Build a full-fledged, enterprise-ready application using SAP Web Client Explore practical examples that demonstrate SAP Web Client development concepts in a clear, easy-to-follow manner Learn about BSP programming, GenIL programming, and UI configuration and personalization This is your comprehensive guide to developing and enhancing applications with SAP Web Client. Focusing on development tasks and practical examples, this book will take you on a journey through the Web Client framework, discussing different programming layers and development activities via the use of practical examples, screenshots, and code. With the perfect balance between theory and practical guidance, this book will teach you everything you need to know about building a full-fledged, enterprise-ready application using Web Client.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 15 Acknowledgments 21 1 Introducing the Web Client UI Framework 23 1.1 Main Components of the Web Client UI 24 1.1.1 Header Area 25 1.1.2 Navigation Area 28 1.1.3 Entry Page 30 1.1.4 Search Page 36 1.1.5 Overview Page (OVP 39 1.1.6 Assignment Blocks 41 1.1.7 Interaction Concept 42 1.2 Architecture 43 1.3 Tools in Web Client UI 46 1.3.1 Component Work Bench 48 1.3.2 Skins and Skin Work Bench 49 1.3.3 Configuration and Personalization 53 1.4 Extensibility 58 1.4.1 Overview 58 1.4.2 Design Layer 64 1.4.3 Web Service Tool 67 1.4.4 Groupware 68 1.4.5 Office and Adobe Integration 69 1.5 Enterprise Search 69 1.5.1 Overview 69 1.5.2 Search Modeling Workbench 71 1.6 Collaboration 72 1.6.1 RSS Feeds 72 1.6.2 Favorites and Tags 72 1.6.3 Central Sharing Tool 73 1.7 Sample Business Scenario 74 1.8 Summary 76 2 Introducing the GenIL Component 79 2.1 Introduction 80 2.1.1 Web Client UI Architecture 80 2.1.2 Introduction to BOL and GenIL 81 2.2 Creating your First GenIL Model 84 2.2.1 GenIL Model Overview 85 2.2.2 Defining a GenIL Model 86 2.2.3 Creating a GenIL Model 87 2.3 Implementing a GenIL Query 95 2.3.1 Defining the Backend APIs 97 2.3.2 Implementing GET_DYNAMIC_QUERY_RESULT 98 2.3.3 Implementing Helper Methods 102 2.3.4 Conclusion 104 2.4 Introducing the BOL Browser 105 2.5 Retrieving a BOL Entity 106 2.5.1 BOL Splitting 107 2.5.2 Container Objects 107 2.5.3 Implementing GET_OBJECTS 108 2.5.4 Bookings Backend API 112 2.5.5 Reading Dependent Object Data 114 2.5.6 Testing the Implementation 123 2.6 Handling Container Lists and Objects 125 2.7 Summary 129 3 Completing Your GenIL Component 131 3.1 Transaction Behavior 132 3.2 Requesting a Lock 135 3.2.1 Implementing LOCK_OBJECT 135 3.2.2 Backend API 136 3.2.3 Testing LOCK_OBJECT 139 3.3 Creating a Root Object 139 3.3.1 Implementing CREATE_OBJECTS 140 3.3.2 Backend API 141 3.3.3 Testing CREATE_OBJECTS 143 3.4 Implementing the Object Modification Logic 144 3.4.1 Implementing MODIFY_OBJECTS 146 3.4.2 Data Modification via Backend APIs 151 3.4.3 Modifications to Child Objects 152 3.5 Persisting the Changes 160 3.5.1 Implementing SAVE_OBJECTS 162 3.5.2 Backend API for Data Persistence 164 3.5.3 Testing SAVE_OBJECTS 167 3.6 Deleting a Root Object 168 3.6.1 Implementing DELETE_OBJECTS 170 3.6.2 Backend API 172 3.6.3 Testing SAVE_OBJECTS 174 3.7 The Handler Concept 174 3.7.1 Overview of the GenIL Handler APIs 175 3.7.2 Handler Factory and Registration 177 3.7.3 Handler Operations 178 3.8 Implementing GenIL Handlers and Foreign Relationships 181 3.8.1 Creating a GenIL Component 183 3.8.2 Define the GenIL Model and Handler 184 3.8.3 Implementing Query Operations 185 3.8.4 Implementing Data Read 187 3.8.5 Testing the New GenIL Component 188 3.8.6 Processing Foreign Relations 190 3.9 Summary 196 4 Creating a Web Application with Business Server Pages 197 4.1 Model View Controller in BSPs 198 4.1.1 Data Binding 200 4.1.2 Process Flow in a BSP Application 202 4.2 Building a Search Application Using the BSP Programming Model 205 4.2.1 The Main Component 207 4.2.2 The Search View 209 4.2.3 The Result View 216 4.2.4 Handling the Search Event 219 4.2.5 Conclusion 222 4.3 Presentation Layer of a Web Client Application 222 4.3.1 Component Concept in Web Client Framework 223 4.3.2 Model View Controller in Web Client Component 224 4.3.3 The Layout in a Web Client Component 226 4.3.4 The Model in a Web Client Component 227 4.3.5 Controllers in a Web Client Component 229 4.3.6 The Runtime Repository 230 4.4 Summary 232 5 Creating a Web Client Application 233 5.1 BOL Programming 234 5.1.1 Overview 235 5.1.2 Reading Data 238 5.1.3 Creating and Modifying Data 246 5.1.4 Deleting Data 250 5.1.5 Locking 251 5.1.6 Sorting BOL Collections 251 5.1.7 Final Recommendations 253 5.2 UI Component Development 253 5.2.1 The Anatomy of the Hotel Booking Application 254 5.2.2 Creating a Component and Defining the Model 255 5.2.3 Creating a Search Page 258 5.2.4 Creating a Custom Controller 270 5.2.5 Creating Form Views 273 5.2.6 Configuring Form Views 275 5.2.7 Creating Table Views 276 5.2.8 Creating an Overview Page 279 5.2.9 Enabling Navigation inside a Component 281 5.3 Summary 286 6 Advanced Web Client Application Development and Integration 287 6.1 Improving the Web Client Application 287 6.1.1 Enable Central Editing 288 6.1.2 Enabling Breadcrumb 295 6.1.3 Implement Data Loss Pop-Up 297 6.1.4 Using the GET_X_ and SET_ Methods 301 6.1.5 Enabling Sorting in Tables 305 6.1.6 Implement Dropdown List Boxes 307 6.1.7 Implementing Simple F4 Help 310 6.1.8 Implementing One-Click Actions 316 6.2 Integrating a Web Client Application 319 6.2.1 UI Object Type 319 6.2.2 Create Entry Points to Application 321 6.2.3 Work Area Component Repository 323 6.2.4 Work Center Page 323 6.2.5 Navigation Bar Profile 328 6.2.6 Layout, Technical, and Functional Profiles 331 6.2.7 Define Authorization Role 332 6.2.8 Business Role Definition 333 6.2.9 Adjust Authorization Role and Define Organizational Assignment 335 6.2.10 Direct Link Groups 336 6.3 Summary 338 7 Enhancing Existing UI Components 341 7.1 Enhancement Set Overview 342 7.2 Create an Enhancement Set 344 7.3 Enhancing a UI Component 345 7.3.1 Enhancing a UI Element 347 7.3.2 Adding a New View 353 7.4 View Configurations 358 7.4.1 Configuration Keys 358 7.4.2 Text Determination 360 7.5 Cross-Component Navigation 361 7.5.1 Means of Cross-Component Navigation 362 7.5.2 Invoking Navigation 363 7.5.3 Testing the Navigation 369 7.6 Outbound Plugs Delegation 370 7.7 Summary 371 8 Generating UI Components 373 8.1 Generating a UI Component from BOL 374 8.1.1 Using the Generation Wizard 375 8.1.2 Analyzing Generation Results 384 8.1.3 Testing the Generated UI Component 386 8.1.4 Modifying the Generated UI Component 388 8.2 Configuration and Personalization 397 8.3 Attaching a Design Layer Object 402 8.3.1 Design Object Assignments 403 8.3.2 Creating a Design Object 404 8.3.3 Creating DL Assignment 406 8.3.4 Testing the DL Assignment 407 8.4 Reusing Other Components within a Pop-Up 408 8.4.1 Analyzing the Reusable Component 409 8.4.2 Value Help Pop-up 410 8.4.3 Analyzing the Results 413 8.5 Summary 414 9 Enhancing Applications with Fields and Tables 417 9.1 Easy Enhancement Workbench 418 9.2 Application Enhancement Tool 420 9.3 Creating New Fields and Tables with the Application Enhancement Tool 423 9.3.1 Starting the Application Enhancement Tool (AET) 424 9.3.2 Creating a New Field 426 9.3.3 Creating New Tables with the AET 435 9.4 Field Types 440 9.5 Navigation Fields 442 9.6 Extending SAP CRM Interactive Reports 444 9.7 Extending the Design Layer 451 9.8 Summary 455 10 Behavioral Extensibility 457 10.1 Behavior Extensibility via BAdIs 457 10.2 Adding Logic to Table Enhancements 460 10.3 Creating a Calculated Field 463 10.4 Introducing Global Attribute Tags 471 10.5 Adding Custom BRF Operations 475 10.6 Summary 480 11 Rapid Applications and Mash-ups 481 11.1 Rapid Applications 482 11.1.1 Managing Rapid Applications 483 11.1.2 Creating a Rapid Application 484 11.1.3 Using and Configuring Your Rapid Application 492 11.1.4 Extending the Default Implementation 496 11.1.5 Web Service-Based Applications 500 11.2 Application Mash-ups 504 11.2.1 Mash-ups Overview 504 11.2.2 Creating a Mash-up 504 11.2.3 Enabling and Using a Mash-up 507 11.3 Web Mash-ups 508 11.3.1 A Mash-up Example 509 11.3.2 Adding a Web Mash-up 509 11.3.3 Testing and Enabling a Web Mash-up 511 11.4 Summary 512 12 Web Service Tool 515 12.1 Using the Web Service Tool 516 12.2 Enabling the Web Service Tool 523 12.2.1 Implementing the GenIL Adaptations 524 12.2.2 Creating a Web Service in WST 525 12.3 Summary 528 13 SAP CRM Integration with Microsoft Word and Adobe 529 13.1 Integration Scenarios 530 13.2 Technologies Involved in Integration 532 13.3 Design Time and Run time 533 13.3.1 Design Time 534 13.3.2 Run Time 535 13.4 Creating a Template 536 13.5 Adobe Integration 545 13.5.1 Creating the Template in Adobe 546 13.5.2 When to Use Adobe 551 13.6 Summary 552 14 Introduction to Client-based Groupware Integration 553 14.1 Business Processes Covered by cGWI 553 14.1.1 Account Management 553 14.1.2 Appointments and Tasks 554 14.2 cGWI Architecture 555 14.3 Configuring Client-based Groupware Integration 557 14.3.1 Preparing the SAP CRM Server 557 14.3.2 Synchronization Behavior 559 14.4 Synchronization Profiles 561 14.5 Installing cGWI on a Client Machine 568 14.6 Extending the Functionality Offered by cGWI 569 14.6.1 Extending Activity Transfer between SAP CRM and Microsoft Outlook 570 14.6.2 Extending Contact Transfer between SAP CRM and Microsoft Outlook 572 14.7 Summary 573 15 Additional Topics 575 15.1 Task-based UI 575 15.1.1 Creating a Guided Activity Page 577 15.1.2 Reusable Guided Activity Page 578 15.2 Field Actions 588 15.3 Flash Islands 593 15.4 Transaction Launcher 596 15.5 Performance Optimization 603 15.6 Session Management 605 15.7 Tag Library Overview 608 15.8 Summary 610 The Authors 611 Index 613