How to clear a private static class attribute once it's been created?

Question

<pre>I'm working with an instance of a complex Class object that has been created using the function module <br>HRXSS_CAT_APPLICATION_INIT. The Class object that I am trying to work with is<br> CL_XSS_CAT_BUSINESS_LAYER and in particular its Static Private component attribute PROFILE.<br>
The issue that I am having is that the first call of this function module creates and populates the Static Private component attribute, <br>PROFILE, for the instance of this Class and I do not know how to initialize it once it's been created. The PROFILE attribute is an <br>object reference to an instance of Class CL_XSS_CAT_PROFILE. <br>
I want to reset/intialize this Static Private component. I can then call a Class Method with<br> different parameters so that it repopulates PROFILE with different attributes. <br>There is no Public method to do this in CL_XSS_CAT_BUSINESS_LAYER and even the Private method<br> INIT_PROFILE, the logic first checks to see if the PROFILE component is initial before creating a new PROFILE<br> object instance. All the Attributes of the CL_XSS_CAT_PROFILE object are Static and Private.
<br>
I would appreciate any insight anyone might have in how to reset/initialize this Class component attribute.<br><br>
Thanks much,<br>
<br>
Graham<br>
Sample code snippet is as follows:
<br><br>
DATA: lr_cats_application_rfc TYPE REF TO IF_XSS_CAT_APPLICATION_RFC,
lr_core TYPE REF TO IF_XSS_PT_APPLICATION_CORE,
lr_core TYPE REF TO CL_XSS_CAT_1_APPLICATION_CORE,
lr_instance TYPE REF TO CL_XSS_CAT_APPLICATION,
lr_business_layer TYPE REF TO CL_XSS_CAT_BUSINESS_LAYER,
lr_profile TYPE REF TO CL_XSS_CAT_PROFILE,
lr_profile_temp TYPE REF TO cl_xss_cat_profile.
DATA: l_employee TYPE pernr_d.
DATA: l_employee_tab TYPE rhxss_cat_employee_t.
CASE im_command.
WHEN 'DATESELECTION_PRVPERIOD'.
*-> navigate to object component reference for CL_XSS_CAT_PROFILE instance
lr_cats_application_rfc = im_ref_to_parameter_cache->REF_TO_APPLICATION.
*-> navigate to object component reference for CL_XSS_CAT_1_APPLICATION_CORE
lr_core ?= lr_cats_application_rfc->get_core( ).
*-> navigate to object component reference for CL_XSS_CAT_BUSINESS_LAYER
lr_business_layer = lr_core->business_layer.
*-> navigate to object component reference for CL_XSS_CAT_PROFILE
lr_profile = lr_business_layer->get_profile( ).
l_employee = im_ref_to_parameter_cache->pernr.
append l_employee to l_employee_tab.
<br><br>
*THIS IS WHERE I AM HAVING ISSUES...I WOULD LIKE TO CLEAR/INITIALIZE THE STATIC PRIVATE COMPONENT<br> LR_BUSINESS_LAYER->PROFILE BEFORE CALLING THE METHOD INITIALIZE_FOR_TIME_RECORDING<br>
<br>
<br><br>*THE FOLLOWING LINE FAILS ON A SYNTAX CHECK WITH 'FIELD "PROFILE" IS UNKNOWN. IT IS NEITHER IN <br>ONE OF THE *SPECIFIED TABLES NOR DEFINED BY A "DATA" STATEMENT
<br>
clear: lr_business_layer->profile.
CALL METHOD lr_business_layer->initialize_for_time_recording
EXPORTING
im_employee_tab = l_employee_tab
im_profile_id = 'MODAPPR1'
im_startdate = sy-datum
EXCEPTIONS
pernr_not_enqueued = 1
no_pernr_for_user_found = 2
profile_not_found = 3.</pre>
Edited by: Matt on Aug 1, 2009 12:44 PM

Answer 1

OK...I apologize but I did not dig deep enough to see that the Enhancement Framework allows for the addition of Methods to Classes/Interfaces. Most of this ABAP OO stuff is still quite new to me so I'm struggling with syntax and what is and isn't possible based on how everything is declared. I guess now that I know I can do this I am having some problems understanding how singleton Class objects work and how to 'reset' them.
The Class instance based on CL_XSS_CAT_BUSINESS_LAYER has a Static Private attribute PROFILE that is an object reference to the singleton Class instance CL_XSS_CAT_PROFILE.
The singleton Class instance of CL_XSS_CAT_PROFILE has all of its attributes set to Static Private. If you look at this Class in SE80 you see that one of its attributes is also called PROFILE and is an object reference variable to itself.
So the issue I am having is how to go about 'initializing' this singleton object so that I can 'recreate' this singleton object using a copy of the existing S
I used the enhancement framework to create a copy of the CL_XSS_CAT_BUSINESS_PROFILE Instance Private Method INIT_PROFILE , called in INIT_PROFILE2, but I am not sure how to 'clear/reset' the instance of the CL_XSS_CAT_PROFILE object.
Since PROFILE is an attribute of the CL_XSS_BUSINESS_LAYER object, I thought that a simple CLEAR PROFILE would reset the object but this is not the case. Within this method the FREE clears the value of the reference variable PROFILE but as soon as you step into the method me->init_profile, the value of PROFILE goes back to what it was. I need for all of the CL_XSS_CAT_PROFILE instance attributes to be reset or initialized so I can fill them again. I think I'm getting confused on the scope of things...should I be enhancing the CL_XSS_CAT_PROFILE Class with 'setter' methods so I can initialize all of the Static Private attributes that way instead of trying to clear all the attributes at a higher call level?
Any assistance with helping me with my thought process or approach to this would be much appreciated.
METHOD INIT_PROFILE2.
FREE PROFILE.  >>> is reset but it does not carry through to next method call and does not clear all the attributes of the object referenced in PROFILE
CALL METHOD me->init_profile
EXPORTING
IM_PROFILE_ID = im_profile_id
etc...