ABAP Keyword Documentation → ABAP - Release-Specific Changes → Changes in Releases 4.xx → Changes in Release 4.6C

Further Changes in Release 4.6 C

4. New comparison expression IS SUPPLIED

Other versions: 7.31 | 7.40 | 7.54

Modification 1

Scan Buffer Enhancement

The scan buffer has been increased from 8 kB to 28 kB.
Each ABAP statement can now contain a parameter list of this length. For example, a WHERE clause can now contain 450 selection entries (instead of 100 as before) if variable names of 30 characters are used.

Modification 2

New Functions for Strings

The functions CHARLEN and NUMOFCHAR are now available
for strings.

CHARLEN returns the length of the first character in a string or a character-like field. In single-byte code pages, this is always 1. In SAP-compatible multi-byte code pages, this can be either 1 or 2.

NUMOFCHAR returns the number of characters in a string or character-like field. In single-byte code pages, the behavior is the same as for the STRLEN. In multi-byte code pages, characters occupying more than one byte are considered to have a length of 1.

Modification 3

Greater Precision in BCD Arithmetic

BCD arithmetic for the data type P has been modified so
that intermediate results are now calculated using 127 digits (instead of 63 as before). This change affects the internal representation only, since type P fields are still defined with a maximum of 16 bytes (or 31 digits).

Modification 4

New Comparison Expression IS SUPPLIED

The comparison expression IS SUPPLIED indicates whether an actual parameter is specified for an optional formal parameter of a method or function module. The new expression replaces the expression IS REQUESTED, and renders it obsolete.