ABAP Keyword Documentation → ABAP − Reference → Language Environment
Formatting Settings
Other versions: 7.31 | 7.40 | 7.54
Formats
The formatting settings of the language environment determine
- the number format (decimal and thousand separators)
- The date format (separators and order)
- The time format (24 hour or 12 hour format)
- The time stamp format (composed of date format and time format)
for formatted output.
Definition
The formatting settings are set as follows:
- At the start of an internal session they are determined by the related default settings in the fixed values in the user master record of the current user.
- Using the statement
SET COUNTRY, this default setting for the current internal session can be overwritten using country-specific formats.
Effect
The formatting settings affect the following ABAP language elements:
- Assignments with the statement
WRITE TO
- Output in lists with the statement
WRITE
- Specifies the parameter
ENVIRONMENTfor the formatting optionsNUMBER,DATE,TIME, andTIMESTAMPin embedded expressions in string templates.
The formatting setting set in the user master record also affect the preparation of numbers, dates, times, and time stamps specified on the screens of dynpros.
Handling Invalid Values
Preparing the content of data object of the types d or t normally takes place independently from their content.
Invalid values are also interpreted as date
or time entries. For time output in the 12 hour format, the separators are inserted at the respective points for invalid values and the output of the AM/am or PM/pm abbreviation is undefined for the following exception.
Dynpros do not support any invalid values in the time fields with the 24 hour format with the exception of the value "24:00:00". This value is saved here as "240000" when passed to an ABAP field of type t. To support this value in time fields in 12 hour format too, it is formatted as "24:00:00 PM/pm".
Time stamp fields of the type utclong must contain valid values to be able
to be represented as dynpro fields on dynpros and only valid values can be entered. Invalid values can be produced by castings.
Notes
The classes CL_ABAP_DATFM and CL_ABAP_TIMEFM contain helper methods for handling date and time formats.