Using a Web Service to get PDF content from SAP and display on a Web Page

[Former Member]

Have you ever wanted to get content from SAP and display it as a PDF on a web page?  Let’s say you want to develop a web site using .Net technologies and communicate with SAP.  One of your requirements might be to send content to the web (from SAP) for display as a PDF document.  A good example could be displaying a benefits statement or a pay statement of some kind.  I’ll discuss here an example of taking content from the SAP Spool and generating PDF content for display on the web.  This could easily be changed to generate PDF content from just about anything stored in SAP (SAPSCRIPT, SMARTFORMS, ATTACHMENTS, etc..).  The web site will communicate with SAP via web services.

Step 1:  Create an RFC Enabled Function Module with the following code:

function z_spool_to_pdf.
*"----------------------------------------------------------------------
*"*"Local Interface:
*"  IMPORTING
*"     VALUE(I_SPOOL) TYPE  RQIDENT
*"  EXPORTING
*"     VALUE(O_XSTRING) TYPE  XSTRING
*"     VALUE(O_SUCCESS_IND) TYPE  CHAR1
*"     VALUE(RS_RETURN) TYPE  ZCSS_ST_RETURN (not really needed)
*"----------------------------------------------------------------------

  data: err type string.

  data: g_client      type rstsclient,
        g_name        type rstsoname,
        g_objtype     type rststyname,
        g_type        type rststyname,
        g_is_otf      type c,
        pdf           type standard table of tline.

  data: g_numbytes    type i,
        g_arc_idx     type toa_dara,
        g_pdfspoolid  type rspoid,
        g_jobname     type btcjob,
        g_jobcount    type btcjobcnt.

  data: begin of t_text occurs 0,
          line(134) type c,
        end of t_text.

  data: l_tsp01       type tsp01.
  data: oref          type ref to cx_root.

  clear o_success_ind.

  try.
      if not ( i_spool is initial ).
        select single * from tsp01 into l_tsp01 where rqident = i_spool.
        if sy-subrc <> 0.
          o_success_ind = 'N'.
        endif.
        g_client = l_tsp01-rqclient.
        g_name   = l_tsp01-rqo1name.
        call function 'RSTS_GET_ATTRIBUTES'
          exporting
            authority     = 'SP01'
            client        = g_client
            name          = g_name
            part          = 1
          importing
            type          = g_type
            objtype       = g_objtype
          exceptions
            fb_error      = 1
            fb_rsts_other = 2
            no_object     = 3
            no_permission = 4.
        if g_objtype(3) = 'OTF'.
          g_is_otf = 'X'.
        else.
          g_is_otf = space.
        endif.

        clear: pdf.  refresh: pdf.
        if g_is_otf = 'X'.
          call function 'CONVERT_OTFSPOOLJOB_2_PDF'
            exporting
              src_spoolid              = l_tsp01-rqident
              no_dialog                = ' '
            importing
              pdf_bytecount            = g_numbytes
              pdf_spoolid              = g_pdfspoolid
              btc_jobname              = g_jobname
              btc_jobcount             = g_jobcount
            tables
              pdf                      = pdf
            exceptions
              err_no_otf_spooljob      = 1
              err_no_spooljob          = 2
              err_no_permission        = 3
              err_conv_not_possible    = 4
              err_bad_dstdevice        = 5
              user_cancelled           = 6
              err_spoolerror           = 7
              err_temseerror           = 8
              err_btcjob_open_failed   = 9
              err_btcjob_submit_failed = 10
              err_btcjob_close_failed  = 11.
          if sy-subrc ne 0.
            o_success_ind = 'N'.
          endif.
        else.
          call function 'CONVERT_ABAPSPOOLJOB_2_PDF'
            exporting
              src_spoolid              = l_tsp01-rqident
              no_dialog                = ' '
            importing
              pdf_bytecount            = g_numbytes
              pdf_spoolid              = g_pdfspoolid
              btc_jobname              = g_jobname
              btc_jobcount             = g_jobcount
            tables
              pdf                      = pdf
            exceptions
              err_no_abap_spooljob     = 1
              err_no_spooljob          = 2
              err_no_permission        = 3
              err_conv_not_possible    = 4
              err_bad_destdevice       = 5
              user_cancelled           = 6
              err_spoolerror           = 7
              err_temseerror           = 8
              err_btcjob_open_failed   = 9
              err_btcjob_submit_failed = 10
              err_btcjob_close_failed  = 11.
          if sy-subrc ne 0.
            o_success_ind = 'N'.
          endif.
        endif.

        t_text[] = pdf[].

        call function 'SCMS_BINARY_TO_XSTRING'
          exporting
            input_length = g_numbytes
          importing
            buffer       = o_xstring
          tables
            binary_tab   = t_text
          exceptions
            failed       = 1
            others       = 2.

        if sy-subrc <> 0.
          o_success_ind = 'N'.
        endif.
      else.
        o_success_ind = 'N'.
      endif.
    catch cx_root into oref.
      err = oref->get_text( ).
      o_success_ind = 'N'.
  endtry.

  if o_success_ind is initial.
    o_success_ind = 'Y'.
  endif.

endfunction.

Step 2:  Create a web service of your function module:

There are just so many options for generating a web service from you RFC module that I will leave that up to you.  You could use the built-in SAP web service functionality or you could use something else.  I’m using the .Net connector for this example.  Once you have built your web service for this function module, proceed to Step 3.

Step 3:  The Web Code:

Imports System.Xml
Imports System.Xml.Serialization
Imports System.IO

Public Class Z_SPOOL_TO_PDF1
    Inherits System.Web.UI.Page

    Private Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        Dim conStr As String = "ASHOST=<your host> SYSNR=?? CLIENT=??? USER=???????? PASSWD=????????"

        Dim obj_pdf As Object
        Dim O_SUCCESS_IND As String
        Dim O_RETURN_STRUC As ZCSS_ST_RETURN
        Dim RFC_Z_SPOOL_TO_PDF As New Z_SPOOL_TO_PDF(conStr)

        'hard code the spool number (30283) for this example
        RFC_Z_SPOOL_TO_PDF.Z_Spool_To_Pdf1("30283", O_SUCCESS_IND, obj_pdf, O_RETURN_STRUC)

        HttpContext.Current.Response.Clear()
        HttpContext.Current.Response.AppendHeader("Content-Type", "application/pdf")
        HttpContext.Current.Response.AppendHeader("Content-ID", "filename.pdf")
        HttpContext.Current.Response.AppendHeader("Content-Transfer-Encoding", "Binary")
        HttpContext.Current.Response.AppendHeader("Content-Disposition", "attachment; filename=""" & "filename.pdf" & """")
        HttpContext.Current.Response.BinaryWrite(obj_pdf)
        HttpContext.Current.Response.End()
    End Sub
End Class

Testing this, results in: