How to Launch Web Dynpro ABAP from the SAP Fiori Launchpad (#simpleway)
BUSINESS SCENARIO
You want to start a Web Dynpro ABAP Application from the Fiori Launchpad. You find the popular docment http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-58178. This describes the official way to add a WDA Application to the Fiori Launchpad. This is very diffcult. You’ll need many steps to reach the goal:
- customize lpd_cust
- create an semantic object
- use the floorplan designer
- create a pfcg role
This blog describe an easy way to do the same. You on only need two tools:
- floorplan designer
- pfcg role designer
1. Fiori Launchpad Designer
Use transaction ‘/UI2/FLPD_CUST’ to start the Fiori Launchpad Designer. Create a new Catalog ‘Test’. Use this button
for creation.
Continue with Save.
Create a new Tile.
Select ‘App Launcher # Static‘.
Uncheck ‘Use semantic object navigation’ and insert the relative location from your Web Dynpro Application in the field ‘Target URL’. In this example we use the demo application DEMODYNAMIC. The relative link of this Application is: ‘/sap/bc/webdynpro/sap/DEMODYNAMIC’ (also see path in transaction ‘SICF’). Enter a title of your own choise. Enter a Icon of your own choise.
Save the tile and you will see your new tile.
Now create a group ‘ztest’. Select the tab ‘Groups’:
and for creation for the group use th button:
Enter Title ‘ZTEST’ and ID ‘ztest’.
Continue with ‘Save’. Now you have to add a Tile of a catalog. Select the catalog ‘ztest’ and add the tile ‘DEMODYNAMIC’ by pressing ‘+’.
2. PFCG role designer
In this step you must assign you Fiori catalog and Fiori group to a role.
Start the role designer with the transaction ‘PFCG’.
Create a new role ‘Z_FIORI_TEST’ and select tab ‘Menu’.
Add the group ‘ztest’.
Add the catalog ‘ztest’.
Assign your SAP User and save the role.
Start the Fiori Launchpad by using transaction ‘/UI2/FLP’.
Click on the tile and your Web Dynpro Application starts in a new tab 🙂
Hi Matthias,
Great blog to illustrate the simple way to add a WDA to your FLP. However there are a ew things you need to consider when using target url. First of all you can also use the SSM_VAR table to control the urls a bit easier, just use the <> brackets with the variable name.
Also when you do it like this, you can't control the visibility of the tile in the catalog, which you could do if you control the WDA via target mapping. Have a read here: SAP Fiori Launchpad - Control Visibility of Tiles by Separation of Tiles and Target Mapping
Thanks for sharing Matthias. Some other things to consider on top of what Jakob already highlighted, if your WDA app runs on a different server than your FLP you can't use a relative URL. Also you should take care that your WDA doesn't use any Object Based Navigation (OBN) if it does you need to wrap it inside of an NWBC shell to handle the OBN (this is actually what FLP does when you start a WDA via LPD_CUST).
Question.. Guys
Great Blog by the way
My Web dynpro is working initially on my portal was ws created on on my HR Dev system ad transport to qa and prod
external Fiori Gateway . How would i go about doing that
I have setup a new NetWeaver 7.5 fiori system which comes with a gateway. And the frontend server as u know
How DO i get it across ...
Appreciate any help
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SAP Technology RIG
Hi Simon, I had the same thought about the WDA running on different server. FLP is on FrontEnd and WDA is on BackEnd. Do you have information or another link how to get that working?
Hi J,
In more recent versions of the FLP you have the option to specify a system alias when you create a target mapping for type "Web Dynpro"
https://help.sap.com/saphelp_uiaddon20/helpdata/en/33/daedef95454af68903ef1238aa0373/content.htm
I hope this helps get you started.
Simon
Hi Simon
I've used the system alias functionality and experience the same issue when using direct urls calls as well. That is, if the WDA is on a different server / client, once you have called the application from the FLP tile, the sap-usercontext cookie gets populated with the new sap-client. When you subsequently attempt to call anything else from the FLP afterwards (or even have dynamic tiles getting their data) it fails and asks for authentication but with the wrong client populated. The SM59 alias for the WDA is using trusted RFC. Any ideas how to prevent this behaviour?
Mark
Hi Mark,
I wonder if you could possibly get around this using SAP Web Dispatcher as a proxy, you might have to do some funky configuration to route only certain requests to the server/client you want to go to.
Sorry I can't be of any more help,
Simon
I found this and the other blogs re: calling a WebDynpro from a Fiori tile very useful. BUT they're missing one key element. What services need to be active for it to work?
Thanks,
Krysta