fabianlupa/abap-annotation-processing

Tech study on annotations in ABAP

AAP - ABAP Annotation Processing

Annotations in ABAP!

This project is a technology study / proof of concept of implementing a framework to manage class based annotations in ABAP. Since there is no native language support for annotations the assignments are done in customizing tables. The current state is still very much unfinished and not production ready. I am currently not planning on finishing this project (the necessary efforts and drawbacks are way too high). Feel free to fork it or take parts of it for reference.

DO NOT USE IN PRODUCTION.

Using annotations in ABAP code

DATA: lo_annotation TYPE REF TO zcl_my_annotation.

DATA(lo_annotated_class) = NEW zcl_annotated_class( ).

DATA(lo_processor) = zcl_aap_proc_object=>from_object( lo_annotated_class ).
IF lo_processor->is_annotation_present_by_data( lo_annotation ).
  lo_annotation ?= lo_processor->get_annotation_by_data( lo_annotation ).
  WRITE lo_annotation->mv_my_attribute.
ENDIF.

More example code

Adding annotations to classes/interfaces/attributes/methods/parameters

Using transaction ZAAP_CUST:

API Overview

Detailed class diagram

License

MIT License Copyright (c) 2017 Fabian Lupa

abap-annotation-processing's Issues

Implement SAP GUI program for customizing annotation associations and parameters

Set up a deployment concept

• Using abapGit
• And or using transport of copies

Developer documentation (abapDoc) should also be deployed somewhere (github pages?).

Eclipse IDE integration

Something like "Add annotation" in the quick assist popup for classes, attributes, methods, parameters.

Implement search help for implementations of ZIF_AAP_ANNOTATABLE

Implement unit tests

Cache annotation instances in shared memory?

Not sure if that would gain or lose performance, or even if abapGit supports SHM areas etc.

abapdoc

a tip, you can have a /docs folder exposed to github pages, see
https://help.github.com/articles/configuring-a-publishing-source-for-github-pages/

this way you dont need the gh-pages branch, and no need to push automatically/manually to pages branch

Refactor exceptions

• CX_DYNAMIC_CHECK
  • Caller is responsible for the error (user mistake for not respecting pre conditions or parameter documentation), exception should not be caught
• CX_STATIC_CHECK
  • Expected fail state of the api, caller should (and should be able to) handle this error, exception should be caught
• CX_NO_CHECK
  • Internal error, should not be caught
• ASSERT
  • Internal state validation, should never fail, if it does there is a programming error in the library

Define rules for when something can be annotated

Since this implementation is not "compiler-bound" there are no technical restrictions as to when something can be annotated. However, semantically there should be restrictions.

To be implemented in each processor in this method:
https://github.com/flaiker/abap-annotation-processing/blob/master/src/proc/zcl_aap_proc_base.clas.abap#L48