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ASSIGN

Short Reference

Other versions: 7.31 | 7.40 | 7.54

Syntax


ASSIGN mem_area TO <fs>
casting_spec range_spec.

Effect

This statement assigns the memory area specified using mem_area to the field symbol <fs>. You can assign a data object or a memory area calculated from the address of a data object. After the assignment, the field symbol refers to the assigned memory area and can be used in operand positions. When used in a statement, it behaves like a dereferenced data reference, meaning that the statement works with the content of the memory area.

The data type with which the assigned memory area is treated depends on the specifications in casting_spec. You can either execute an explicit casting or the field symbol takes on the data type of the data object specified in the assignment. In both cases, the data type used must match the typing of the field symbol. A field symbol to which a memory area is assigned has this data type after the assignment and behaves like a data object of this type.

The assigned memory area mem_area must be at least as long as the data type specified in casting_spec and must have at least the same alignment. If the data type determined in casting_spec is deep, the deep components with their type and position must appear in the assigned memory area exactly like this.

Using the specifications in range_spec restricts the memory area that can be assigned to the field symbol.

System Fields

sy-subrc Meaning
0 Assignment successful.
4 Assignment not successful.

If a dynamic assignment is not successful, the field symbol retains its previous state. If a static assignment is not successful, no memory is assigned to the field symbol after the ASSIGN statement and the assignment can be checked with the logical expression <fs> IS ASSIGNED. If an assignment would lead to illegal memory accesses, an exception is raised in the case of both static and dynamic ASSIGN statements.


Note

An obsolete form of the ASSIGN statement is ASSIGN LOCAL COPY.

Exceptions


Catchable Exceptions

CX_SY_ASSIGN_CAST_ILLEGAL_CAST

  • Cause: The type of the source field and the target type do not match exactly in offset and type in those components that are strings, tables, or references.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_CASTING_ILLEGAL_CAST

CX_SY_ASSIGN_CAST_UNKNOWN_TYPE

  • Cause: A type specified dynamically after CASTING is unknown.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_CASTING_UNKNOWN_TYPE

CX_SY_ASSIGN_OUT_OF_RANGE

  • Cause: The data object in addition RANGE does not contain the assigned data object.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_FIELD_NOT_IN_RANGE


Non-Catchable Exceptions

  • Cause: The field symbol is structured and the assigned field is shorter than the structure.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_BASE_TOO_SHORT
  • Cause: The alignment for field f is too short for the type of the field symbol.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_BASE_WRONG_ALIGNMENT
  • Cause: You can specify only simple types for TYPE.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_CAST_COMPLEX_TYPE
  • Cause: The source field is longer than 16 bytes and cannot be interpreted as a type p field.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_CAST_P_TOO_LARGE
  • Cause: The alignment of field f is too short for the type specified in TYPE.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_CAST_WRONG_ALIGNMENT
  • Cause: The length of field f does not match the type specified in TYPE.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_CAST_WRONG_LENGTH
  • Cause: The type specified in TYPE is unknown.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_CAST_WRONG_TYPE
  • Cause: A maximum of 14 columns is permitted.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_DECIMALS_TOO_HIGH
  • Cause: Decimal places are allowed only for type p.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_DECIMALS_WRONG_TYPE
  • Cause: A length of 0 was specified for field f.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_LENGTH_0
  • Cause: A length less than 0 was specified for field f.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_LENGTH_NEGATIVE
  • Cause: An offset less than 0 was specified for field f.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_OFFSET_NEGATIVE
  • Cause: An offset or length was specified for field f and the data type of the assigning field does not allow partial access. (This is the case for data types I, F, and P.)
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_OFFSET_NOTALLOWED
  • Cause: The offset specified for field f exceeds the range of the ABAP variable.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_OFFSET_TOOLARGE
  • Cause: In the area addressed in the offset and length specifications for field f, deep components exist (data references, object references, strings, internal tables), which may not be overwritten.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_OFF+LENGTH_ILLEGAL_CAST
  • Cause: Offset and length specified for field f exceed the range of the ABAP variable.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_OFFSET+LENGTH_TOOLARGE
  • Cause: Field f is not a data reference. However, a data reference was expected.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_REFERENCE_EXPECTED
  • Cause: The type of the source field and the target type do not match exactly in offset and type in those components that are strings, tables, or references.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_STRUCTURE_ILLEGAL_CAST
  • Cause: You cannot assign substrings to a field symbol.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_SUBSTRING_NOT_ALLOWED
  • Cause: The field symbol is typed and the type of the assigned field is incompatible with it.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_TYPE_CONFLICT
  • Cause: The type of the source field contains strings, tables, or references.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_TYPE_ILLEGAL_CAST
  • Cause: The type of the source field is a structure and, on Unicode, is not compatible with the target type.
    Runtime Error: ASSIGN_UC_STRUCT_CONFLICT

Continue

ASSIGN - mem_area

ASSIGN - casting_spec

ASSIGN - range_spec