Simple string optimization question

Question

ABAPpers,
Here is the problem description:
In a SELECT query loop, I need to build a string by concatenating all the column values for the current row. Each column is represented as a length-value pair. For example, let's say the current values are:
Column1 (type string)  : 'abc          '
Column2 (type integer) : 7792
Column3 (type string)  : 'def                    '
The resulting string must be of the form:
0003abc000477920003def...
The length is always represented by a four character value, followed by the actual value.
Note that the input columns may be of mixed types - numeric, string, date-time, etc.
Given that data is of mixed type and that the length of each string-type value is not known in advance, can someone suggest a good algorithm to build such a result? Or, is there any built-in function that already does something similar?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Pradeep

Answer 1

Hi,
At the bottom of this message, I have posted a program that I currently wrote. Essentially, as I know the size of each "string" type column, I use a specific function to built the string. For any non-string type column, I assume that the length can never exceed 25 characters. As I fill 255 characters in the output buffer, I have to write the output buffer to screen.
The reason I have so many functions for each string type is that I wanted to optimize concatenate operation. Had I used just one function with the large buffer, then "concatenate" statement takes additional time to fill the remaining part of the buffer with spaces.
As my experience in ABAP programming is limited to just a couple of days, I'd appreciate it if someone can suggest me a better way to deal with my problem.
Thank you in advanced for all your help. Sorry about posting such a large piece of code. I just wanted to show you the complexity that I have created for myself :-(.
Pradeep
REPORT ZMYREPORTTEST no standard page heading line-size 255.
TABLES: GLPCA.
data: GLPCAGL_SIRID like GLPCA-GL_SIRID.
data: GLPCARLDNR like GLPCA-RLDNR.
data: GLPCARRCTY like GLPCA-RRCTY.
data: GLPCARVERS like GLPCA-RVERS.
data: GLPCARYEAR like GLPCA-RYEAR.
data: GLPCAPOPER like GLPCA-POPER.
data: GLPCARBUKRS like GLPCA-RBUKRS.
data: GLPCARPRCTR like GLPCA-RPRCTR.
data: GLPCAKOKRS like GLPCA-KOKRS.
data: GLPCARACCT like GLPCA-RACCT.
data: GLPCAKSL like GLPCA-KSL.
data: GLPCACPUDT like GLPCA-CPUDT.
data: GLPCACPUTM like GLPCA-CPUTM.
data: GLPCAUSNAM like GLPCA-USNAM.
data: GLPCABUDAT like GLPCA-BUDAT.
data: GLPCAREFDOCNR like GLPCA-REFDOCNR.
data: GLPCAAWORG like GLPCA-AWORG.
data: GLPCAKOSTL like GLPCA-KOSTL.
data: GLPCAMATNR like GLPCA-MATNR.
data: GLPCALIFNR like GLPCA-LIFNR.
data: GLPCASGTXT like GLPCA-SGTXT.
data: GLPCAAUFNR like GLPCA-AUFNR.
data: data(255).
data: currentPos type i.
data: lineLen type i value 255.
data len(4).
data startIndex type i.
data charsToBeWritten type i.
data remainingRow type i.
SELECT GL_SIRID
RLDNR
RRCTY
RVERS
RYEAR
POPER
RBUKRS
RPRCTR
KOKRS
RACCT
KSL
CPUDT
CPUTM
USNAM
BUDAT
REFDOCNR
AWORG
KOSTL
MATNR
LIFNR
SGTXT
AUFNR into (GLPCAGL_SIRID,
GLPCARLDNR,
GLPCARRCTY,
GLPCARVERS,
GLPCARYEAR,
GLPCAPOPER,
GLPCARBUKRS,
GLPCARPRCTR,
GLPCAKOKRS,
GLPCARACCT,
GLPCAKSL,
GLPCACPUDT,
GLPCACPUTM,
GLPCAUSNAM,
GLPCABUDAT,
GLPCAREFDOCNR,
GLPCAAWORG,
GLPCAKOSTL,
GLPCAMATNR,
GLPCALIFNR,
GLPCASGTXT,
GLPCAAUFNR) FROM GLPCA
perform BuildFullColumnString18 using GLPCAGL_SIRID.
perform BuildFullColumnString2 using GLPCARLDNR.
perform BuildFullColumnString1 using GLPCARRCTY.
perform BuildFullColumnString3 using GLPCARVERS.
perform BuildFullColumnString4 using GLPCARYEAR.
perform BuildFullColumnString3 using GLPCAPOPER.
perform BuildFullColumnString4 using GLPCARBUKRS.
perform BuildFullColumnString10 using GLPCARPRCTR.
perform BuildFullColumnString4 using GLPCAKOKRS.
perform BuildFullColumnString10 using GLPCARACCT.
perform BuildFullColumnNonString using GLPCAKSL.
perform BuildFullColumnNonString using GLPCACPUDT.
perform BuildFullColumnNonString using GLPCACPUTM.
perform BuildFullColumnString12 using GLPCAUSNAM.
perform BuildFullColumnNonString using GLPCABUDAT.
perform BuildFullColumnString10 using GLPCAREFDOCNR.
perform BuildFullColumnString10 using GLPCAAWORG.
perform BuildFullColumnString10 using GLPCAKOSTL.
perform BuildFullColumnString18 using GLPCAMATNR.
perform BuildFullColumnString10 using GLPCALIFNR.
perform BuildFullColumnString50 using GLPCASGTXT.
perform BuildFullColumnString12 using GLPCAAUFNR.
ENDSELECT.
if currentPos > 0.
  move '' to datacurrentPos.
  write: / data.
else.
  write: / '+'.
endif.
data fullColumn25(29).
data fullColumn1(5).
Form BuildFullColumnString1 using value(currentCol). 
  len = STRLEN( currentCol ).
  concatenate len currentCol into fullColumn1.
  data startIndex type i.
  data charsToBeWritten type i.
  charsToBeWritten = STRLEN( fullColumn1 ).
  data remainingRow type i.
  do.
    remainingRow = lineLen - currentPos.
    if remainingRow > charsToBeWritten.
      move fullColumn1+startIndex(charsToBeWritten) to
        data+currentPos(charsToBeWritten).
      currentPos = currentPos + charsToBeWritten.
      exit.
    endif.
    if remainingRow EQ charsToBeWritten.
      move fullColumn1+startIndex(charsToBeWritten) to
        data+currentPos(charsToBeWritten).
      write: / data.
      currentPos = 0.
      exit.
    endif.
    move fullColumn1+startIndex(remainingRow) to
        data+currentPos(remainingRow).
    write: / data.
    startIndex = startIndex + remainingRow.
    charsToBeWritten = charsToBeWritten - remainingRow.
    currentPos = 0.
  enddo.
EndForm.
data fullColumn2(6).
Form BuildFullColumnString2 using value(currentCol). 
  len = STRLEN( currentCol ).
  concatenate len currentCol into fullColumn2.
  data startIndex type i.
  data charsToBeWritten type i.
  charsToBeWritten = STRLEN( fullColumn2 ).
  data remainingRow type i.
  do.
    remainingRow = lineLen - currentPos.
    if remainingRow > charsToBeWritten.
      move fullColumn2+startIndex(charsToBeWritten) to
        data+currentPos(charsToBeWritten).
      currentPos = currentPos + charsToBeWritten.
      exit.
    endif.
    if remainingRow EQ charsToBeWritten.
      move fullColumn2+startIndex(charsToBeWritten) to
        data+currentPos(charsToBeWritten).
      write: / data.
      currentPos = 0.
      exit.
    endif.
    move fullColumn2+startIndex(remainingRow) to
        data+currentPos(remainingRow).
    write: / data.
    startIndex = startIndex + remainingRow.
    charsToBeWritten = charsToBeWritten - remainingRow.
    currentPos = 0.
  enddo.
EndForm.
data fullColumn3(7).
Form BuildFullColumnString3 using value(currentCol). 
EndForm.
data fullColumn4(8).
Form BuildFullColumnString4 using value(currentCol). 
EndForm.
data fullColumn50(54).
Form BuildFullColumnString50 using value(currentCol). 
EndForm.
Form BuildFullColumnNonString using value(currentCol). 
  move currentCol to fullColumn25.
  condense fullColumn25.     
  len = STRLEN( fullColumn25 ).
  concatenate len fullColumn25 into fullColumn25.
  data startIndex type i.
  data charsToBeWritten type i.
  charsToBeWritten = STRLEN( fullColumn25 ).
  data remainingRow type i.
  do.
    remainingRow = lineLen - currentPos.
    if remainingRow > charsToBeWritten.
      move fullColumn25+startIndex(charsToBeWritten) to
        data+currentPos(charsToBeWritten).
      currentPos = currentPos + charsToBeWritten.
      exit.
    endif.
    if remainingRow EQ charsToBeWritten.
      move fullColumn25+startIndex(charsToBeWritten) to
        data+currentPos(charsToBeWritten).
      write: / data.
      currentPos = 0.
      exit.
    endif.
    move fullColumn25+startIndex(remainingRow) to
        data+currentPos(remainingRow).
    write: / data.
    startIndex = startIndex + remainingRow.
    charsToBeWritten = charsToBeWritten - remainingRow.
    currentPos = 0.
  enddo.
EndForm.