Why are SAPscripts client-dependent and Smart Forms client-independent?

QUESTION POSED ON: 27 MAY 2006

QUESTION ANSWERED BY: Mark Smithson

SAPscript technology is based on a mainframe product from the 1980s, while Smart
Forms have only been around since (roughly) 2001. With that sort of time gap, there are
bound to be significant differences between the two tools. As you have noted correctly,
client dependence is a fundamental one.

Although SAPscript has had some incremental improvements over time, its forms have
always been -- under the hood -- relatively passive objects, with minimal embedded
logic. These forms were designed to be driven and controlled by ABAP programs, much
in the way ABAP programs read in database tables to produce reports; if you ever
download a SAPscript form (e.g., via utility program RSTXSCRP), and look at the
portable text file it produces you'll see what I mean. Many text objects (e.g., invoice
header texts) are bound directly to documents which are client-dependent, so it makes
sense for these text objects to also be client-dependent. From a complexity standpoint,
SAPscript forms are close enough to these text objects where I can see how it made sense
at the time to make them client-dependent too.

Conversely, a Smart Form is significantly more robust and complex. For instance, it can
contain program nodes and nested tables with patterns. When a Smart Form is compiled,
it generates an ABAP function module – and these are always client-independent. This is
appropriate, given that this form has more in common with an ABAP program than its
predecessor. For instance, when a print program calls a Smart Form, the form itself takes
over to produce output, without any further direction from the print program. In fact, the
join is so seamless that I often find myself using a Smart Form's Initialization section for
logic to handle any data gathering not handled by the print program. I would never even
think to attempt this with SAPscript.

I suspect several factors figured into SAP's decision to make Smart Forms client-
independent, including customer feedback. There are significant advantages to client-
independence. For instance, a change made in one development client happens
immediately across all development clients. Among other things, this means we don't
have to waste time figuring which client contains the most recent version -- they all do!
In addition, transporting Smart Forms is easier, since we can safely bundle them together
in the same transport as their client-independent print programs (no worry about mixing
client-dependent and independent objects).