SAP ABAP Objects — Object-Oriented Programming Guide

In this tutorial, you'll learn about SAP ABAP Objects. We cover key concepts, practical examples, and best practices.

ABAP Objects is the object-oriented extension of the ABAP language, enabling classes, inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation for building modular, reusable, and maintainable SAP applications.

What You'll Learn

You will learn how to define classes, create objects, implement inheritance, use interfaces for polymorphism, raise and handle events, write clean exception handling, and apply design patterns in ABAP.

Why It Matters

Procedural ABAP worked for simple reports, but modern SAP applications demand structured code. Object-oriented ABAP reduces code duplication, enables unit testing with ABAP Unit, simplifies enhancement through inheritance, and makes your code understandable to other developers.

Real-World Use

An SAP shipping system calculates logistics costs differently for each transport mode (air, sea, ground). In procedural ABAP, this requires CASE statements sprawled across multiple programs. With ABAP Objects, a zcl_cost_calculator interface with separate implementations for air, sea, and ground carriers allows adding a new transport mode without touching existing code.

Learning Path

flowchart LR
  A["SAP ABAP"] --> B["ABAP Objects
You are here"]
  B --> C["SAP ALV Reports"]
  C --> D["SAP Workflow"]
  D --> E["SAP BTP"]
  style B fill:#f90,color:#fff

Classes and Objects

A class is a blueprint. An object is an instance of that blueprint.

Class Definition

CLASS zcl_employee DEFINITION PUBLIC.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    METHODS: constructor
               IMPORTING iv_name TYPE string,
             get_salary
               RETURNING VALUE(rv_salary) TYPE p DECIMALS 2.
  PRIVATE SECTION.
    DATA: mv_name TYPE string,
          mv_base_salary TYPE p DECIMALS 2 VALUE 50000.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS zcl_employee IMPLEMENTATION.
  METHOD constructor.
    mv_name = iv_name.
  ENDMETHOD.

  METHOD get_salary.
    rv_salary = mv_base_salary.
  ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.

Using the Class

DATA: lo_employee TYPE REF TO zcl_employee.

CREATE OBJECT lo_employee
  EXPORTING
    iv_name = 'Alice'.

DATA(lv_salary) = lo_employee->get_salary( ).

WRITE: / 'Employee:', lo_employee->mv_name, " Error — private
       / 'Salary:', lv_salary.

Inheritance

Inheritance creates a parent-child relationship where the child class extends the parent.

CLASS zcl_manager DEFINITION INHERITING FROM zcl_employee.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    METHODS: get_salary REDEFINITION,
             set_bonus IMPORTING iv_bonus TYPE p DECIMALS 2.
  PRIVATE SECTION.
    DATA: mv_bonus TYPE p DECIMALS 2.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS zcl_manager IMPLEMENTATION.
  METHOD get_salary.
    rv_salary = super->get_salary( ) + mv_bonus.
  ENDMETHOD.

  METHOD set_bonus.
    mv_bonus = iv_bonus.
  ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.

Usage

DATA: lo_mgr TYPE REF TO zcl_manager.

CREATE OBJECT lo_mgr
  EXPORTING
    iv_name = 'Bob'.

lo_mgr->set_bonus( 10000 ).
WRITE: / 'Manager salary:', lo_mgr->get_salary( ).
" Output: 60000 (base 50000 + bonus 10000)

Interfaces

Interfaces define a contract that implementing classes must fulfill.

INTERFACE zif_calculator.
  METHODS: calculate
             IMPORTING iv_amount TYPE p DECIMALS 2
             RETURNING VALUE(rv_result) TYPE p DECIMALS 2.
ENDINTERFACE.

CLASS zcl_ground_calc DEFINITION.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    INTERFACES zif_calculator.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS zcl_ground_calc IMPLEMENTATION.
  METHOD zif_calculator~calculate.
    rv_result = iv_amount * 1.10. " Ground rate
  ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS zcl_air_calc DEFINITION.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    INTERFACES zif_calculator.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS zcl_air_calc IMPLEMENTATION.
  METHOD zif_calculator~calculate.
    rv_result = iv_amount * 3.50. " Air rate
  ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.

Polymorphism in Action

DATA: lo_calc TYPE REF TO zif_calculator.

IF iv_transport_mode = 'AIR'.
  CREATE OBJECT lo_calc TYPE zcl_air_calc.
ELSE.
  CREATE OBJECT lo_calc TYPE zcl_ground_calc.
ENDIF.

DATA(lv_cost) = lo_calc->calculate( 1000 ).

Event Handling

Events allow one object to notify others without knowing about them:

CLASS zcl_inventory DEFINITION.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    EVENTS: stock_low
              EXPORTING value(ev_material) TYPE string.
    METHODS: reduce_stock IMPORTING iv_material TYPE string.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS zcl_inventory IMPLEMENTATION.
  METHOD reduce_stock.
    IF iv_material = 'BATTERY'.
      RAISE EVENT stock_low
        EXPORTING
          ev_material = iv_material.
    ENDIF.
  ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS zcl_buyer DEFINITION.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    METHODS: on_stock_low FOR EVENT stock_low OF zcl_inventory
               IMPORTING ev_material.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS zcl_buyer IMPLEMENTATION.
  METHOD on_stock_low.
    WRITE: / 'Reordering material:', ev_material.
  ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.

Exception Handling

CLASS zcl_division DEFINITION.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    METHODS: divide
               IMPORTING iv_a TYPE i iv_b TYPE i
               RETURNING VALUE(rv_result) TYPE p DECIMALS 2
               RAISING cx_sy_zerodivide.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS zcl_division IMPLEMENTATION.
  METHOD divide.
    IF iv_b = 0.
      RAISE EXCEPTION TYPE cx_sy_zerodivide.
    ENDIF.
    rv_result = iv_a / iv_b.
  ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.

DATA: lo_div TYPE REF TO zcl_division.
CREATE OBJECT lo_div.

TRY.
    DATA(lv_result) = lo_div->divide( iv_a = 10 iv_b = 0 ).
  CATCH cx_sy_zerodivide.
    WRITE: / 'Cannot divide by zero'.
ENDTRY.

Real-World Scenario: Payroll Processing

1. zcl_employee base class with get_salary method
2. zcl_manager and zcl_contractor subclasses override the method
3. zcl_payroll_processor iterates over employee list polymorphically
4. zcl_invoice_sender registers for the payment_processed event
5. Each employee type is paid correctly without CASE statements

Common Errors

1. Forgetting CREATE OBJECT

Declaring a reference variable does not create the object. Always call CREATE OBJECT before using the object.

2. Calling Private Methods from Outside

Private methods are only accessible within the class. Use protected for subclasses and public for external access.

3. Not Using super-> in Redefined Methods

When overriding a method, call super->method( ) first to execute parent logic before adding child logic.

4. Circular Interface References

Two interfaces referencing each other cause a compilation error. Use only one-directional dependencies.

5. Missing EXPORTING in Event Raises

If the event is defined with EXPORTING, the RAISE EVENT must include the parameter. Otherwise the event handler receives nothing.

6. Not Catching Exceptions

Any exception raised in a method must either be caught or declared in the method signature with RAISING.

Practice Questions

1. What is the difference between a class and an object? A class is a template/blueprint. An object is a concrete instance of that class in memory.

2. What does the REDEFINITION keyword do? Allows a subclass to override (redefine) an inherited method with its own implementation.

3. What is an interface in ABAP Objects? A contract that defines methods an implementing class must provide — enables polymorphism without inheritance.

4. How do you raise an event in ABAP Objects? Use RAISE EVENT event_name EXPORTING ... within the class method.

5. What keyword catches an exception? CATCH exception_class within a TRY...ENDTRY block.

Challenge: Build a class hierarchy for a document approval system. Define a base document class, derived classes for invoice, purchase order, and contract. Each has a different approval workflow. Use an interface for the approval step and events when approval is complete.

FAQ

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