ABAP New Editor has certainly great features which help you to achieve the same with less typing – like Auto code completion.
What is Missing?
In the ABAP New Editor, Editor proposes most of the Keywords which you can use in your coding by using the “Tab”.
Similarly, you can also complete the Brackets. E.g., if you try to write the bracket Single parenthesis (, the editor will propose the closing bracket. ABAP Editor proposes the closing part for
- Opening parenthesis (
- Square Bracket [
- Curly bracket {
- Single Quote ‘
- Double Quote “
- Pipe Sign |
But the Editor, doesn’t propose the angle brackets < and > like the one used in Field-Symbol usage. Which might be very handy if you love to use Field-Symbols to improve the performance.
Steps to Activate
Undocumented by SAP, but easy to Achieve. Follow the steps:
1. Locate the ABAP Editor Config files: The Config is stored in the files ABAP4_SPEC.XML and ABAP_SPEC.XML.
Nice trick is windows run command (
2. GO to Sub directory “SAP\SAP GUI\ABAP Editor”. You will find lots of XML files here.
3. Open the Files ABAP4_SPEC.XML and ABAP_SPEC.XML
4. Locate String ()[]”“||{}
5. Add the HTML code for the angle brackets <> at the end of the string. Complete string would be like:
Now when you try that in ABAP Editor, when you press the left angle bracket, ABAP New Editor will complete the brackets. Like this
If you don’t see this, you should close the SAP and restart the SAP GUI.
Credits:
Trick was submitted by longtime reader Clemens Li. Thanks Clemens π
I have been using this trick from long time. If you have a nice trick or tutorial to share, please send me a note.
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Hi,
I didn’t know that ABAP Editor is able to complete any brackets. Your trick with angle brackets works like a charm.
I implemented this trick but don’t know it is not working. Please help to resolve it
Hello Vaibhav,
Did you exit the SAP by shutting it down? Find the SAP Icon in the lower right corner, right click and ShutDown SAP Logon.
Start your GUI back and login. Now if you go to any program in change mode and try do write the code with angle bracket, it should be auto complete.
This only applies to the “Front-End Editor (New)”.
Thanks,
Naimesh Patel
Hello,
I’m trying to activate this and I had no success… Already tried to restart GUI and nothing… I’m not able to used this even with the ‘(‘ …. Is there any thing else we need to activate?
I’m using the new editor… And auto complete is working with everything else but this… Any tips?
Hello Micael,
It should work as it works for me. What GUI version you have? I’m on 730 Final release.
Thanks
Hello Naimesh,
thank you for this nice trick – it works fine π
any time i ask me – why does the SAP editor dosn’t angle brackets for field-symbols – but now i have an answer.
Thank you.
Have a nice day and your HomePage are very helpfull for many SAP developer !
kind regards Jens
Hello,
I am also using GUI 730 Final Release Patch Level 9 and this doesn’t work for me.
I was very happy when I found this article and promptly edited the XML files. But, it doesn’t work for me. Not before and not now. π
@Malves,
Do you mind sending me your settings file as attachment at zevolving.tech at gmail dot com?
Naimesh,
I could send it, no problem. But, since you mentioned it, I’ve decided to take a look at the settings file: settings.xml, in the same directory …\AppData\Roaming\SAP\SAP GUI\ABAP Editor.
I’ve changed the tag, under , from 0 to 1, as follows:
1
1
Bingo! I works and I am happy again! π Thank you very much for the help, my friend.:)
Oops, the brackets in my post are gone. Forgot we’re under HTML here.
To make the auto completion of braces, change the tag AutoBrace, under Pretty_Print, from 0 to 1.