How can I pass a docking container to a program in a non-simple context?

Question

Dear colleagues,
I want to pass a docking container like the one in SE80 to another program.
The following code works fine:
REPORT z_moving_dock.
DATA: cl_docker type REF TO cl_gui_docking_container.
PARAMETERS: test.
INITIALIZATION.
  CREATE OBJECT cl_docker EXPORTING no_autodef_progid_dynnr = 'X'.
END-OF-SELECTION.
  WRITE:/ test.
But I cannot extend this to my current program. There I sourced out anything related to the GUI into a function group to obey the MVC paradigma. (That's maybe the error in reasoning, but I'm following the book Design Patterns in Object-Oriented ABAP from SAP Press and -- of course -- good and healthy programming style.)
So it's a function group which knows the dynpros and controls, the main program knows only the data.
Now I have a docking container like the one in SE80. We have many working older programs and I want to switch to them carrying the docking container with me. I have searched the Demos in SAP, the Online Help, the SAP Library, Books, the Web, this Forum, but none of them goes beyond the simpler examples that always work.
I tried the LINK method on the docking container. I tried it before calling the new program (btw. by SUBMIT). I tried it afterwards from the called program (via a function module from the aforementioned group -- but the group is tied to the old program context and therefore I am in a new "instance" of it). I tried different values for REPID and DYNNR in LINK. I debugged SE80 -- too complicated!
If it works well I get the container back when I return to the calling program. If it works badly the container is completely lost.
Perhaps I should export something to memory?
But I strongly would prefer not to alter the called programs: In the future I might also want to call a SAP standard program.
I also didn't find some documentation explaining what is going on in the background so I could figure out in which direction to "think".
I also tested the following code on SAP R/3 4.7 and SAP ERP 2005 with the same results.
In the meantime I also created a minimal example. First the triggering report:
REPORT z_moving_docking_container.
DATA: g_example TYPE REF TO zcl_moving_docking_container.
CREATE OBJECT g_example.
This obviously calls the main class ZCL_MOVING_DOCKING_CONTAINER which has only this constructor:
METHOD constructor.
  CALL FUNCTION 'Z_SHOW_DYNPRO'.
ENDMETHOD.
Normally this class should handle the business logic. Here it only calls this function module. In the appropriate function group, say Z_MOVING_DOCKING_CONTAINER, I have these declarations in the TOP-Include:
FUNCTION-POOL z_moving_docking_container.
DATA:
  gv_okcode TYPE ui_func,
  go_docker TYPE REF TO cl_gui_docking_container.
The function group also contains a dynpro 9000 with this flow logic:
PROCESS BEFORE OUTPUT.
  MODULE status_9000.
PROCESS AFTER INPUT.
  MODULE user_command_9000.
The modules are straightforward:
MODULE status_9000 OUTPUT.
  SET PF-STATUS '9000'.
  IF go_docker IS INITIAL.
    CREATE OBJECT go_docker
           EXPORTING no_autodef_progid_dynnr = 'X'.
  ENDIF.
ENDMODULE.
with at least the function code ONLI defined in PF-status 9000 and
MODULE user_command_9000 INPUT.
  IF gv_okcode = 'ONLI'.
    SUBMIT z_sample_report AND RETURN.
  ELSE.
    LEAVE PROGRAM.
  ENDIF.
ENDMODULE.
The report Z_SAMPLE_REPORT can be any report you like.
At last the function module contains the following code:
FUNCTION z_show_dynpro.
*"*"Lokale Schnittstelle:
  CALL SCREEN 9000.
ENDFUNCTION.
As I see this, this is a straightforward application of the working example at the top and the principles of MVC and encapsulation of the dynpro logic (to "avoid" global variables as best as possible).
Clearly in some sense this is an academic question, but I have built a fairly big application like that up to now ...
</edit>
Thanks for reading and contemplating,
Thomas
Edited by: Thomas Geiß on Feb 4, 2009 11:03 AM
Edited by: Thomas Geiß on Feb 4, 2009 11:59 AM
Edited by: Thomas Geiß on Feb 4, 2009 12:01 PM

Answer 1

You'll either have to pass the data in as parameters in the applet tags or create a JavaScript tag and have the JavaScript pass it in. If the array is very large then you open a connection between the Applet and a servlet and pass the data that way.