Enhancements / Modifications in Web Dynpro Java

[Former Member]

Hi, all!

I' ve a more general question: Are there any enhancement concepts for Web Dynpro Java available or at least planned that would give developers the same comfort and possibilities ABAP programmers have?

I mean, will there ever be an Enhancement Framework like in ABAP - modification free enhancements via BADIs or customer exits?

Think of one of SAPs WDJ flagship - the ESS/MSS. If you want to change anything within, you have no other possibility but to modify the sources. Considering this - together with the weak possibilities of backend access via JCo - I give the WDJ not a chance to stand the challenge of WD4A.

Regards,

Thomas

[Former Member]

Come on, gentlemen! Nobody got any information on this issue?

I' m talking about something like customer-exits for Java. View/Context areas reserved for customer fields, exits points in methods to implement own coding.

How is the technology supposed to become widely accepted in SAP world without such basic features common to SAP technologies from the very beginning on.

[Former Member]

Hi Thomas,

I'm currently doing some work for a customer trying to customise their ESS system and it is an absolute nightmare! Simple changes to table layouts and the like are very difficult to achieve due to the overly complicated way in which the web dynpro components have been coded and the backend config is hit and miss to say the least.

I agree that without some standardized way of adjusting the standard WDJ apps it isn't a great product to work with.

Gareth.

[Former Member]

Have you guys seen the FPM editor in Portal ? It simplifies some changes to an extent !

[Former Member]

Hi,

I've been reading lots about the FPM and have decent understanding of how it hangs together with the ESS services but how do you actually see the FPM editor? I thought it was just a collection of Java interfaces/classes that were used throughout the ESS services to help with development and give consistent look and feel.

Gareth.

[Former Member]

Hi!

I' m just going through the hep-pages, but what I can definitly say by now is that there' s no enhancement-concept in sight. This matter is getting kind of really embarrassing and leaves the question open: What the heck should an SAP customer persuade to focus on Java Development? No enhancements, no direct data access, no easy debugging possibilities like in ABAP.

I' ve started with WDJ, but digging deeper into WD4A I' m getting more and more convinced that the whole Java thing was just something like a playground field for the development of the programming model and is now getting more and more obsolete with the rising of WD4A.

Correct me, if I' m wrong, and forgive me, if I' m flaming, but when I started with Java development in SAP enviroment I was quite enthusiastic and didn' t understand resentiments of the ABAP developers against our programming language, but now I' m more and more joining their opinion.

Regards,

Thomas

PS: I' ve - by the way - done the SAP Java Certification and am already regretting it.

[Former Member]

As this question obviously seems to not get the attention it in my opinion deserves, I would like to draw your attention to a discussion a started in coffee corner called .

Perhaps you could share your thoughts about the stepmotherly treatment of Java developers regarding features like the above mentioned in comparison to our ABAP collegues and the resulting problems SAP Java development is facing.

Regards,

Thomas

[Former Member]

Thomas,

Unfortunately, many of your statements are true, and, in general, WD ABAP has far more features then WD Java. But...

1. <i>no enhancements</i> -- but there is CAF framework that provides wide range of high-level UI configurable components. For example, CAF FlexTree is comparable to ALV in terms of features and "configurability". Probably they are not used in ESS (I don't really know) but you may definitely use them in own applications.

2. <i>no direct data access</i> -- is it a good or bad thing? Multi-layered architectures, domain model, you know Actually, this is Java vs ABAP comparison rather then comparison between two WD versions.

3. <i>no easy debugging possibilities</i> -- that's really surprising. You miss remote debugging available in NW IDE (actually, in any modern Java IDE be it Eclipse-based, or NetBeans, or IDEA)

VS

[Former Member]

Valery,

Usually I' d never dare to answer you back, but

a) regarding direct data access: Did you already use the various DDIC-functions WDA offers? Compared to this it' s ashaming what the so called Adaptive RFC with its Java Mapping offers. And for me the Java DDIC has already been a stillborn child. Not to mention the ridiculous SQL/J SAP implementation in comparison to Open SQL in ABAP. If you once made an array fetch in ABAP, you never come back!

b) I just say: /h - in QS or even Prod system - and every bug will be tracked down in its "natural environment" - in realtime! Try to get a debugging connection to the productive AS Java system, in which the bug has occured - get a server in debugging mode a.s.o. Good luck on this!

Regards,

Thomas

[Former Member]

Thomas/Valery,

I've got 9 years working with SAP now, mostly in an R3 development environment but I've been lucky enough to do a lot of functional work across modules and of late have been heavily involved with my company's SAP web development approach.

I have to say that I prefer to work with Web Dynpro Java than Web Dynpro ABAP. But then I've spent a good number of years writing function modules and backend SAP code so that I can build an entire WD application using my WDJ skills AND my ABAP RFC knowledge. I like the way AdaptiveRFC's work!

I also actually prefer to work in the NDS (Eclipse) environment than SE80 in the SAP Gui these days although I agree SE80 and the SAP Development Workbench on the whole is a great environment.

I totally agree on your comments about debugging - I worked on a customer project last year where we couldn't even have debug activated in the DEV system due to technical limitations.

Gareth.