Function Example: READ_TEXT ABAP Wrapper Function

by Vicky Bolster

The reason we cannot use the READ_TEXT function in an ABAP mapping is twofold:
It requires table parameters - which cannot be used in ABAP dataflows
It does raise exceptions if no data is found - a condition which would be okay for us
Therefore the solution could be to write a new SAP function module using the READ_TEXT function inside but doing exactly what we want it to do.
The code I came up with is:

FUNCTION Z_AW_READ_TEXT_ALL.

*"----------------------------------------------------------------------

*"*"Local Interface:

*"  IMPORTING

*"     REFERENCE(ID) TYPE  THEAD-TDID

*"     REFERENCE(LANGUAGE) TYPE  THEAD-TDSPRAS

*"     REFERENCE(NAME) TYPE  THEAD-TDNAME

*"     REFERENCE(OBJECT) TYPE  THEAD-TDOBJECT

*"  EXPORTING

*"     REFERENCE(TEXT) TYPE  CHAR2000

*"----------------------------------------------------------------------

DATA BEGIN OF TEXTHEADER.

        INCLUDE STRUCTURE THEAD.

DATA END OF TEXTHEADER.

DATA BEGIN OF TEXTLINES OCCURS 10.

        INCLUDE STRUCTURE TLINE.

DATA END OF TEXTLINES.

CLEAR TEXTHEADER.

data: l_name type TDOBNAME."TR

l_name = name."TR

CALL FUNCTION 'READ_TEXT'

       EXPORTING

            OBJECT                  = OBJECT

            ID                      = ID

            LANGUAGE                = LANGUAGE

            NAME                    = l_NAME "TR

       IMPORTING

            HEADER                  = TEXTHEADER

       TABLES

            LINES                   = TEXTLINES

       EXCEPTIONS

            ID                      = 1

            LANGUAGE                = 2

            NAME                    = 3

            NOT_FOUND               = 4

            OBJECT                  = 5

            REFERENCE_CHECK         = 6

            WRONG_ACCESS_TO_ARCHIVE = 7

            OTHERS                  = 8.

LOOP AT TEXTLINES.

   CONCATENATE TEXT TEXTLINES into TEXT SEPARATED BY space.

ENDLOOP.

ENDFUNCTION.

This function does not have any exceptions by itself, so even if the READ_TEXT function does raise one, it will finish successfully and return an empty text.

ref: http://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/display/EIM/Function+Example+READ_TEXT+ABAP+wrapper+function