SAP Methods Reference
Methods are the operations of ABAP classes, the callable units of behaviour. This reference explains methods and how to understand a class’s method interface.
An ABAP method is a named operation on a class with importing, exporting, changing and returning parameters and the exceptions it may raise. Read a method's interface in SE24 or ADT before calling it: RETURNING allows a functional-style call, RAISING tells you what to handle, and documented or released methods on public APIs are the ones to build on.
- View a class’s methods in SE24/ADT.
- Watch out: a signature is a contract, so changing a parameter breaks every caller at activation.
What it is
A method is a named operation on a class, with parameters (importing/exporting/changing/returning) and possible exceptions (raising). Calling a method invokes that behaviour; RETURNING methods enable clean functional-style calls.
How to find/use it
- View a class’s methods in SE24/ADT.
- Read each method’s parameters and exceptions to understand how to call it.
- Prefer RETURNING for single results; check RAISING for error handling.
- Look for documented/released methods on public APIs.
Why it matters
Understanding a method’s interface, its inputs, output and exceptions, is how you correctly call SAP and custom classes. Well-designed methods (small, single-purpose, clear parameters) make code readable and reusable.
Common pitfalls
- Guessing instead of using the reference tools.
- Editing/using without understanding the object.
- Relying on memory for details you can look up.