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ABAP Keyword Documentation →  ABAP - Reference →  Processing Internal Data →  Character String and Byte String Processing →  Statements for Character String and Byte String Processing 

WRITE - TO

Short Reference

Other versions: 7.31 | 7.40 | 7.54

Syntax


WRITE {source|(source_name)} TO destination 
 
                 
         [format_options].

Effect

The statement WRITE TO formats the content of source or of the source field specified in source_name using either

as a character string and assigns the formatted content to the character-like data object destination.

All flat data types and the data types string and xstring are allowed for source; structures are treated as a data object of type c and must be character-like in Unicode systems. In a Unicode system, only the data types grouped together under the simple generic type can be used. You can specify the data object source using either a field symbol or a dereferenced data reference.

The data objects source_name and destination must be character-like and have a fixed length (flat data type).

  • If the length of the target field destination is less than the length of the data object format either predefined or specified using format_options, the output (when formatted and assigned) is shortened in accordance with a type-specific cutoff behavior
  • If the available length exceeds the length required for formatting, the system places the result in the target field based on the predefined or self-defined alignment and fills the non-required space with blanks.

source_name can contain the name of the data object to be assigned in uppercase or lowercase. If the data object specified in source_name does not exist, no assignment takes place and sy-subrc is set to 4. When evaluating source_name, the same applies as for the dynamic specification of (name) in the statement ASSIGN.

System Fields

sy-subrc Meaning
0 The data object specified in source_name was found and the assignment was performed.
4 The data object specified in source_name could not be found and the assignment was not performed.

If the static source is specified, sy-subrc is not set.


Notes

  • If destination is specified as an untyped field symbol or an untyped formal parameter and is not flat and character-like when the statement is executed, this results in an exception (that cannot be handled) in Unicode programs. In non-Unicode programs, an exception only occurs if deep types are used, while flat types are handled like character-like types.
  • Although the statement WRITE TO does not send any data to an output medium, the system may execute a conversion routine.
  • The statement WRITE TO is primarily designed for formatting data for output purposes but not for further internal processing. For example, a field can no longer be handled as a numeric data object if the decimal separator is displayed as a comma.
  • Use of the WRITE TO statement can be replaced in most cases by embedded expressions in string templates of string expressions.


Example

After the assignment, the variables date_short and date_long contain the current local date in the order specified in the user master record. The variable date_long contains the separators defined there. The variable date_short does not contain any separators since their length is not sufficient. The content of the variable date_mask is formatted according to the formatting addition DD/MM/YY, for which their length is sufficient.

DATA: date_long  TYPE c LENGTH 10, 
      date_short TYPE c LENGTH 8, 
      date_mask  TYPE c LENGTH 8. 

WRITE sy-datlo TO: date_short, 
                   date_long, 
                   date_mask DD/MM/YY.

Exceptions


Catchable Exceptions

CX_SY_WRITE_INVALID_STYLE

  • Cause:Incorrect output format for decimal floating point numbers with the STYLE addition.
    Runtime Error: WRITE_INVALID_STYLE

CX_SY_CONVERSION_NO_NUMBER

  • Cause:Invalid format of the source field in the output of a decimal floating point number.
    Runtime Error: CONVT_NO_NUMBER

CX_SY_CONVERSION_OVERFLOW

  • Cause: Target field is too short to display a decimal floating point number.
    Runtime Error: CONVT_OVERFLOW


Non-Catchable Exceptions

  • Cause: Negative length specification for offset/length specification.
    Runtime Error: WRITE_TO_LENGTH_NEGATIVE
  • Cause: Negative offset specification for offset/length specification.
    Runtime Error: WRITE_TO_OFFSET_NEGATIVE
  • Cause: Offset specification for offset/length specification is larger than the field length.
    Runtime Error: WRITE_TO_OFFSET_TOOLARGE
  • Cause: CURRENCY parameter in WRITE does not have type c
    Runtime Error: WRITE_CURRENCY_ILLEGAL_TYPE
  • Cause: Rounding parameter less than -14
    Runtime Error: WRITE_ROUND_TOO_SMALL
  • Cause: UNIT parameter inWRITE does not have type c
    Runtime Error: WRITE_UNIT_ILLEGAL_TYPE
  • Cause: Incomplete rules for a time zone when using the addition TIME ZONE
    Runtime Error: CONVERT_TSTMP_INCONSISTENT_TAB

Continue

WRITE - Predefined Formats

WRITE - format_options

WRITE - Cutoff Behavior