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Functions and Expressions for Operand Positions

• Writer Positions

• Reader Positions

Other versions: 7.31 | 7.40 | 7.54

Writer Positions

Expressions that can be specified in writer positions are

• Declaration expressions

• ... DATA(...) ...

• ... FIELD-SYMBOL(...) ...

• Writable expressions

• The constructor expressions NEW class( ... )->attr and CAST type( ... )->dobj

• Table expressions itab[ ... ] and their chainings

Reader Positions

• Functions that can be specified in reader positions are

• Predefined functions
  
  ... func( arg ) ...
... func( val = arg p1 = arg1 p2 = arg2 ... ) ...
  

• Functional methods
  
  ... meth( ) ...
... meth( a ) ...
... meth( p1 = a1 p2 = a2 ... ) ...
  ... meth( [EXPORTING  p1 = a1 p2 = a2 ...]
            [IMPORTING  p1 = a1 p2 = a2 ...]
            [CHANGING   p1 = a1 p2 = a2 ...] ) ...
  

• Method chaining
  
  Chained method call:
  
  ... ...->meth1( ... )->meth2( ... )->...->meth( ... ) ...
  
  Chained attribute access:
  
  ... ...->meth1( ... )->meth2( ... )->...->attr ...
  

• Expressions that can be specified in reader positions are
  
  Calculation expressions:

• Arithmetic expressions
  
  ... arith_exp ...
  

• Bit expressions
  
  ... bit_exp ...
  

• String expressions
  
  ... string_exp ...

Constructor expressions:

• Instance operator
  
  NEW
  

• Value operator
  
  VALUE
  

• Conversion operator
  
  CONV
  

• Component operator
  
  CORRESPONDING
  

• Casting operator
  
  CAST
  

• Reference operator
  
  REF
  

• Lossless operator
  
  EXACT
  

• Reduction operator
  
  REDUCE
  

• Filter operator
  
  FILTER
  

• Conditional operator
  
  COND, SWITCH

Notes

• Functions with numeric return values and arithmetic expressions are combined in numeric expressions.

• Functions with character-like return values and string expressions are combined as character-like expressions.

• Functions with a byte-like return values and bit expressions are combined as byte-like expressions.

Example

Numeric expression as an index specified for an internal table.

DATA: itab TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF i, 
      wa   LIKE LINE OF itab, 
      n    TYPE i. 

... 

READ TABLE itab INDEX lines( itab ) - n 
                INTO wa.