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ST - Addressing ABAP Data
Simple transformations are used to serialize ABAP data (or deserialize XML documents to create ABAP data). Accordingly, it must be possible to address the interfaced ABAP data in the ST programs. Serializations only permit read-only access to ABAP data; deserializations permit only write access.
In an ST program, all data bound to ABAP data objects is considered as data nodes, that is, nodes in tree structures, spread from the data roots. To address the ABAP data, you can either access the data roots or the current node. At any position of an ST program, exactly one node of the tree structure spreading from the data root can be defined as the current node. You can access the data roots or the current node directly and, from that position, access the subnodes.
Other versions: 7.31 | 7.40 | 7.54
Note
No reference variables can be serialized and deserialized currently in ST programs. You can, however, bind ABAP reference variables to data roots. This means that these data roots cannot be specified in ST serialization and deserialization statements. Object reference variables can, however, be used to call instance methods and all reference variables can be passed to appropriate interface parameters of called ABAP methods.