Adobe Interactive Forms – from SAPscript (Joan Ayala)

With regards to PDF-based forms, the main difference between Text Modules and
SAPscript Texts is that text modules are client-independent and have an automatic link
to the Transport Organizer, whereas SAPscript texts are client-dependent and must be
manually included in a transport request.

If you want to include a SAPscript text (also called include text) into a context, right-
click somewhere in the context tree, choose Create → Text, then set Text Type to
Include text.
You need to specify the text name, the text object, the text ID, and the text language. All
of these can be entered as literals (enclosed in single quotes) or as fields (which must be
known from the interface). If you do not enter a language, the form's language will be
taken.
If you select No error if text not available, the generated function module will not
terminate if the text specified is not found at runtime. Note that all SAPscript commands
in SAPscript texts will be ignored. In particular, this means that nesting SAPscript texts
is not possible.
As to the text formatting, SAPscript styles assigned to the text will be ignored.
All paragraph formats and character formats of an include text are interpreted as they
are defined in the style (Smart Style) that you can enter in the Style field. For example,
the paragraph format B in a SAPscript text might mean bold, but in the Smart Style it
could mean small. Each paragraph with format B in the text would therefore be printed
in small text. If a format is used that is not defined in the style that you enter in the
context, it will be ignored.
You can override the paragraph formatting of include texts:
In the Standard Paragraph field, you can select a paragraph format of the Smart Style
that you enter in the Style field. This format is then used for all paragraphs of the
SAPscript text that are formatted using the standard paragraph (*). If you are familiar
with SAPscript commands: an entry in this field corresponds to the PARAGRAPH
addition of the INCLUDE command.
You use the First Paragraph attribute to set a paragraph format for the first paragraph of
the include text - independently of how the paragraph is actually formatted in the
include text (corresponds to the NEW PARAGRAPH addition of the SAPscript
command INCLUDE). If the Standard Paragraph field remains empty, all standard
paragraphs in the include text also adopt this paragraph format.
Adobe Interactive Forms – from SAPscript (Joan Ayala)

Integration into ABAP Programs

If you are acquainted with SAPscript, FP_JOB_OPEN and FP_JOB_CLOSE are

roughly the equivalents of function modules OPEN_FORM and CLOSE_FORM.

Migrating SAPscript Forms

Smart Forms have had a clear separation of form logic and program from the beginning.
The program's task is basically to collect the data and then pass it on to the interface of
the Smart Form. All form logic is done within the form. As this idea of an interface has
been taken up for PDF-based forms, it is much easier to reuse Smart Forms and their
programs than it is to reuse SAPscript components.
Adobe Interactive Forms – from SAPscript (Joan Ayala)

Both SAPscript texts and Smart Forms texts (text modules) can be reused in PDF-based
forms. Note, however, that commands within SAPscript text will generally be ignored,
as will output options. Furthermore, make sure all fields in the texts are known in the
form context. The use of unknown fields (including all SAPscript or Smart Forms
fields) leads to program termination at runtime.
Graphics that have been imported with report RSTXLDMC cannot be reused. However,
if you still have the original files on a file server, all you have to do to make them
accessible for PDF-based forms is to copy them to a place that can be accessed by
Adobe document services.
Graphics imported with transaction SE78 can be migrated into the MIME Repository.
Run report RSXFT_MIGRATE_BDS_GRAPHICS to do this. Note that as of SAP
NetWeaver '04, Adobe document services cannot access the MIME Repository directly.

 Recommendation: Create a new PDF-based form from scratch.

 Split up big forms into small forms (representing only one business case).
Even though there is a migration tool from SAPscript to Smart Forms and one from
Smart Forms to PDF-based forms, this double migration requires too much manual
adaptation. Hence, it is easier to create a new PDF-based form.

In SAPscript (and in Smart Forms), it is common practice to have one big form for
different business scenarios and use conditions within the form to determine at runtime
the actual type of business scenario. For example, SAPscript form RVORDER01 is used
for Inquiry/Quotation/Order Confirmation. This technique should be avoided in PDF-
based forms.
Adobe Interactive Forms – from SAPscript (Joan Ayala)
Adobe Interactive Forms – from SAPscript (Joan Ayala)