Which files are necessary for displaying local value help? The following files are necessary for displaying local value help:
  • One value help file for each domain xxxxx for which local value help should be available. The name of the file is as follows:
    dom.E.xxxxx.txt
    Examples:
    dom.E.BUKRS.txt Company code
    dom.E.WAERS.txt Currency
    dom.E.GSBER.txt Business area code
    For French value help files, for example, it would be dom.F.BUKRS.txt, dom.F.WAERS.txt.
  • 2 domain files that establish the link between SAP field texts and domains:
    domText.E.txt
    domTextScreen.E.txt

All files can be generated automatically in the SAP system (APAB programs ZGUIXT12 and ZGUIXT16). You can also maintain the value help files manually in order to adapt them to your specific needs (i.e. to display only a certain part of the values).

For domains with a very large spread of values, SAP typically offers a matchcode search (i.e. for the material number). Here you can create a value help file by yourself (manually or automatically) with the most common values.
How you generate your own value help files Start the ABAP program ZGUIXT16 in the SAP system:

Choose one or several domains. The parameter Maximum number of values lets you select only those value help files which contain less than the specified amount of values.

The typical run time for one domain is short (approx. 1 second). The size of a value help file is usually between 1 and 10 kB.

It takes around 30 minutes to generate all value help files. The total disk space required for all files (with parameter 400, IDES system) is less than 10 MB.

ZGUIXT16 program generates values only for domains for which a value table is specified in the Data Dictionary (SE11).

You can download the ZGUIXT16 utility from our download page.
How you generate the domain files Start ABAP program ZGUIXT12 in SAP system:

The selection criteria program, dynpro and domain are just for testing purposes. You should run the program without restrictions for a productive application.

The global size of the two files (created for an IDES system) is about 0.5 Megabyte. The run time for all screens of SAP system is about 30 minutes.

You can download the ZGUIXT12 utility from our download page.
Structure of value help files The structure of the value help files is similar to the F4 value help display of SAP. You have one line for each value; it starts with the value itself, followed by one or more columns (usually associated text) that are separated from each other by //. Examples (domains WAERS and BUKRS):

ADP //Andoran peseta
AED //United Arab Emirates Dirham
AFA //Afghani
ALL //Albanian Lek
AMD //Armenian Dram
ANG //West Indian Guilder
AOK //Angolan Kwanza
ARA //Argentinian Austral
ATS //Austrian Schilling
AUD //Australian Dollar
AWG //Aruban Guilder
AZM //Azerbaijan Manat
BAD //Bosnia-Herzogovinian Dinar
BBD //Barbados Dollar
...

1000 //IDES AG //Frankfurt //DEM
2000 //IDES UK //London //GBP
2100 //IDES Portugal //Lisbon //PTE
2200 //IDES France //Paris //FRF
2300 //IDES Espaņa //Barcelona //ESP
3000 //IDES US INC //New York //USD
4000 //IDES Canada //Toronto //CAD
4100 //SAP Australia //Melbourne //AUD
4200 //IDES Australia //Melbourne //AUD
5000 //IDES Japan //Tokyo //JPY
6000 //IDES Mexico //Mexico DF //MXN
...
Structure of domain files The file domText.E.txt contains the most frequently used domain for each field text.

Format of each line:

Field Text: Domain

Examples:

Currency: WAERS
Document type: BLART
Material:MATNR
Materialtype:MTART

The file domTextScreen.E.txt contains all exceptions, i.e. all fields with a domain that differs from the domain contained in domText.D.txt. Each line contains the program and dynpro name, followed by the field text. Example:

SAPMF05A.0110.Account:KTO16
When do you need to regenerate the local files? The value help files have to be regenerated after changes in the customizing tables; for instance after a new material type or a new document type has been added.

The domain files need to be regenerated after dynpro modifications or for a new SAP release, since some field texts could be changed or new domains could be added.
Buffering of local files The domain files domText.E.txt and domTextScreen.E.txt are kept in memory by GuiXT.
The value help files are read each time they are requested.

This means that modifications in domText.E.txt or domTextScreen.E.txt only take effect after you log out of your SAP session, quit GuiXT, start GuiXT and log on to SAP again.
Creating your own specific local value help It is a simple matter to create your own specific local value help for individual fields, even where there is no standard-F4- help available in the SAP System.

Proceed as follows:

  • Think up your own domain name for the field in question and inscribe in into the file  domTextScreen.E.txt, e.g.:
    SAPMF05A.0100.Bschl:GUIXT_BSCHL
  • Under this domain name create a file
    dom.E.GUIXT_BSCHL.txt
    in the format described above

A number of options are open to you:

  • Historysize=
    With a line containing the statement Historysize=n, whereby n is a number 0,1,2..., you keep the input history within bounds. Indeed, Historysize=0 does away with input history display altogether. This makes sense if the number of values open to you is very restricted, say about five.
     
  • Windowheight=, Windowwidth=, WindowXpos=, WindowYpos=
    Defines size and position of the window in pixels
     
  • //Input=
    You can also activate automatic and simultaneous input for several fields by using the following format, for example:
    Descriptive Text 1 //Input=Bschl:40;account:113100
    Descriptive Text 2 //Input=Bschl:31;account:40080002
    In this case the descriptive texts will be displayed in the Listbox. The choice of a particular line will result in the fields being filled with the appropriate values.
    All the valid options in defining an     Input Set are possible, including positioning the cursor and filling individual cells in tables. You can, for example, define your own value help for the initial column of a table allowing the user to easily fill the remaining columns of a given line (giving * as the line number).

 
Checklist Please look at our Checklist in case of any problems.