

That may be OK (however still not very convenient), but if you have a dynamic ABAP object with a deeper structure, it becomes boring:

Accessing Deeply Nested Data Objects Dynamically

FIELD-SYMBOLS: 
  <table>  TYPE ANY TABLE,
  <line>   TYPE ANY,
  <field1>  TYPE ANY,
  <field2>  TYPE ANY,
  <field3>  TYPE ANY,
  <field4>  TYPE ANY.
 
ASSIGN COMPONENT `FIELD1` OF STRUCTURE <line> TO <field1>.
IF <field> IS ASSIGNED.
  ASSIGN COMPONENT `CHILD_1` OF STRUCTURE <fielld1> TO <field2>.
  IF <field2> IS ASSIGNED.
    ASSIGN COMPONENT `CHILD_11` OF STRUCTURE <fielld2> TO <field3>.
    IF <field3> IS ASSIGNED.
      ASSIGN COMPONENT `CHILD_111` OF STRUCTURE <fielld3> TO <field4>.
      IF <field4> IS ASSIGNED.
        WRITE: <field4>.
      ENDIF.
    ENDIF.
  ENDIF.
ENDIF.

And if one thinks about accessing dynamically elements from nested tables it would be at all - hell. So, below one can find a helper class, which may help in such cases, in a lean and tasty way.
An original and actual version of the source can be found in class /UI2/CL_DATA_ACCESS delivered with UI2 Add-on (can be applied to SAP_BASIS 700 – 76X). So, you can use this ABAP JSON parser in your standard code mostly on any system. Delivered with a note 2526405.

What it can

The accessor is a single class, with the following features:

  • traversing of any data object (classes are not yet supported) passed as a reference to data or as data.
  • traversing nested objects without any level limitations
  • automatically resolving reference variables (REF TO fields accessed the same way as standard fields)
  • a method like or XPath-like ways of accessing data
  • read/modification access to elementary types
  • accessing table rows using index or key

Limitations

The code of the dynamic data accessor class does not pretend to be a complete and fully robust solution, but it may become like this if requests come
Current limitations are the following:

  • only ABAP data structures are supported. Traversing of ABAP objects/classes not yet supported, however possible
  • dynamic modification of tables (not data inside) is not supported. E.g you can not add/remove rows with API, but you can do it via reference to the table
  • The syntax for key access of the rows in dynamic tables does not allow usage of the symbol "," as part of the query. No escaping is supported.

Usage

Necessary type and data declarations for example below

TYPES:
 BEGIN OF t_properties,
   enabled     TYPE abap_bool,
   length      TYPE i,
   description TYPE c LENGTH 20,
 END OF t_properties,
 BEGIN OF t_data,
   id         TYPE i,
   properties TYPE t_properties,
   content    TYPE string,
 END OF t_data,
 BEGIN OF t_name_value,
   name  TYPE string,
   value TYPE string,
 END OF t_name_value,
 BEGIN OF t_example,
   flag   TYPE abap_bool,
   props  TYPE t_data,
   params TYPE SORTED TABLE OF t_name_value WITH UNIQUE KEY name,
 END OF t_example.
 
DATA: ls_data TYPE t_example,
      lr_data TYPE REF TO data,
      lr_ref  TYPE REF TO data,
      lv_int  TYPE i,
      lo_data TYPE REF TO /ui2/cl_data_access.

FIELD-SYMBOLS: <data> TYPE data.

ls_data-props-id      = 12345.
ls_data-props-content = `Some Content`.
ls_data-props-properties-enabled     = abap_false.
ls_data-props-properties-length      = 10.
ls_data-props-properties-description = `My description`.

GET REFERENCE OF ls_data INTO lr_data.

Usage examples

Traversing ABAP data dynamically

Simplest usage example:

CREATE OBJECT lo_data EXPORTING ir_data = lr_data.

" standard way (does not work on SAP_BASIS 700)
lr_ref = lo_data->at(`PROPS`)->at(`id`)->ref( ).
IF lr_ref IS BOUND.
  ASSIGN lr_ref->* TO <data>.
  WRITE: <data>.
ENDIF.
" XPath like
lr_ref = lo_data->at(`PROPS-ID`)->ref( ).
IF lr_ref IS BOUND.
  ASSIGN lr_ref->* TO <data>.
  WRITE: <data>.
ENDIF.

" using helper method for creation
lr_ref = /ui2/cl_data_access=>create( ir_data = lr_data iv_component = `PROPS-ID`)->ref( ).
IF lr_ref IS BOUND.
  ASSIGN lr_ref->* TO <data>.
  WRITE: <data>.
ENDIF.

" reading value directly
lo_data->at(`props-properties-length`)->value( IMPORTING ev_data = lv_int ).
WRITE: lv_int.

Dynamic data modification in ABAP in a nice way

If you want to use modification operations, you can only operate with references when creating an accessor object.

" modifing value
lr_ref = lo_data->at(`props-properties-length`)->ref( ).
ASSIGN lr_ref->* TO <data>.
<data> = 25.

" or even more simple
lo_data->at(`props-properties-length`)->set( 15 ).

Accessing not existing component

The code is robust - accessing existing components of any level will not result in a crash but will return an empty reference or initial value.

" reading not existing value returns the initial value
lo_data->at(`props-properties-not_exist-length-not-exist`)->value( IMPORTING ev_data = lv_int ).
WRITE: lv_int. " -> 0

Working with tables:

Dynamic Access in ABAP in an easy way

DATA:
  ls_data  TYPE t_example,
  ls_line  LIKE LINE OF ls_data-params,
  lv_value TYPE string,
  lo_data  TYPE REF TO /ui2/cl_data_access.

ls_line-name = `KEY1`.
ls_line-value = `Value1`.
INSERT ls_line INTO TABLE ls_data-params.

ls_line-name = `KEY2`.
ls_line-value = `Value2`.
INSERT ls_line INTO TABLE ls_data-params.

/ui2/cl_data_access=>create( iv_data = ls_data iv_component = `params[2]-name`)->value( IMPORTING ev_data = lv_value ).
WRITE: lv_value.

/ui2/cl_data_access=>create( iv_data = ls_data iv_component = `params[name=KEY1]-value`)->value( IMPORTING ev_data = lv_value ).
WRITE: lv_value.

/ui2/cl_data_access=>create( iv_data = ls_data iv_component = `params`)->at(`[name=KEY1]-value`)->value( IMPORTING ev_data = lv_value ).
WRITE: lv_value.

/ui2/cl_data_access=>create( iv_data = ls_data iv_component = `params[name=KEY1, value=Value1]-value`)->value( IMPORTING ev_data = lv_value ).
WRITE: lv_value.

API description

CREATE - Static Method Public Helper method for creating an instance of dynamic accessor

  • > IR_DATA (ref to data) - Importing Type Ref To DATA Reference to data (allows modification of embedded data)
  • > IV_DATA (data) - any data (modification of embedded data not allowed)
  • > IV_COMPONENT (string) - Sub-component name (XPath-like syntax is supported)
  • < RO_REF (ref to /ui2/cl_data_access) - Reference to accessor object pointing to subcomponent

CONSTRUCTOR - Instance Method Public Constructor

  • > IR_DATA (ref to data) - Importing Type Ref To DATA Reference to data (allows modification of embedded data)
  • > IV_DATA (data) - any data (modification of embedded data not allowed)

AT - Instance Method Public Component accessor

  • > IV_COMPONENT (string) - Sub-component name (XPath-like syntax is supported)
  • < RO_REF (ref to /ui2/cl_data_access) - Reference to accessor object pointing to subcomponent

EMPTY - Instance Method Public Returns TRUE if the embedded object is initial (not bound)

  • < RV_VAL (boolean) - ABAP_TRUE if the object is initial and data is not bound

REF - Instance Method Public Returns a reference to the embedded object

  • < RV_DATA (ref to data) - Reference to embedded data

VALUE - Instance Method Public Returns copy of the value

  • < EV_DATA (data) - Copy of the embedded data value, or initial if data is not bound

SET - Instance Method Public Sets the value of the embedded object, if not initial

  • > IV_DATA (data) - New value for embedded object
  • < RV_SUCCESS (boolean) - ABAP_TRUE, if data was successfully modified

XPath-like dynamic data access

To access nested components you can use a nice, object-oriented way, using nested calls of AT method (it is robust, and would not crash accessing not existing components), as

lo_object->at('subcomp1')->at('subcomp11')->...

But if you prefer a more compact form, or run code on SAP_BASIS < 702 (nested method calls are not supported), you may use XPath-like syntax for accessing components. Like this:

lo_object->at('subcomp1-subcomp11-subcomp111')

or like this

abap lo_object->at('subcomp1->subcomp11->subcomp111')

The syntax:

  • You can use any symbol (or combinations of symbols) as a component separator, except "[", "]", "=", ",". The recommended separator symbol is "-".
  • For dynamic index access of rows in nested tables use "[index]" after the component name. E.g. "table_name[2]". The indexing starts from 1. If the accessor object references the table data object directly, you may skip the component name. E.g. "[2]". You may continue accessing components after index access, e.g.: "table_a[1]-struct-table_b[2]". If you do out-of-range access, you get an empty reference back. Index access works only with index tables (STANDARD, SORTED).
  • For dynamic key access of rows in nested tables use "(key=value)" for single key lookup, "(key1=value1, key2=value2)" for multi-key lookup, and "(value)" for table line lookup. You can NOT search for values containing ",". You can use nested lookups: "table_a(key1=value1)-table_b(key2=value2, key3=value3)". Values used in a query shall be assignable to field structures.

Version History

Note 2798102 - PL12

  • Fixed. Access to fields with special characters in the name (e.g. "/BIC/YEAR") fails.

Note 2786259 - PL11

  • Fixed. Short dump, when accessing elements of a null array

Note 2526405

  • New: /UI2/CL_DATA_ACCESS class for working with dynamic ABAP data object (generated with method /UI2/CL_JSON=>GENERATE). The class can be used as a replacement for multiple ASSIGN COMPONENT language constructions.