ARTICLE
User Interface
For the execution of user dialogs, input and output services are
required that can be accessed through a user interface (
User
Interface , UI ). A user interface is used for the interaction
between a user and a program. If parts of the user interface are
displayed in the window on the screen, this is a graphical user
interface ( Graphical User Interface , GUI). The SAP-specific
implementation for execution of dialog-based applications with
screens is the SAP GUI, which is installed as
a software component of an AS ABAP
on the presentation servers of
the presentation layer. It contains all the control elements that are
required for execution of dialogs between the user and the program. The
operating elements of the SAP GUI are represented schematically in the
following diagram:
On the screen, the SAP GUI presents the screen
of a dynpro (dynamic program) in a window. The screen can contain
screen elements for displaying contents or for receiving user actions.
The screen and its screen elements are processed using the
Layout Editor belonging to the Screen
Painter tool. Each screen element has properties that are statically
predefined in the Screen Painter and,
in part, can be modified dynamically in the ABAP program.
As a further part of the graphical user interface, each standard window
contains a menu bar, a standard toolbar, and an application toolbar.
Windows that are displayed as a modal dialog box contain only an
application toolbar. The bars are independent components of the ABAP
program and are grouped together in a GUI status. Also, they are
assigned to a screen by setting the GUI status. In addition to the
graphical elements, the function keys are part of the user interface.
They are defined as an independent component of the ABAP program and
therefore part of a GUI status. The components of the GUI status and the
GUI status itself are processed using the Menu Painter tool. For the
most part, the control elements presented by the user interface are
linked with the function codes, which can be evaluated in the ABAP
program. The description of the current GUI status can be found in the
system field sy-pfkey .
A SAP GUIs window is fully complete when it has the title bar and
the status bar. The title bar, which is also edited using the Menu
Painter, contains the heading of the window. The status bar displays
information that can be transmitted, among other things, during the exe
cution of an ABAP program using the MESSAGE
statement. In addition, it contains system information that can be
displayed or hidden through an icon on the right-hand side of the bar.
Documentation extract taken from SAP system, � Copyright SAP AG. All rights reserved