Technical Articles
SALV: ALV Quickstart Snippets 🚀
The object model for the SAP List Viewer (ALV) is an object-oriented encapsulation of SAP’s much older ALV tool. Today class CL_SALV_TABLE
remains widely used for displaying simple, two-dimensional ALV grids.
Get your ALV up and running in no time using this collection of shorts snippets covering most of the basic requirements.
CX_SALV_ERROR
) have been left out. Make sure to implement appropriate exception handling for productive code.- Basics
- Column settings
- List selections
- Variants
- Handling ALV toolbar functions
- Coloring list data
- Conclusion
A simple, two-dimensional table in the SAP List Viewer (ALV)
Basics
"Instantiation
cl_salv_table=>factory(
IMPORTING
r_salv_table = DATA(lo_alv)
CHANGING
t_table = mt_data ).
"Do stuff
"...
"Display the ALV Grid
lo_alv->display( ).
Column settings
Change header text
DATA(lo_column) = lo_alv->get_columns( )->get_column( 'COLUMNNAME' ).
lo_column->set_long_text( 'LONG_HEADER' ).
lo_column->set_medium_text( 'MEDIUM_HEADER' ).
lo_column->set_short_text( 'SHORT_HEADER' ).
Optimize column width
lo_alv->get_columns( )->set_optimize( abap_true ).
Sort columns
"Sort a column up
lo_alv->get_sorts( )->add_sort( 'COLUMNNAME' ).
Hotspots
About
Hotspots are special cells of an ALV list that can be compared to hyperlinks or buttons on web pages/apps. If a user clicks once onto a hotspot field an event is triggered. For fields that are not defined as hotspots, the user must double-click the field or use a function key to trigger an event.
Register hotspot column
DATA(lo_column_tab) = CAST cl_salv_column_table(
lo_alv->get_columns( )->get_column( 'COLUMNNAME' ) ).
lo_column_tab->set_cell_type( if_salv_c_cell_type=>hotspot ).
Register hotspot click handler
DATA(lo_events) = lo_alv->get_event( ).
SET HANDLER lcl_application->on_link_click FOR lo_events.
Handler implementation
CLASS lcl_application DEFINITION.
PRIVATE SECTION.
METHODS on_link_click
FOR EVENT link_click OF cl_salv_events_table
IMPORTING
row
column.
"...
ENDCLASS.
CLASS lcl_application IMPLEMENTATION.
METHOD on_link_click.
"Handle hotspot click
ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.
Aggregations
Class CL_SALV_AGGREGATIONS
can be used to display basic statistical facts for a given column. Options include displaying the total, minimum or maximum, and average value.
"Show total for column 'COLUMNNAME'
DATA(lo_aggregations) = lo_alv->get_aggregations( ).
lo_aggregations->add_aggregation(
columnname = 'COLUMNNAME'
aggregation = if_salv_c_aggregation=>total ).
List selections
Set selection mode
DATA(lo_selections) = lo_alv->get_selections( ).
"allow single line selection
lo_selections->set_selection_mode( if_salv_c_selection_mode=>single ).
Get selected lines
DATA(lo_selections) = lo_alv->get_selections( ).
DATA(lt_selected_row_indices) = lo_selections->get_selected_rows( ).
IF lines( lt_selected_row_indices ) NE 1.
"Select one row for this function
MESSAGE s022(upp_pp_k) DISPLAY LIKE 'W'.
RETURN.
ENDIF.
READ TABLE lt_selected_row_indices INDEX 1 INTO DATA(lv_selected_row_index).
READ TABLE mt_data
INDEX lv_selected_row_index
ASSIGNING FIELD-SYMBOL(<s_selected_row>).
IF sy-subrc NE 0.
"Select one row for this function
MESSAGE s022(upp_pp_k) DISPLAY LIKE 'W'.
RETURN.
ENDIF.
"Handle user action
"...
Variants
Initialize: set layout key
DATA(lo_layout) = lo_alv->get_layout( ).
"set layout key for identifying the particular ALV list
lo_layout->set_key( VALUE #( report = sy-repid ) ).
Allow variant saving
"remove restriction on saving layouts
lo_alv->get_layout( )->set_save_restriction( if_salv_c_layout=>restrict_none ).
Set initial variant
"set initial layout
lo_alv->get_layout( )->set_initial_layout( 'VARIANT_NAME' ).
Allow default variants
"allow setting layouts as default layouts
lo_alv->get_layout( )->set_default( abap_true ).
Example: setting up ALV variants
METHODS set_layout
IMPORTING io_alv TYPE REF TO cl_salv_table
RAISING cx_salv_error.
METHOD set_layout.
DATA(lo_layout) = io_alv->get_layout( ).
"set layout key for identifying the particular ALV list
lo_layout->set_key( VALUE #( report = sy-repid ) ).
"remove restriction on saving layouts
lo_layout->set_save_restriction( if_salv_c_layout=>restrict_none ).
"allow setting layouts as default layouts
lo_layout->set_default( abap_true ).
ENDMETHOD.
Handling ALV toolbar functions
Default functions
"Enable default ALV toolbar functions
lo_alv->get_functions( )->set_default( abap_true ).
Custom functions
Creating a custom GUI status
Copying the GUI status of program SALV_DEMO_TABLE_FUNCTIONS
This status includes all standard ALV functions as well as a demo custom function.
GUI Status SALV_STANDARD
The demo function’s attributes can be adjusted in the Menu Painter (via transaction SE80 or transaction SE41).
Attributes of the function ‘My function’ of demo GUI status SALV_STANDARD
Register an ALV GUI status
CONSTANTS gui_status_name TYPE sypfkey VALUE 'SALV_STANDARD'.
"Register a custom GUI status for an ALV
lo_alv->set_screen_status(
pfstatus = gui_status_name
report = sy-repid
set_functions = lo_alv->c_functions_all ).
Handler method for custom functions
"Handler method for custom functions
METHODS on_user_command
FOR EVENT added_function OF cl_salv_events
IMPORTING !e_salv_function .
METHOD on_user_command.
CASE e_salv_function.
WHEN 'MYFUNCTION'.
"Handle custom function
"...
ENDCASE.
ENDMETHOD.
"Register handler for custom function
SET HANDLER on_user_command FOR lo_alv->get_event( ).
Coloring list data
Colors can help draw attention to outliers in the output data. For example, colors can bring negative balances or successfully handled records to the end user’s attention. We can colorize three different levels in the list output: cells, rows, and columns.
Possible ALV colors, output of SAP Demo program DEMO_LIST_FORMAT_COLOR_1
Colored cell/row
Add color column to ALV data structure, type lvc_t_scol
TYPES:
BEGIN OF ty_s_data,
carrid TYPE s_carr_id,
connid TYPE s_conn_id,
fldate TYPE s_date,
seatsocc TYPE s_seatsocc,
t_color TYPE lvc_t_scol, "Color column
END OF ty_s_data.
DATA mt_data TYPE TABLE OF ty_s_data.
Color a particular cell
"Color a particular cell based on a condition
LOOP AT mt_data ASSIGNING FIELD-SYMBOL(<s_data>) WHERE seatsocc > 300.
APPEND VALUE #(
fname = 'SEATSOCC'
color-col = col_negative
color-int = 0 "'Intensified' off
color-inv = 0 "'Inverse' off
) TO <s_data>-t_color.
ENDLOOP.
Color an entire row
"Color an entire row based on a condition
LOOP AT mt_data ASSIGNING <s_data> WHERE seatsocc < 100.
"Don't specify a field name in order to apply a color to a whole row
APPEND VALUE #( color-col = col_positive ) TO <s_data>-t_color.
ENDLOOP.
Register the color column
"Register the color column before displaying the ALV
lo_alv->get_columns( )->set_color_column( 'T_COLOR' ).
Colored column
DATA(lo_column_tab) = CAST cl_salv_column_table(
lo_alv->get_columns( )->get_column( 'COLUMNNAME' ) ).
"It's not possible to change the column color of key fields,
"so unregister the column as key field when needed
lo_column_tab->set_key( abap_false ).
lo_column_tab->set_color( VALUE #( col = col_positive ) ).
Conclusion
Hopefully, this post can be a useful reference when developing simple ALVs.
If so, you can click here for a PDF cheat sheet with these code snippets.
Do you have tips for approaching certain ALV requirements or can you think of any other common snippets that are missing? Let’s discuss in the comments below 👇
Great Work! Is helpfully a lot!
Att,
Marcio
Thanks for the feedback, Marcio
Nice blog, very handy guide.
Thanks Mehmet
Nice summary with useful tips. Thank you!
I added cl_abap_structdescr to read the local structure and rename it with method get_column.
Code as follow :
lo_structdescr ?= cl_abapstructdescr=>describe_by_name( 'STRUCTURE NAME' ).
DATA( lt_components ) = lo_structdescr->get_components( ).
Now the lt_components hold the table with the field name, which will be useful for me to loop and manage the text that I want to change to display on SALV.
It might be better to use method GET_INCLUDED_VIEW, which handles also included structures (INCLUDE TYPE).
Thanks Ethan Tew. Great tip 👍
Hello very helpful and nice
My contribution To add fixed columns,
Use method cl_salv_column_table set_key to mark required columns
Together with set_key_fixation(abap_true) in class cl_salv_columns_table
Hello, it’s very good, summarized overview. Many thanks.
I do have a question. On the first Screenshot above show the Total and the Subtotal Buttons with a little Drop-Down-Arrow.
That’s what I wanted to achieve. Especially on the Sub-Total there is the entry for "Drill Down Total Level" and that’s what I need. But with the SALV the Drop-Downs are not there, just a simple Button.
Do you know how to get them?
Many thanks in Advance.