ABAP ASSIGN Statement syntax, information and example SAP source code

ASSIGN

Short Reference

ABAP Syntax ASSIGN mem_area TO fs casting_spec range_spec .

What does it do? This statement assigns the memory area specified using mem_area to the field symbol
fs . A data object or a memory area calculated from the address of a data object can be assigned. After the assignment, the field symbol refers to the assigned memory area and can be used in operand positions. When used in a statement, it behaves like a dereferenced data reference, meaning that the statement works with the content of the memory area.
The following can be specified for fs :
An existing field symbol with appropriate typing.
An inline declaration FIELD-SYMBOL(
fs ) . The typing depends on the
mem_area specified.
The data type with which the assigned memory area is handled depends on what is specified in casting_spec . Either an explicit casting can be performed or the field symbol uses the data type of the data object specified in the assignment. In both cases, the data type used must match the typing
of the field symbol. A field symbol to which a memory area is assigned, has this data type after the assignment and behaves like a data object of this type.
The assigned memory area mem_area must be at least as long as the data type specified in casting_spec and must have at least the same alignment . If the data type determined in casting_spec is deep , the deep components with their type and position must appear in the assigned memory area exactly like this.
The information in range_spec is used to define the memory area that can be assigned to the field symbol.

System Fields
The return value is set only for the dynamic variants and the table expression variant of mem_area . If the constructor operator
NEW is used as a writable expression , this operator sets the return value.

sy-subrc Meaning
0Assignment completed.
4Assignment not completed.
8A table expression was not assigned.

If a dynamic assignment or assignment of a table expression could not be performed, the field symbol keeps its previous state. If the static assignment could not be performed, a memory is not assigned to the field symbol after the statement ASSIGN and the assignment can be checked with the predicate expression fs IS ASSIGNED . If an assignment were to produce illegal memory accesses, an exception is raised in the case of both static and dynamic ASSIGN statements.

Latest notes: If field symbols are set using ASSIGN , permission to access the assigned data object is only checked at the position of the statement. The field symbol can then be passed on as required and used to access the assigned data object in any position. To prevent access to private and read-only attributes using field symbols outside classes, field symbols for these attributes should not be published externally. A constant or read-only input parameter, however, can never be made modifiable by passing a field symbol.
One obsolete form of the statement MOVE is MOVE PERCENTAGE .