The most powerful ABAP library – SAP XCO Library

09/13/2021

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The SAP XCO library is a general-purpose ABAP library that provides an efficient ABAP development experience.

It provides tools for generating development objects programmatically by providing a hierarchy of APIs based on classes.

Table of Contents

This blog post will learn more about this new efficient and more powerful XCO ABAP development library.

SAP XCO Library

The ABAP XCO (“Extension Components”) library is a general-purpose development library designed to make ABAP development as efficient as possible. The SAP XCO library is organized as a collection of independent modules.

There are several modules within the XCO library, each of which focuses on a different functional area. Every module exposes its public API through a particular class, called the API “class” of the module.

In each module, the API class serves as the point of entry to all offered functionality. The name of the API class starts with “XCO_CP_” (or) “XCO_KU_.”

History of SAP ABAP XCO Library

XCO library was initially introduced in SAP BTP ABAP Environment (aka Steampunk) 2005 and ABAP Platform on-premise S/4 HANA 2020.

With the 2008 release, the SAP XCO Library is now publicly available on the SAP Cloud Platform ABAP Environment (aka Steampunk).

Overview of XCO Modules

The library comprises three types of modules

Cloud Platform(CP) edition
Key User edition
On-premise edition

When writing this blog, below is the list of modules available in both ABAP Environment on-premise S/4 HANA 2020 and SAP BTP A BAP Environment.

1. Key User Extensibility XCO Modules:

Below are the 4 ABAP Key User XCO modules. The key user (KU) edition of the SAP XCO library provides a set of functions that support typical In-App Extensibility scenarios.

API Class Name	Description
XCO_KU_JSON	It works with JSON data as simply as possible
XCO_KU_REGULAR_EXPRESSION	It works with POSIX and PCRE regular expressions in ABAP
XCO_KU_STRING	This API works with strings like splitting and joining
XCO_KU_UUID	It provides a simple way to translate between different UUID formats

2. Cloud Platform(CP) XCO Modules:

Below is the list of XCO APIs available as part of the ABAP Cloud Platform edition.

API Class Name	Description
XCO_CP_ABAP	It provides access to conceptual abstractions for classes and interfaces and representations of ABAP built-in and generic types.
XCO_CP_ABAP_DICTIONARY	It provides access to conceptual abstractions for ABAP Dictionary elements (Database tables, data elements, structures, table types, and domains) and representations of ABAP Dictionary built-in types and their corresponding reference types.
XCO_CP_ABAP_OBJECTS	It provides access to enumerations specific to ABAP Objects.
XCO_CP_ABAP_REPOSITORY	It provides APIs and abstractions for retrieving and filtering development objects of the ABAP Repository.
XCO_CP_ABAP_SQL	It provides methods for building ABAP SQL constraints to be used in conjunction with filtering functionality.
XCO_CP_DATA_DEFINITION	It provides access to enumerations and text attributes specific to CDS data definitions.
XCO_CP_DATA_ELEMENT	It provides access to text attributes specific to data elements
XCO_CP_DATABASE_TABLE	It provides access to database table-specific enumerations, e.g., the size category of a database table.
XCO_CP_DOMAIN	It provides access to text attributes specific to domains.
XCO_CP_DDL	It provides ways to build DDL (Data definition language) expressions to be used when generating DDLS objects.
XCO_CP_DCL	It provides ways to build DCL (Data control language) expressions to be used when generating DCLS objects
XCO_CP_CDS	It provides access to enumerations specific to the field of Core Data Services (CDS) and conceptual abstractions for behavior definitions, data definitions, metadata extensions, and CDS entities.
XCO_CP_CDS_ANNOTATION	It provides ways to build CDS annotation values when generating DDLS, DDLX, or SRVD objects.
XCO_CP_AMDP	It provides access to enumerations in the context of ABAP-managed database procedures.
XCO_CP_ARS	It provides standard abstractions in the context of the API Release (ARS) framework when programmatically setting or getting API states.
XCO_CP_BAL	It provides APIs for creating, deleting, and searching logs and standard abstractions for integrating logging functionality into the custom application logic.
XCO_CP_BEHAVIOR_DEFINITION	It provides access to enumerations specific to behavior definitions.
XCO_CP_BEHAVIOR_IMPLEMENTATION	It provides access to enumerations specific to behavior implementations.
XCO_CP_GENERATION	Provides access to the XCO Generation APIs, i.e., allows obtaining a generation environment that can be used to create PUT and DELETE operations.
XCO_CP_I18N	Provides access to the XCO I18N APIs, i.e., allows obtaining a domain, data element, data definition, and message class targets used to maintain language-dependent texts programmatically.
XCO_CP_JSON	Provides access to facilities used when working with JSON data in the context of the XCO standard library, such as the JSON builder or standard JSON transformations.
XCO_CP_MESSAGE	It provides access to enumerations specific to messages, such as the message type.
XCO_CP_METADATA_EXTENSION	It provides access to enumerations specific to metadata extensions.
XCO_CP_PACKAGE	It provides access to enumerations specific to packages.
XCO_CP_REGULAR_EXPRESSION	Provides access to abstractions used when working with regular expressions, such as different regular expression engines.
XCO_CP_SERVICE_BINDING	It provides access to enumerations specific to service bindings.
XCO_CP_SOFTWARE_COMPONENT	It provides access to enumerations specific to software components.
XCO_CP_STRING	It provides access to abstractions used when working with strings, such as string builders or standard compositions and decompositions.
XCO_CP_SYSTEM	It provides access to abstractions for system-wide entities such as software components or application components.
XCO_CP_TABLE	It provides access to enumerations specific to tables (i.e., structures and database tables).
XCO_CP_TABLE_TYPE	It provides access to enumerations specific to table types.
XCO_CP_TRANSPORT	It provides access to enumerations and abstractions specific to transports.
XCO_CP_UUID	It provides access to abstractions used when working with UUIDs, such as different UUID formats.

3. ABAP On-premise XCO Modules

Below is the list of XCO modules we can use with on-premise S/4 HANA 2020. Most of the CP and on-premise edition APIs are similar.

API Class Name	Description
XCO_ABAP_DICTIONARY	It provides access to conceptual abstractions for ABAP Dictionary elements (Database tables, data elements, structures, table types, and domains) and representations of ABAP Dictionary built-in types and their corresponding reference types.
XCO_ABAP_LANGUAGE_VERSION	It provides APIs for the ABAP language version.
XCO_ABAP_OBJECTS	It provides access to enumerations specific to ABAP Objects.
XCO_ABAP_REPOSITORY	It provides APIs and abstractions for retrieving and filtering development objects of the ABAP Repository.
XCO_ABAP_REPOSITORY_TD	It provides APIs for the Double Test framework
XCO_ABAP_SQL	It provides methods for building ABAP SQL constraints to be used in conjunction with filtering functionality.

The RAP Generator

RAP Generator makes it easier for the developer to programmatically create the complete stack of objects needed to implement a RAP business object.

Now that we know how powerful ABAP development is, the XCO library, the famous RAP Generator by Andre Fischer, is based on this XCO framework.

Demo Time

Let’s write some ABAP code to create an ABAP repository object programmatically; SE11 Table using XCO Generation, a part of the XCO (“Extension Components”) ABAP development library.

Below is the sample code which creates a DDIC table using XCO APIs; we make it simple to understand.

CONSTANTS:
  co_package   TYPE sxco_package VALUE 'ZDEMO'.

DATA(lo_transport_target) = xco_abap_repository=>package->for( co_package
        )->read(
        )-property-transport_layer->get_transport_target( ).

"Create a TR
DATA(lo_transport_request) = xco_cp_cts=>transports->workbench( lo_transport_target->value
        )->create_request( 'Generated transport request' ).


DATA(lo_put_operation) = xco_cp_generation=>environment->dev_system( lo_transport_request->value
  )->create_put_operation( ).

" Add the database table to the PUT operation.
DATA(lo_database_table) = lo_put_operation->for-tabl-for-database_table->add_object( 'ZTBL_XCO_DEMO'
  )->set_package( co_package
  )->create_form_specification( ).
lo_database_table->set_short_description( 'My generated database table' ).
lo_database_table->set_delivery_class( xco_cp_database_table=>delivery_class->l ).
lo_database_table->set_data_maintenance( xco_cp_database_table=>data_maintenance->allowed ).

lo_database_table->add_field( 'KEY_FIELD'
  )->set_key_indicator(
  )->set_type( xco_cp_abap_dictionary=>built_in_type->char( 30 )
  )->set_not_null( ).

" Further fields (including information about foreign keys, search helps, etc.) can be
" added following the same pattern.

lo_put_operation->execute( ).

You will create the following database table (or their update for those that already exist) and their activation as one mass activation by executing this code.

Conclusion

Congrats!! You have successfully learned SAP XCO( “Extension Components” ).

What is the SAP XCO Library?
What are the different SAP XCO Modules and APIs?
How to create, update and delete ABAP repository objects programmatically using XCO Library?