Applying filters to F4 Search help - how so with many entries?

Question

Hello all,
I have a problem that I have to filter a search help for employees. We use a DB view that unions infotypes 1, 2 and 105. Now I need to restrict potential employees to a given company code BUKRS.
I now invoke search help in REQUEST ON-VALUE REQUEST within a DynPro screen and call function module F4IF_INT_TABLE_VALUE_REQUEST which I am passing the restricted internal table.
Fine, that works - however, in the DynPro (which is actually used as an EWT within our portal), the entire internal table is sent to the frontent instead of, say, 250 or so.
The search help dialog offers the possibility to manually restrict for first and last name - is it perhaps possible, that this search only applies on the server (ITAB) and just returns the results according to the user input?
Otherwise, sending all potential employees to the frontend is consuming too much resources (time and traffic).
In function group SDHI there is an "example" module F4IF_SHLP_EXIT_EXAMPLE which tries to explain how to use callbacks but from my point of view I understand very few (it misses the big picture).
Do you know an alternative, e.g. using the other module F4IF_FIELD_VALUE_REQUEST and to apply a filter to BUKRS using a callback mechanism? There are module parameters indicating that possibility (passing some report?). Perhaps one of you has some sample code, because I am much more trained in BAPI and web stuff only...
Any hints? Thank you in Advance!
Regards,
Timo

Answer 1

Hi,
if I can understand you, you tell me that you search information in the view and all found records (let´s say 300) are saved in the internal table, which in time you pass to function F4IF_INT_TABLE_VALUE_REQUEST for display. Now, you think it is too much to display 300 records because of time and traffic.
Try this:
REPORT ztest NO STANDARD PAGE HEADING.
TABLES mara.
DATA: mytable TYPE TABLE OF ddshretval WITH HEADER LINE.
DATA l_repid TYPE syrepid.
PARAMETERS p_mtart LIKE mara-mtart.
AT SELECTION-SCREEN ON VALUE-REQUEST
             FOR p_mtart.
  l_repid = sy-repid.
  CALL FUNCTION 'F4IF_FIELD_VALUE_REQUEST'
    EXPORTING
      tabname           = 'MARA'
      fieldname         = 'MTART'
      dynpprog          = l_repid
      callback_program  = l_repid
      callback_form     = 'F4CALLBACK'
    TABLES
      return_tab        = mytable
    EXCEPTIONS
      field_not_found   = 1
      no_help_for_field = 2
      inconsistent_help = 3
      no_values_found   = 4
      OTHERS            = 5.
START-OF-SELECTION.
*&      Form  F4_form
      Exclude all material types that start with F & H
FORM f4callback
     TABLES   record_tab STRUCTURE seahlpres
     CHANGING shlp TYPE shlp_descr
              callcontrol LIKE ddshf4ctrl.
  DATA: aux_struc TYPE ddshselopt.
  MOVE: 'H_T134' to aux_struc-shlpname,
        'MTART'  TO aux_struc-shlpfield,
        'E'      TO aux_struc-sign,
        'CP'     TO aux_struc-option,
        'F*'     TO aux_struc-low.
  append aux_struc to SHLP-SELOPT.
  MOVE: 'H_T134' to aux_struc-shlpname,
        'MTART'  TO aux_struc-shlpfield,
        'E'      TO aux_struc-sign,
        'CP'     TO aux_struc-option,
        'H*'     TO aux_struc-low.
  append aux_struc to SHLP-SELOPT.
ENDFORM.                                                    "F4_form