ARTICLE
Text Symbols
A text symbol is a named data object
of an ABAP program that is not
declared in the program itself; instead, it is defined as a part of the
text elements of the program. A text
symbol has the data type
c and the length defined in
the text elements by mlen .
A text symbol behaves like a constant and
can be specified in reader positions
using the name text-idf . Here, idf is the three-character
ID of the text symbol. This ID can consist of any alphanumeric
characters plus "_" . The text symbol is taken from the currently
loaded text pool .
If the text symbol is not in the currently loaded
text pool , text-idf is handled like
an initial single-character text field . A
text symbol can also be associated with the
text field literals using the
syntax 'Literal'(idf) and replaces these literals in the program,
if the symbol is in the currently loaded text pool.
Notes
Like all text elements, text symbols are linked to the translation
environment. They can be used in all locations where translated texts
are to be displayed by the program.
The maximum length of a text symbol must be chosen so that there is
enough space for the translation. For example, the English word "window"
requires seven characters in German for " Fenster ".
The label text-idf is reserved for text symbols. A structure
called text cannot have any components with three-character
names. It is best never to call a structure text . This can cause
syntax errors, in particular in structures that reference global data
types.
Documentation extract taken from SAP system, � Copyright SAP AG. All rights reserved