Value help in Adobe interactive forms

By Sanjeeva Reddy Gujjula, YASH Technologies

Introduction

Value help in application is useful to avoid typos and to check list of possible values when user
dont know exact value for the input field. We can incorporate these value helps in Adobe
interactive forms both for online and offline scenarios. This document explains step by step
procedure for adding two types of value helps in Adobe interactive forms. This document
considering integrating adobe forms in WebDynpro ABAP with integrated using Zero Client
Installation (ZCI).

Standard Value help

Static Value help/Context based value help

Standard Value Help

Here Standard value help means F4 help available in SAP; we can add this feature in adobe
interactive forms. Once user clicks on drop down button it fetches value help form SAP and
displays in the screen. Once user chooses one of the suitable entries that input field will get
updated with the selected entry.

Procedure:

Step1: In layout Choose UI element Value Help Drop-down List from WebDynpro Native
Controls of Library Palette.
Step2: Go to Object Palette and in Binding TAB update Default Binding with corresponding
field by pressing Arrow and choose form the Interactive From Context.

Step3: Pop-up screen will come to confirm the update of field properties. Click OK. If you do so
all properties will be updated at the same time the UI element will change to normal input Field.
You need to change this to Drop-down list in Object Palette->Field Tab as shown below.
Step4: Now you are done with implementing Standard value help for you adobe interactive
form. Save and activate your form and test application. Now you can see Standard value help
once you click drop-down link on adobe form.

This is simple and Zero coding required in application.

Static/Context based Value Help

Instead of standard value help we can add custom value help; this can be form context of Adobe
form. In this case there is need of coding. For this value help you need to have a context node
with two fields one for value and another for corresponding text. As we are proceeding with
WebDynpro ABAP, we need to fill this node WDINIT method of WebDynpro view or
controller.

Step1: Create a context node with Value and Text. Text is optional here.
Step2: Select corresponding Values and texts into one internal table or populate internal table
with possible values and bind that internal table to context node.

Sample Coding:

* Create internal table

types: begin of x_country ,

land1 type t005-land1,
end of x_country.
data: t_country type STANDARD TABLE OF x_country.
* Select Data
select land1
from t005
into table t_country.

DATA lo_nd_adobedata TYPE REF TO if_wd_context_node.

DATA lo_nd_countrynode TYPE REF TO if_wd_context_node.
DATA lo_el_countrynode TYPE REF TO if_wd_context_element.
DATA ls_countrynode TYPE wd_this->element_countrynode.
* navigate from <CONTEXT> to <ADOBEDATA> via lead selection
lo_nd_adobedata =

wd_context->get_child_node( name = wd_this->wdctx_adobedata ).

* navigate from <ADOBEDATA> to <COUNTRYNODE> via lead selection
lo_nd_countrynode =

lo_nd_adobedata->get_child_node( name = wd_this->wdctx_countrynode ).

* Bind internal table to context
CALL METHOD lo_nd_countrynode->bind_table
EXPORTING
new_items = t_country.

Step3:

In Layout editor Choose field Enumerated Drop-down List form Library Palette and place on the
layout

Step4: Go to Object Palette and in Field tab click List Item link as fallows.
Step5: One pop-up screen will come and there you need to set Binding properties Items, Item Text and
Item Value as shown below and Press OK.
Items-> Context node

Item Text-> Text field in Context node

Item Value-> Value field in Context node

Now you are done with implementing Static/Context based value help for you adobe interactive
form. Save and activate your form and test application. Now you can see Static/Context based
value help once you click drop-down link on adobe form.

Comparison

Standard Static
Coding Required No Yes
Online Yes Yes
Offline Not available Yes