Inspect Your Class in the ABAP Debugger

1. In the Project Explorer, select your project and choose Properties from the context menu.

   

2. Choose ABAP Development > Debug.

3. Change the setting Breakpoint activation … to User and enter your logon user.

   

4. Choose Apply and Close. Your class, which includes an RFC request, that is an external request to a different system / project. This enables you to debug the class.

Note that breakpoints in the ABAP Development Tools (ADT) are by default external user breakpoints. For more information, see: Breakpoints - Characteristics

1. In your class, right at the start of the method, add some simple code, e.g.

   ABAP Copy

   IF 0 = 1.
   ENDIF.

2. At the statement IF 0 = 1., set a breakpoint by double-clicking the ruler.

   

3. Repeat this - add the same code, then add a breakpoint - right at the end of the code, just before ENDTRY.

1. Run your application in the console by choosing F9.

2. As soon as the first breakpoint is reached, a pop-up window suggests that you switch to the Debug perspective. Choose Switch.

   

The Debugger perspective opens.

1. Switch to the Variables tab (to the right of the Class Editor).

2. Add the system field SY-TABIX to the list, by clicking: < Enter Variable >

   This field is filled by the runtime system. You can then use them in programs to query the system status.

   

   For a list of system variables, see: ABAP System Fields

3. Expand Locals.

4. Select the internal table lt_product and choose Show in Table View from the context menu.

   

The internal table appears in a new tab in the bottom panel.

1. Switch to the Class Editor. You have 4 options for stepping through the program.

   • Step Into (F5) Execute the next single ABAP instruction in the program in the debugger. Step into a called procedure.

   • Step Over (F6) Execute the next ABAP statement. If the next step is a procedure call, run the entire procedure.

   • Step Return (F7) Run until the current procedure returns to its caller or until the program ends.

   • Run to Line (Shift F8) Run to the statement on which the cursor is positioned.

   

2. Step through the first few lines of the program line by line using F5 - UNTIL you get to the statement DATA(lo_destination) = cl_rfc_destination_provider=>create_by_cloud_destination....

3. Since this statement calls a system class, which you do not want to debug it. Execute these two DATA statements using F6.

4. When you get to CALL FUNCTION, STOP. You cannot execute this remote function in the Debugger, but you cannot debug it. If you choose F5, the Debugger will hang. You will have to terminate the Debugger session. Therefore, simply execute this using F7.

Look at the Table View. lt_product is filled with the data from the BAPI.

However, in the Variables View, ls_product is still empty. SY-TABIX = 25, the total rows in the table imported.

1. Proceed until you get to the statement LOOP AT lt_product INTO ls_product..

2. Step through the LOOP...ENDLOOP. using F5. Note that the variable SY-TABIX starts at 1, then increments by 1 for each loop pass.

3. Exit the Debugger by choosing Terminate from the main tool bar.

   

To jump straight from your first breakpoint to the CASE statement:

1. Choose Run > ABAP Breakpoints > Add Statement Breakpoint…

   

2. Enter CASE, keep the setting Soft Breakpoint (so that you debug CASE statements only in your own class, not the whole stack), then choose OK.

   

3. Run the Debugger again by choosing F9.

You may want to stop, not at a specific statement, but when a variable hits a specific value. To do this, run the Debugger again and proceed as follows:

1. For clarity, you may wish to deactivate your CASE statement breakpoint in the Breakpoints View.

   

2. In the Class Editor, select the field ls_product-suppliername and choose Set Watchpoint from the context menu.

   

3. In the Breakpoints View, choose the watchpoint and enter the condition LS_PRODUCT-SUPPLIERNAME = 'AVANTEL'. Do not forget the single quotation marks.

   

4. If you switch to the Variables View, you can monitor the values of the variable as you step through the loop.

   

5. When the Debugger hits the correct row in the table, it stops.

   

6. When you are satisfied, terminate the Debugger.

You can define a wide range of complex conditions for breakpoints and watchpoint. For more information, see SAP Help Portal: SAP Cloud Platform: ABAP Development User Guide: Adding Conditions to Breakpoints

You can also specify a specific value for a different variable.

1. Start the Debugger again. Unlike a breakpoint, a watchpoint lasts only for the current Debugger session.

2. In the Class Editor, select ls_product-suppliername and choose Set Watchpoint again.

   

3. In the Breakpoints View, choose the watchpoint again. This time, enter the condition SY-TABIX = 4.

   

4. When the Debugger hits the correct row in the table, it stops.

   

Note: You can only complete this step if you have completed the mission, Get Data from a Remote System Using a Custom Entity.

You can now test the class you created in the tutorial Remote Function Module (RFC) - Get Data from an On-Premise System Using a Custom Entity, ZCL_PRODUCT_VIA_RFC_000. you can start the ABAP Debugger for it as follows:

1. Open your custom entity.

2. Open your service binding and choose Preview.

   

3. Log in using your ABAP Environment user and password.

   The SAP Fiori elements preview then appears.

4. Display the data by choosing Go.

   

You can also debug your application, displayed in the SAP Fiori elements preview, in the browser. This is beyond the scope of this tutorial, but for more information, see:

• SAPUI5: UI Development Toolkit for HTML5: Walkthrough : Debugging
• Browser Debugging for ABAP Developers

• SAP Help Portal: SAP Cloud Platform (Concepts): ABAP Debugger
• SAP Help Portal: SAP Cloud Platform (Tasks): Debugging ABAP Code
• Blog post: Find Errors in Metadata Extensions, by Andre Fischer
• Use the SAP Gateway Error Log in ADT, by Andre Fischer