Is there an ABAP interactive console?

Question

What I mean:

In many IDEs (I know Eclipse and Visual Studio better) there's a functionality called an interactive console.

This allows me that, in debugging mode, when I hit a breakpoint, or I take control of my code for whatever reason, I can execute code that is aware of the context of my application.

That means that I can modify the contents of variables BUT ALSO I can call methods of my objects. in Eclipse (for Java) i could even define new local variables and "do stuff" with them.

I think this would be extremely useful in such cases as when one needs to go through a very long process (in the interface) in order to test the code, and when at some point in code, testing different FuBa calls would help.

I am aware of how the contents of variables can be modified in the debugger at run time, and I agree this basically does the same thing I ask (although slower).

I am also aware that the new debugger (from version 7.02 i think) allows debugger scripts to run, which could generate code dynamically, but this is also too much hassle (although one could start from here in implementing a nice interactive console).

So is there such a tool?

Answer 1

At the moment, there is no such thing (and I'm tempted to say thank $DEITY there's no such thing).

Answer 2

I don't believe there is such a thing that allows you to do this in ABAP.

What I do find useful is that you can completely jump sections of code backwards or forwards to miss out lines or execute lines again. This basically allows you to create your own flow during the debugging session.

You can access this by placing the cursor on the line you want to jump to and select

File->Goto Statement

or press Shift+F12.

You could add in un-reachable code (inside and if (0!=0)?) and skip to this at debug time to set your variables up (and remove once you are finished). Agree it is a bit more work but it is very flexible.

Answer 3

In ABAP debug you can stop the program flow (breakpoint) at breakpoint sentence, when a variable change or be equal to certain value (watchpoint), you can skip a routine or method or any other structured or grouped code, skip from actual syructured block code to the next sentence of calling, you can view the call's stack change values of variables or alter data of tables, insert, change, modify a line. Even you can put an extern breakpoint, it means, breakpoint from an extern calling, for example java calling sap, it stopping when sap starts.