Navigating SAP Artifacts #

ABAPer provides three ways to find and open ABAP objects: the Open Object dialog, the Explorer panel, and the Search panel.

Open Object Dialog (Ctrl+P) #

The fastest way to open an object. Press Ctrl+P to launch the dialog.

Start typing the object name (e.g., ZCL_SALES)
Results appear as you type (200ms debounce)
Each result shows the object type, name, and description
Use Arrow Up/Down to navigate, Enter to open
The object loads in a new editor tab

This searches across all object types in your connected SAP system.

Explorer Panel #

The Explorer panel (folder icon in the sidebar) combines system management with package browsing and object search.

Object Search #

Use the search bar at the top of the Explorer:

Type a search pattern (e.g., Z_SALES*)
Press Enter
Results appear grouped by type with color-coded icons:

Icon Color	Type
Blue	Programs (PROG)
Purple	Classes (CLAS)
Cyan	Interfaces (INTF)
Orange	Function Groups (FUGR)
Green	Tables (TABL)
Yellow	Packages (DEVC)

Double-click a result to open it in the editor.

Favorite Packages #

Pin frequently used packages for quick access:

Click + Pin in the Favorite Packages section
Search for a package by name
Select a package to add it
Expand the tree to browse contents
Double-click any object to open it

Hover over a pinned package and click X to unpin. Favorites are stored per-system.

Package Tree #

Expanding a pinned package fetches its contents from SAP on demand (lazy loading). The tree shows sub-packages, programs, classes, interfaces, function groups, tables, and structures.

Search Panel #

The dedicated Search panel (magnifying glass icon) provides type filtering:

Enter a pattern with wildcards (e.g., *INTEGRATION*)
Filter by type: All Types, Programs, Classes, Interfaces, Functions, Tables
Double-click any result to open

Supported Object Types #

Type	Description
Program	ABAP reports and executable programs
Class	ABAP OO classes (definition + implementation)
Interface	ABAP OO interfaces
Function Module	Function modules within function groups
Table	Database table definitions
Structure	ABAP structure definitions
Include	Include programs
Package	Development packages

Working with Open Objects #

Editor Tabs #

Each opened object gets its own tab showing:

Object name with extension (e.g., ZTEST.prog.abap, ZCL_UTIL.clas.abap)
Dirty indicator (●) when modified
Close button (X) on hover

File Extensions #

Type	Extension
Program	`.prog.abap`
Class	`.clas.abap`
Interface	`.intf.abap`
Function Module	`.fugr.abap`
Table	`.tabl.abap`
Structure	`.stru.abap`

Creating Objects (Ctrl+N) #

Select the type: Program, Class, Interface, or Function Module
Enter the name (auto-uppercased)
A boilerplate template is pre-filled
Click Create, then Save (Ctrl+S) and Activate (Ctrl+Shift+A)

Save, Activate, Format #

Action	Shortcut	Description
Save	Ctrl+S	Save source to SAP (uses ETag locking)
Activate	Ctrl+Shift+A	Compile and activate in SAP
Syntax Check	Ctrl+Shift+B	Server-side syntax validation
Format	Shift+Alt+F	SAP pretty printer

Activation results appear in the Output panel. Errors include clickable line numbers.

Enable Activate on Save in connection settings to combine save and activate into one step.

Code completion: The editor requests completion proposals from SAP as you type (keywords, variables, methods, classes)
Go-to-definition: Navigate to the definition of a type, class, or method — opens the target in a new tab

Unit Testing #

Run ABAP unit tests from the AI menu > Run Unit Tests. The object must be activated first. Results show total tests, pass/fail counts, and error details per method.

Transport Management #

When saving objects in transportable packages, ABAPer handles transport requests:

View available transports for the current package
Create new transport requests with a description
Active transport number appears in the status bar