There were many interesting questions from the people that attended our TechEd session “Build Timeless and Low Maintenance SAP Fiori Apps Faster Than Ever” (IIS108). We talked about SAP Fiori elements, SAP Fiori tools, and how they can make development faster, reduce coding requirements, and cut development and maintenance costs. Here is a summary of what people asked, along with our answers. We have grouped them by topic:
Which is better, SAP Business Application Studio or Web IDE full stack?
SAP Business Application Studio is the next generation IDE from SAP. It introduces some new functionality, including SAP Fiori tools. If you are starting to develop a new application, we encourage you to use SAP Business Application Studio.
Can we configure our SAP Fiori development in Visual Studio Code, similar to what was shown in the demo?
Yes, SAP Fiori tools is available in VS Code and SAP Business Application Studio. SAP Fiori tools offers the same functionality in both environments.
Download SAP Fiori tools as extensions for Visual Studio Code from the VS Code marketplace.
Is SAP Business Application Studio a cloud-based tool or is there on premise version as well?
SAP Business Application Studio runs on SAP Business Technology Platform, so it is cloud-based.
When will adaptation projects be available in Visual Studio Code?
Please use SAP Business Application Studio for this.
It looks like SAP is more focusing on SAP Fiori elements apps rather than JavaScript-based SAPUI5 apps. Is this true?
SAP Fiori elements is based on SAPUI5. If your app follows one of the standard floorplans (overview page, list report, object page, worklist page, analytical list page), use SAP Fiori elements. If you need something else, you can use SAPUI5 freestyle. SAP uses both SAP Fiori elements and SAPUI5 freestyle to build apps for SAP S/4HANA.
Which limitations do we have using SAP Fiori elements? How do we know which should be used (SAPUI5 freestyle vs. SAP Fiori elements)?
This expert paper on SAP Fiori elements has a section on when to use which solution. The short answer is that with SAP Fiori elements, you gain efficiency but give up some flexibility. The choice of which to use depends on what is more important to your organization. It will likely be a mix, depending on the requirements of each specific development project.
The SAP Fiori elements floorplans are fixed as of now like worklist, overview page, list report, object page, etc. Are there any plans to have more floorplans with different layout and design?
Yes. We plan to introduce a new forms floorplan. You will select it during the application generation step. This will be limited to apps built on OData V4.
There are certain requirements that a user wants to use the Flexible Column Layout with analytical tables (because of a need for total/sub totals). How should we proceed?
We have published some information on the Flexible Programming Model.
Can we add in-app extension features in a custom app?
You can extend SAP Fiori elements apps with custom SAPUI5 code. Here is a short video that explains the process.
There are several ways to extend apps, as described in this blog post.
Can we create a template and re-use it for another application?
If you mean creating a custom floorplan and using it to generate your own apps, then no.
There are several ways you can reuse code in your apps. Please see our documentation on reuse components for more information about this functionality. This applies to OData V2 and OData V4 apps.
In OData V4, we introduced building blocks in the flexible programming model. This gives you even more freedom in creating a custom object once and reusing it in multiple applications. The SAP Fiori elements flexible programming model explorer has more information.
Where can I find out how to build a similar travel app to the one shown in this session?
We did this in our TechEd hands-on session IIS160. This blog post explains what we built in the session and how to access the GitHub repository with all the materials and complete documentation.
Where can I learn more about SAP Fiori elements and SAP Fiori tools?
Our 2021 openSAP course, “Developing and Extending SAP Fiori Elements Apps” has all the information you need to gain proficiency with SAP Fiori elements and SAP Fiori tools.
There is so much new stuff you are releasing in this area. How can I stay current?
We publish updates on our products in a bi-monthly newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.sap.com/cmp/nl/sap-fiori-development-newsletter/index.html
The newsletter back issues are here: https://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/display/Fiori/Fiori+Newsletter+Back+Issues
On behalf of the SAP Fiori elements and SAP Fiori tools product team, peter.spielvogel.
- Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
- SAP Fiori elements and SAPUI5
- SAP Fiori elements functionality
- Learning more
TechEd session IIS108 included Cristin Charbonneau from Canadian Blood Services and Stefanie Hager and Peter Spielvogel from SAP UX Engineering.
Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
Which is better, SAP Business Application Studio or Web IDE full stack?
SAP Business Application Studio is the next generation IDE from SAP. It introduces some new functionality, including SAP Fiori tools. If you are starting to develop a new application, we encourage you to use SAP Business Application Studio.
Can we configure our SAP Fiori development in Visual Studio Code, similar to what was shown in the demo?
Yes, SAP Fiori tools is available in VS Code and SAP Business Application Studio. SAP Fiori tools offers the same functionality in both environments.
Download SAP Fiori tools as extensions for Visual Studio Code from the VS Code marketplace.
Is SAP Business Application Studio a cloud-based tool or is there on premise version as well?
SAP Business Application Studio runs on SAP Business Technology Platform, so it is cloud-based.
When will adaptation projects be available in Visual Studio Code?
Please use SAP Business Application Studio for this.
SAP Fiori elements and SAPUI5
It looks like SAP is more focusing on SAP Fiori elements apps rather than JavaScript-based SAPUI5 apps. Is this true?
SAP Fiori elements is based on SAPUI5. If your app follows one of the standard floorplans (overview page, list report, object page, worklist page, analytical list page), use SAP Fiori elements. If you need something else, you can use SAPUI5 freestyle. SAP uses both SAP Fiori elements and SAPUI5 freestyle to build apps for SAP S/4HANA.
Which limitations do we have using SAP Fiori elements? How do we know which should be used (SAPUI5 freestyle vs. SAP Fiori elements)?
This expert paper on SAP Fiori elements has a section on when to use which solution. The short answer is that with SAP Fiori elements, you gain efficiency but give up some flexibility. The choice of which to use depends on what is more important to your organization. It will likely be a mix, depending on the requirements of each specific development project.
SAP Fiori elements functionality
The SAP Fiori elements floorplans are fixed as of now like worklist, overview page, list report, object page, etc. Are there any plans to have more floorplans with different layout and design?
Yes. We plan to introduce a new forms floorplan. You will select it during the application generation step. This will be limited to apps built on OData V4.
We are planning to introduce a new floorplan for SAP Fiori elements for creating apps that are an entry form.
There are certain requirements that a user wants to use the Flexible Column Layout with analytical tables (because of a need for total/sub totals). How should we proceed?
We have published some information on the Flexible Programming Model.
Can we add in-app extension features in a custom app?
You can extend SAP Fiori elements apps with custom SAPUI5 code. Here is a short video that explains the process.
There are several ways to extend apps, as described in this blog post.
Can we create a template and re-use it for another application?
If you mean creating a custom floorplan and using it to generate your own apps, then no.
There are several ways you can reuse code in your apps. Please see our documentation on reuse components for more information about this functionality. This applies to OData V2 and OData V4 apps.
In OData V4, we introduced building blocks in the flexible programming model. This gives you even more freedom in creating a custom object once and reusing it in multiple applications. The SAP Fiori elements flexible programming model explorer has more information.
Learning more
Where can I find out how to build a similar travel app to the one shown in this session?
We did this in our TechEd hands-on session IIS160. This blog post explains what we built in the session and how to access the GitHub repository with all the materials and complete documentation.
Where can I learn more about SAP Fiori elements and SAP Fiori tools?
Our 2021 openSAP course, “Developing and Extending SAP Fiori Elements Apps” has all the information you need to gain proficiency with SAP Fiori elements and SAP Fiori tools.
There is so much new stuff you are releasing in this area. How can I stay current?
We publish updates on our products in a bi-monthly newsletter. Sign up here: https://www.sap.com/cmp/nl/sap-fiori-development-newsletter/index.html
The newsletter back issues are here: https://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/display/Fiori/Fiori+Newsletter+Back+Issues
On behalf of the SAP Fiori elements and SAP Fiori tools product team, peter.spielvogel.
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