Structure and Style
This section covers all aspects of a program that have no direct
influence on its functionality. These aspects remain hidden to users
when they use the program. However, structure and style are very
significant for the traceability of the program flow by a human viewer.
The source code must be designed in such a way that a person other than
the program developer can work with it properly. There are many
situations in which this is necessary, for example:
A review or code inspection is taking place.
Another developer needs to examine the program in order to process an
error message (hotline, development support).
The program has been completely transferred from the development
department to the maintenance department, where it is maintained and
possibly developed further.
A program that was delivered by an organization (for example, SAP) is to
be modified or developed further in other organizations (for example, at
SAP partners or customers).
A sound program structure and programming style is very important beyond
these situations as well, because developers need to be able to quickly
orient themselves in their code even if they have not worked on the
program for a while.
Source code needs to be read and understood time and time again during
the software lifecycle. In practice, it is not realistic for any program
that contains more than a few lines that source code can be delivered
just once and will require no further maintenance. As well as complying
with general standards such as functional correctness and performance, a
program must be developed in such a way that its source code meets the
requirements of the human reader.
The following guidelines help produce comprehensible and traceable ABAP
source codes. Of course, since #beauty is in the eye of the beholder#,
opinions on style vary from individual to individual and are the topic
of much discussion. For this reason, the following recommendations are
limited to those issues for which there is general consensus. These are
mostly generally accepted guidelines that often apply to any programming
language. The aim here is not to dictate a specific programming style,
but rather to ensure an appropriate programming style. A developer must
feel at home with his own sources so that he can work efficiently.
Stringent style specifications can sometimes do more harm than good.
Source Code Formatting
Naming
Comments
Program and Procedure Structure
Source Code Organization
Alternative Spellings
Complexity
Documentation extract taken from SAP system, � Copyright SAP AG. All rights reserved