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SAP CONSTRUCTOR EXPRESSIONS documentation, setup help and example usage



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ARTICLE

Constructor Operators for Constructor Expressions

Syntax
... NEW |
VALUE |
CONV |
CAST |
REF |
EXACT |
COND |
SWITCH type( ... ) ...

Effect
A constructor expression consists of a
  • predefined constructor operator ,

  • a data type or object type type that matches the operator and that can be derived implicitly from the operand position,

  • and type-specified parameters specified in parentheses.

  • Each constructor expression generates a result whose data type is determined using the specified type. The parameters specified in p
    arentheses are used to pass input values. The following constructor operators exist:
  • The instance operator NEW is used to generate objects in operand positions. The result is a reference variable of the static type type that points to the new object. The input values determine the content of the new object.

  • The value operator VALUE

  • is used to fill complex data objects with values in operand positions, create initial values of any data type, or control the results of table expressions . The result is a data object of the specified type type . The input values determine the content of the result.
  • The conversion operator CONV

  • is used for conversions between data types in operand positions. The result is a data object of the specified type type produced by the conversion from an input value.
  • The casting operator CAST

  • is used for down casts of reference variables in operand positions. The result is a reference variable of the static type type produced by the assignment from an input value.
  • The reference operator REF

  • is used to construct a data reference to a data object in operand positions or to control the results of
    table expressions . The result is a data reference variable .
  • The lossless operator EXACT

  • is used to create a value in an operand position without losing data. The result is a data object of the specified type, derived from a lossless assignment or a lossless calculation .
  • The conditional operators COND

  • and SWITCH are used to create values or raise class-based exceptions in operand positions in accordance with conditions. The result is determined by logical expressions or by a case distinction.
    A constructor expression can be specified in general expression positions and functional positions with an appropriate operand type . The result is used here as an operand. In a
    calculation expression or
    relational expression , the specified type type is incorporated into the calculation type or comparison type . An expression with the operator VALUE that is not used to generate an initial value cannot be specified directly in an arithmetic expression . This is because it never matches the operand type here. Expressions with the operators NEW and CAST can be positioned directly before the object component selector
    - and can occur in chainings .
    Visible, usable data types and classes can be specified for type in the current position. This includes predefined ABAP type , types defined using TYPES , types from ABAP Dictionary, and both local and global classes. If REF is used, # can be specified for non-unique operand types as well. In the case of EXACT , the operand type can also be generic.

    Note
    The constructor operators can be classified as follows:
  • NEW and VALUE construct new values whose parts can be passed (except when the initial value is generated), while CONV , CAST , REF , and EXACT convert a single passed value.

  • NEW , CAST , and REF always return reference variables, whereas VALUE , CONV , and EXACT return all types of data objects.
    Documentation extract taken from SAP system, � Copyright SAP AG. All rights reserved




  • CONSTRUCTOR
    CONSTRUCTOR_EXPRESSION_CAST




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