Difference between SAPSCRIPTS and SMARTFORMS

It is said that smartforms was provided in CRM 3.0 version, but not available in R/3. You can download smartforms into Local PC in a XML format. In the same way you can upload this XML format into Smartform. From the smartform editor itself you can call download option, if you are working in CRM 3.0 environment.

In R3 also, you can download into XML format. However, it's not sure about uploading. Refer to the program 'SF_XSF_DEMO'.

In 4.7 Enterprise, other have seen this utlity which is completey missing in 4.6c. There is functionality to downlaod a complete form or only a particular node. (Utilities -> Download form). It will create a XML file and save it in the hard disk.

For others, if you want to download/upload the Smartforms source, you will need the help from the Basis people. What you can do is to create a Transport and then FTP down to your local harddisk. When you need the Smartform source in another system, you have FTP up the Smartforms file back to the SAP server. Finally, the Basis team, will tp it into your system.

g) The protect and endprotect command in sapscript doesn't work with smartforms. For example on a invoice: First data of position no 80. is printed on page one, other data of position no 80 is printed on page 2. And there's nothing you can do about it. Actually, there is something you can do about it. By using a folder node and checking the 'protect' checkbox, everything in that folder will be page protected.

Well there are a no. of Changes.

Smart forms is more interactive and the windows are easy to define.

Things are based on NODES ( eg - address node ) which onced defined can be assigned to other windows by just draging and dropping.

The flow is maintained by a tree stucture which is easy to modify.

The smart form is called just like a call function where all the calculated values are exported to the form and any errors are imported back to the program.
no more OPEN, CLOSE, WRITE form and no more heavy coding as well as sitting and doing minor TAB adjustments.

Smartforms came into existence in 46c

Smart forms is very similar to SAP scripts . This is also a tool which is extensively used to creat layouts and then a separate print program is created. This print program is used to create the output internal table which ibn turn is thrown to the smart form where the field values are displayed .

In the print program mentioned below ...an output internal table is created by populating certain fields from database tables into it . Once the output internal table is ready , then the function module SSF_FUNCTION_MODULE_NAME is called . Here , in the import parameters , the name of the smartform is given . The output of this function module is the name of another function module .

This function module is again called , in this example , the name of the function module is "/1BCDWB/SF00000007" .

The output of this function module is the output internal table that we have created earlier in the program i.e.. I_YCUSTOMER .

So , in case of smart forms , we use 2 function modules for the processing of the smartform. Once this internal table is thrown from the smart form , then in the layout , the required fields can be displayed .

This is how a smartform works.

REPORT YSMARTLOK .

TABLES: YCUSTOMER.

DATA : FM_NAME TYPE RS38L_FNAM.

TYPES : BEGIN OF T_YCUSTOMER,
YKUNNR LIKE YCUSTOMER-YKUNNR,
YLAND1 LIKE YCUSTOMER-YLAND1,
YNAME1 LIKE YCUSTOMER-YNAME1,
YNAME2 LIKE YCUSTOMER-YNAME2,
YORT01 LIKE YCUSTOMER-YORT01,
END OF T_YCUSTOMER.

DATA : I_YCUSTOMER TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF T_YCUSTOMER WITH HEADER LINE .

DATA : WA_YCUSTOMER TYPE T_YCUSTOMER.

SELECT * FROM YCUSTOMER INTO TABLE I_YCUSTOMER.

CALL FUNCTION 'SSF_FUNCTION_MODULE_NAME'
EXPORTING
FORMNAME = 'YSMARTLOK'
* VARIANT = ' '
* DIRECT_CALL = ' '
* IMPORTING
FM_NAME = FM_NAME
* EXCEPTIONS
* NO_FORM = 1
* NO_FUNCTION_MODULE = 2
* OTHERS = 3
.
IF SY-SUBRC <> 0.
MESSAGE ID SY-MSGID TYPE SY-MSGTY NUMBER SY-MSGNO
WITH SY-MSGV1 SY-MSGV2 SY-MSGV3 SY-MSGV4.
ENDIF.

CALL FUNCTION '/1BCDWB/SF00000007'
* EXPORTING
* ARCHIVE_INDEX =
* ARCHIVE_INDEX_TAB =
* ARCHIVE_PARAMETERS =
* CONTROL_PARAMETERS =
* MAIL_APPL_OBJ =
* MAIL_RECIPIENT =
* MAIL_SENDER =
* OUTPUT_OPTIONS =
* USER_SETTINGS = 'X'
* IMPORTING
* DOCUMENT_OUTPUT_INFO =
* JOB_OUTPUT_INFO =
* JOB_OUTPUT_OPTIONS =
TABLES
I_YCUSTOMER = I_YCUSTOMER
* EXCEPTIONS
* FORMATTING_ERROR = 1
* INTERNAL_ERROR = 2
* SEND_ERROR = 3
* USER_CANCELED = 4
* OTHERS = 5
.
IF SY-SUBRC <> 0.
MESSAGE ID SY-MSGID TYPE SY-MSGTY NUMBER SY-MSGNO
WITH SY-MSGV1 SY-MSGV2 SY-MSGV3 SY-MSGV4.
ENDIF.

With the release of SAP 4.6C a revolutionary change has been introduced with the new Document creation tool, "Smart Forms". SAPscript was based on the mainframe product, DCF (Document Composition Format) from the 1980s. Smart Forms on the other hand is an object driven Document Creation tool that will become the new order of Document Handling within SAP. Although SAPscript has been evolving over the years it has always been constrained in functionality. Customers in the Internet enabled world of today need Documents that facilitate the BtoB nature of Transaction Handling taking full advantage of the Internet medium.

This article will contrast the two Document Creation tools to help the Reader identify the difference between the two and address two significant questions Companies are asking. One: Do we utilize the functionality of Smart Forms by migrating the current SAPscript Infrastructure to Smart Forms? Two: For new Documents do we customize or create a Smart Forms solution or customize and create a SAPscript solution?