ARTICLE
typing - Addition - complete_type
Short Reference
Syntax
... { TYPE {[LINE OF] complete_type}
| {REF TO type} }
| { LIKE {[LINE OF] dobj}
| {REF TO dobj} } ...
Effect
To completely type a formal parameter or a field symbol, you can
specify any non-generic type ( complete_type ) after TYPE .
complete_type can be a non-generic data type from the ABAP
Dictionary, a non-generic public data type from a global class, a
non-generic program-local type already defined using
TYPES , or a non-generic
predefined ABAP type .
specify a data object dobj after LIKE . dobj is
specified based on the rules TYPES ... LIKE
. The bound type of the data object is applied. If field symbols
and formal parameters are specified for dobj , they must be
completely typed, to make sure that typing is performed in full.
If complete_type or the data type of dobj is table-like,
you can use LINE OF to refer to the appropriate row type.
REF TO types the formal parameter or field symbol as a reference
variable. In this case, the same rules apply as for the
definition of reference types in TYPES
. Typings with TYPE REF TO data or TYPE REF TO object
are also considered as complete typings.
When you assign an actual parameter or a memory area to completely typed
formal parameters or field symbols, the technical attributes of the
specified data type must match the typing exactly (more information:
Typing Check ), except when passing literals.
Completely typed formal parameters and field symbols can be used in the
same operand positions as data objects of the corresponding data type.
Type attributes specified by the typing are used during both static and
dynamic access to a fully typed formal parameter or field symbol.
Notes
You can use LIKE to refer to data objects, and also to the public
attributes of global classes.
When typing formal parameters, you can use the LIKE addition to
refer to formal parameters (in the same procedure), which have already
been declared.
Outside classes, LIKE can also be used for an
obsolete type reference .
The predefined generic data type any
cannot currently be specified after REF TO .
Example
In the following example, the field symbol spfli is
completely typed with structured data type spfli from the ABAP
Dictionary, and can therefore be used like a structure of that data
type.
FIELD-SYMBOLS spfli TYPE spfli.
...
spfli -carrid = ...
Documentation extract taken from SAP system, � Copyright SAP AG. All rights reserved