3
In most cases where a user’s work involves modifications to an existing Smart Form print
form template, no programming skills are needed.
• Modifying an existing Smart Form print program
In cases where modifications to a print program are required, knowledge of the ABAP
development workbench is recommended. However, we recommend that modifications
that in the past were done in the Print Program be done in the Smart Form print form
instead. In Smart Forms, you can modify the print program by using programming nodes
that can be inserted into the form (this is explained in the SAP Online Documentation).
• Creating a new Smart Form print form where none exists
The creation of a new Smart Form print form where no template exists may not require
ABAP programming skills if there is already a print program that retrieves all necessary
fields from the application. However some ABAP programming may be necessary.
• Creating a new Smart Form print program where none exists
Creation of a new Smart Form print program where none exists will require ABAP skills
and functional knowledge.
What are Smart Forms?
SAP’s new print form solution, SAP Smart Forms, is the successor of SAPscript. All new
development of forms at SAP will be done using the Smart Form print solution. However,
SAPScript will still be supported for those forms already created in SAPScript, and for customers
who have created their own forms in SAPScript.
SAP Smart Forms is a tool for the maintenance of forms on which application data from the SAP
system can be output. Depending on the application, the number of forms to be printed can be
very high, and they might have to be printed in a short period of time, in a mass printing.
Examples of mass printing are monthly invoices sent by telecom companies or salary statements.
The output of application data is placed into a dynamically expandable table where the size and
layout of the output table is determined by the number of records being retrieved.
What About SAPscript?
Customers can use either SAPScript or Smart Forms as their forms solution. SAP recommends
you use Smart Forms for new developments (from 4.6C), because these forms are much easier
to edit when using the Smart Forms graphical tools. Also, further development is planned for the
Smart Form print solution.
For example, the customer can use a preconfigured Smart Form for the Purchase Order, and a
SAPscript form for the Production Order (if no suitable Smart Form is available), or create the
Smart Form.
While unnecessary, a user’s prior knowledge of SAPScript forms can accelerate their Smart
Forms learning because some tools are used both by Smart Forms and SAPscript (for example,
font maintenance transaction SE73, SAPScript texts, and more).
SAP Smart Form Process Overview
The basic structure of SAP Smart Forms consists of the Smart Form Builder, the Smart Form
print form template (which you create or is given to you as a preconfigured starting point), the
Smart Form function module, and the Smart Form print program (also described as a driver
program).