Generate Dynamic QR code from oDATA

Introduction

QR (Quick Response) codes are two-dimensional barcodes that are widely used for storing and sharing information. They are particularly useful because they can be read quickly and easily by a smartphone or other device equipped with a camera and a QR code reader app.

If we can add a QR code to our app/oData call, it can open a wide area of fields for implementation.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

1. Create a page format as of QR size: If we do not create a page format then the QR will be shown in the whole A4 size page and a lot of space will be left empty. Use tcode SPAD for creating.

2. Create a Barcode: We will use SE73 to create a barcode.

3. Create a smartstyle: To create a character format for QR.

4. Create a smartform: To display the

5. Create a class: To convert text to xstring. This xstring will be passed to the oData call.

6. Table Creation: Create a table to store the data to be displayed in form of a QR code via oData.

7. Create oData Service: Finally, we will be creating an oData service.

8. Publish and test the Odata service.

Let’s start the development now in the steps mentioned above.

STEP 1: Create a page format: Go to tcode SPAD.

1.1 Click on the full administrator and go to the tab Device Types and click on display.

Image 1- SPAD landing screen

Image 2- SPAD Page Format

1.2 Click on the pencil button to come to change mode and then click Create to create a new page format.

Image 3- Create Page Format

1.3 Save the page format with the below settings. One thing to notice is that depending on the data, the QR code can increase its size a bit as it has to hold more data in it. Play and change these settings as required.

Image 4- Save Page Format

1.4 Our first step completes here.

STEP 2: Create a barcode.

2.1 Go to tcode SE73 and create a new Barcode.

Image 5 – SE73

2.2 Create a new barcode.

Image 6 – New Barcode

2.3 Use the below setting to create the barcode.

Image 7 – New Barcode Setting

Image 8 – New Barcode Setting

Image 9 – New Barcode Setting

Image 10 – New Barcode Setting

2.4 QR Code is created. Now it’s time to test the QR code. Place your cursor on the new barcode, in our case it is ZQRDISP, and hit F6 (execute barcode). I guess we all are excited to see the QR code in this development for the first time.

Image 11 – Test Barcode From SE73

2.5 Execute the report with any text.

Image 12 – Execute Report

2.6 Tada! Our QR code is ready.

Image 13 – QR Code from SE73

STEP 3 : Create Smartstyle

Let’s create a smartstyle on the top of created barcode.

3.1 Create a smartstyle with character format as the created barcode. Also, create a default paragraph to add to the header data.

Image 14 – Smartsyles

STEP 4: Create Smartform

Let’s move on to create a smartform.

4.1 This smartform will have an input parameter of type string and we will pass this parameter to the text element so that it can be displayed as a QR code. Add recently created smartsytle via the output options tab of the text element.

Image 15 – Smartform

4.2 Save and activate it.

4.3 It’s time to execute the smartform, let’s see what the output looks like. Pass any text to input field. Voila, we got a QR code!🕺🕺🕺

Image 16 – Smartform Output

4.4 Do scan the QR code and it will take you to like to read another oData blog.

STEP 5: Create Class

5.1 Create a class that will take a string as an input. It will take that string and pass it to smartform, generate the QR from it, and then finally the QR will be converted to pdf xstring. As oData can not process images directly, we are converting it to xstring.

Image 17 – Class

5.2 Below is the snippet of the code. We are performing the below activities in the code:

• Get Device type.
• Set relevant output options of the smartform.
• Call smartform.
• Convert the smartform output to OTF format.
• Pass back the OTF xstring as a returning parameter.

  METHOD display.

    DATA :
      lv_fm_name            TYPE rs38l_fnam,
      ls_output_options     TYPE ssfcompop,
      lv_language           TYPE tdspras,
      ls_control_parameters TYPE ssfctrlop,
      ls_output_data        TYPE ssfcrescl,
      lv_pdf_len            TYPE i,
      lv_pdf_xstring        TYPE xstring,
      lt_lines              TYPE TABLE OF tline,
      lv_devtype            TYPE rspoptype,
      lt_tstotf             TYPE tsfotf.

* language
    lv_language = sy-langu.
    TRANSLATE lv_language TO UPPER CASE.
    ls_control_parameters-langu = lv_language.

* set control parameters to get the output text format (OTF) from Smart Forms
    ls_control_parameters-no_dialog = 'X'.
    ls_control_parameters-getotf    = 'X'.
    ls_control_parameters-preview   = space. "No preview

* get device type from language
    CALL FUNCTION 'SSF_GET_DEVICE_TYPE'
      EXPORTING
        i_language             = lv_language
*       i_application          = 'SAPDEFAULT'
      IMPORTING
        e_devtype              = lv_devtype
      EXCEPTIONS
        no_language            = 1
        language_not_installed = 2
        no_devtype_found       = 3
        system_error           = 4
        OTHERS                 = 5.

* set device type in output options
    ls_output_options-tdprinter = lv_devtype.

* Set relevant output options
    ls_output_options-tdnewid  = 'X'.   "Print parameters,
    ls_output_options-tddelete = space. "Print parameters

    CALL FUNCTION 'SSF_FUNCTION_MODULE_NAME'
      EXPORTING
        formname           = 'ZQRDISPLAY'  "Smartform name
      IMPORTING
        fm_name            = lv_fm_name
      EXCEPTIONS
        no_form            = 1
        no_function_module = 2
        OTHERS             = 3.

* Call Smartform generated FM
    CALL FUNCTION lv_fm_name
      EXPORTING
        control_parameters = ls_control_parameters
        output_options     = ls_output_options
        user_settings      = space
        gv_text            = iv_barcode_data
      IMPORTING
        job_output_info    = ls_output_data
      EXCEPTIONS
        formatting_error   = 1
        internal_error     = 2
        send_error         = 3
        user_canceled      = 4
        OTHERS             = 5.

    APPEND LINES OF ls_output_data-otfdata[] TO lt_tstotf[].

* Convert to OTF
    CALL FUNCTION 'CONVERT_OTF'
      EXPORTING
        format                = 'PDF'
      IMPORTING
        bin_filesize          = lv_pdf_len
        bin_file              = lv_pdf_xstring       " binary file
      TABLES
        otf                   = lt_tstotf
        lines                 = lt_lines
      EXCEPTIONS
        err_max_linewidth     = 1
        err_format            = 2
        err_conv_not_possible = 3
        err_bad_otf           = 4
        OTHERS                = 5.

    IF sy-subrc = 0.
      rv_image_data = lv_pdf_xstring.
    ENDIF.

  ENDMETHOD.

STEP 6: Create a Table

6.1 This table will store the data information and also will be used while creating the oData service.

Image 18 – Table

STEP 7: Create an oData service

7.1 Finally we reached the step where we will be creating the oData service. If it’s your first oData service then I would recommend visiting A Step by Step process to create Odata services.

7.2 Once the oData service is created, import the table created.

Image 19 – oData Service

7.3 Do remember to check the checkbox “Media”.

Image 20 – oData Media Check

7.4 Now we are all set to generate the oData service. Once oData is generated, goto DPC extension class and redefine method /IWBEP/IF_MGW_APPL_SRV_RUNTIME~GET_STREAM.

  METHOD /iwbep/if_mgw_appl_srv_runtime~get_stream.

    DATA:
      lt_keys     TYPE /iwbep/t_mgw_tech_pairs,
      ls_key      TYPE /iwbep/s_mgw_tech_pair,
      lv_customer TYPE s_customer,
      lv_xstring  TYPE xstring,
      ls_stream   TYPE ty_s_media_resource.

    lt_keys = io_tech_request_context->get_keys( ).

* docno is the specified key
    READ TABLE lt_keys WITH KEY name = 'DOCNO' INTO ls_key.
    IF sy-subrc IS INITIAL.

* We will convert field LINK as QR code
      SELECT SINGLE link FROM zstoreqrdetails INTO @DATA(lv_link)
      WHERE docno = @ls_key-value.

* Method display of Class zcl_qrcode will convert the data to QR to xstring
      lv_xstring = zcl_qrcode=>display( iv_barcode_data = lv_link ).

      ls_stream-value = lv_xstring.

      ls_stream-mime_type = 'application/pdf'.

* Pass the QR's xstrinh back to oData
      copy_data_to_ref( EXPORTING is_data = ls_stream
                        CHANGING  cr_data = er_stream ).

    ENDIF.

  ENDMETHOD.

7.5 In this step we will goto MPC extension class and redefine method DEFINE.

  METHOD define.

    DATA:
      lo_entity   TYPE REF TO /iwbep/if_mgw_odata_entity_typ,
      lo_property TYPE REF TO /iwbep/if_mgw_odata_property.

    super->define( ).

* QR_Detail is the entity name
    lo_entity = model->get_entity_type( iv_entity_name = 'QR_Detail' ).

    IF lo_entity IS BOUND.
* Field Link will be converted to media
      lo_property = lo_entity->get_property( iv_property_name = 'Link' ).
      lo_property->set_as_content_type( ).
    ENDIF.

  ENDMETHOD.

7.6 That’s it. We are done with the development. In the next step, we will test it.

STEP 8: Testing

8.1 Register your oData service.

8.2 Once registered, let’s see if metadata is loaded.

Image 21 – Metadata

8.3 Guys, please open your QR scanners as we are now going to get them. Execute the below URL and we will get the QR code as output.

/sap/opu/odata/sap/ZSHOW_QRINFO_SRV/QR_DetailSet('0001')/$value

Image 22 – Test1

8.4 Let’s execute another case.

/sap/opu/odata/sap/ZSHOW_QRINFO_SRV/QR_DetailSet('0002')/$value

Image 23 – Test2

Conclusion

As we come to the end of this post, I hope you have a better understanding of how to display QR codes via oData call.

I hope that you found the information useful and that it has provided you with some valuable insights. If you have any thoughts or questions on the topic, please feel free to leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you.

If you found this post helpful, please share it with your network 🙂

Thanks,

Nitin Sharma