Find modifications in executed code

Identifying Modified Objects during Report Execution Using a Debugger Script

In SAP, tracking modifications made during the execution of a report can sometimes be tricky. For example, the SMODILOG table contains entries of all modifications, but it doesn’t provide detailed information on which specific objects (e.g., includes, methods) were executed during the report’s runtime. To solve this problem, we devised a strategy using a Debugger Script to compare executed includes or methods against the entries in SMODILOG and detect modified objects. Although we could not pinpoint the exact lines of code that were modified, identifying which objects were modified was sufficient for our task.

Steps Involved

1. Understand SMODILOG:
   • The SMODILOG table tracks modifications for non-Z/Y objects that are edited in the system.
   • Entries in this table indicate the modified objects but do not specify the lines that were modified.
2. Create a Debugger Script:
   • The main goal is to create a debugger script that monitors each line executed in the report and checks if the include or method being executed corresponds to any entry in SMODILOG.
   • If the executed include or method matches an object from SMODILOG, we flag it as a modified object.
3. Debugger Script Code:

Here is an example of the Debugger Script that compares executed includes/methods with SMODILOG entries.

CLASS lcl_debugger_script DEFINITION INHERITING FROM cl_tpda_script_class_super.

  PUBLIC SECTION.
    METHODS: 
      init REDEFINITION,
      script   REDEFINITION,
      end      REDEFINITION,
      prologue REDEFINITION.

  PRIVATE SECTION.
    TYPES: BEGIN OF t_include,
             name TYPE smodilog-obj_name,
           END OF t_include.

    DATA: lt_smodilog TYPE HASHED TABLE OF smodilog
                      WITH UNIQUE KEY obj_name sub_name int_name.
    DATA: lt_includes TYPE TABLE OF t_include.

ENDCLASS.   

CLASS lcl_debugger_script IMPLEMENTATION.
  METHOD prologue.
    " Initialize ABAP source (source handler for ABAP)
    super->prologue( ).
    
  ENDMETHOD.                    

  METHOD init.
    " Retrieve all modifications from SMODILOG table
    SELECT *
      FROM smodilog
      INTO TABLE lt_smodilog
      WHERE operation EQ 'MOD'.

  ENDMETHOD.  

  METHOD script.
    DATA: ls_custom TYPE tpda_trace_custom.

    TRY.
        " Get the current include being executed
        DATA(lf_include) = abap_source->include( ).

        " Check if the include is already processed
        IF NOT line_exists( lt_includes[ name = lf_include ] ).
          " Search if the include is modified (check against SMODILOG entries)
          READ TABLE lt_smodilog WITH KEY obj_name = lf_include
                                          sub_name = lf_include
                                 TRANSPORTING NO FIELDS.
          IF sy-subrc EQ 0.
            " If the include was modified, add it to the list
            APPEND VALUE #( name = lf_include )
              TO lt_includes.

          ENDIF.

        ENDIF.

      CATCH cx_root.
        RETURN.

    ENDTRY.

  ENDMETHOD.

  METHOD end.
    DATA: ls_custom TYPE tpda_trace_custom.

    " Sort and remove duplicate entries
    SORT lt_includes.
    DELETE ADJACENT DUPLICATES FROM lt_includes.

    " Add the modified includes to the trace log
    LOOP AT lt_includes ASSIGNING FIELD-SYMBOL(<s_include>).
      ls_custom-value = <s_include>-name.
      trace->add_custom_info( p_trace_entry = ls_custom ).

    ENDLOOP.

  ENDMETHOD.                    
  
ENDCLASS.    

Explanation of the Code

1. Initialization (init Method):
   • The init method selects all entries from the SMODILOG table where the operation is 'MOD', which identifies modified objects. These entries are stored in the internal table lt_smodilog.
2. Script Execution (script Method):
   • The script method runs for each line executed in the program. It retrieves the current include being executed using abap_source->include().
   • It checks whether the include is already processed by searching for it in lt_includes. If not, it checks whether the include exists in SMODILOG. If found, the include is marked as modified and added to lt_includes.
3. End Method (end Method):
   • At the end of the script, the lt_includes table is sorted and duplicates are removed. Then, each modified include is added to the trace log using trace->add_custom_info.

Running the Debugger Script

• Once you execute the report, the debugger script will track every line being executed and compare the current include with the modified entries in SMODILOG.
• After execution, the list of modified includes or methods will be displayed, giving you insight into which objects were modified during the report execution.

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Final words

Using a debugger script allows us to efficiently track modified objects during the execution of a report, comparing each executed include or method with entries in SMODILOG. Although we cannot compare at the line level, identifying modified objects was sufficient to achieve the desired results. This approach is valuable for debugging and auditing report execution when dealing with changes to standard SAP objects.