ABAP Keyword Documentation → ABAP − Release-Specific Changes → Changes in Release 3.0
String Processing in Release 3.0
1. MOVE with variable offset and length specifications
2. ASSIGN/PERFORM: Offset without exceeding field limits
6. New additions for WRITE [TO] for alignment purposes
Other versions: 7.31 | 7.40 | 7.54
Modification 1
MOVE with variable offset and length specifications
You
can now use variable specifications for offset and length with the key word MOVE when referring to source and target fields.
Modification 2
ASSIGN and PERFORM with offset specifications but without exceeding field limits
The key words ASSIGN
and PERFORM now support offset specifications that do not exceed field limits (e.g. field+off(*)).
Modification 3
New SHIFT variants
The new variants of
SHIFT allow you to shift field contents so that a prefix or suffix consisting
of a certain number of characters is omitted. In the character string gaps, for example, you can specify which characters constitute the prefix or suffix (e.g.
"SHIFT field LEFT DELETING LEADING gaps" or "SHIFT field RIGHT DELETING TRAILING gaps").
Modification 4
New key word CONCATENATE
You can use
CONCATENATE to append character strings to a target field (e.g. CONCATENATE f1 ... fn INTO
g). The addition "SEPARATED BY h" allows you to insert the separator h between the character strings fi.
Modification 5
New key word SPLIT
Using SPLIT, you can split a string
(SPLIT f AT g) and place the resulting substrings in the specified fields
(... INTO h1 ... hn) or in an internal table (... INTO TABLE itab).
Modification 6
New additions for WRITE [TO] for alignment purposes
WRITE now has the additions LEFT-JUSTIFIED,
CENTERED, and RIGHT-JUSTIFIED for left-justified, centered, or right-justified output. You can use them when displaying data in
lists and for string processing using
WRITE ... TO. In the first case, the alignment refers to the output field
in the list. In the latter case, it refers to the target field specified after TO.