SE38 — ABAP Editor

Create, edit, activate, and run ABAP programs: reports, includes, and function groups.

Purpose

SE38 is the primary workbench editor for ABAP source code. Use it to write new programs, modify existing ones, run syntax checks, and execute reports directly.

How to open

• Type SE38 in the command field and press Enter
• Use /nSE38 to open in a new session
• Double-click any program name anywhere in SAP to jump straight to it in SE38

Key features

Feature	Action
Syntax check	Ctrl+F2
Activate	Ctrl+F3
Execute / run	F8
Where-used list	Ctrl+Shift+F3
Pretty printer	Shift+F1
Toggle display / change mode	toolbar or Ctrl+F1

Tips & shortcuts

Finding unactivated code

Go to Utilities → Inactive Objects to see all objects you have modified but not yet activated. Activate them all from there before transporting.

Quick navigation

Press F3 to go back to the previous screen. Double-clicking a program name anywhere in SAP opens it directly in SE38 — no need to type the name manually.

Display vs. change mode

SE38 opens in display mode by default. Click the pencil icon or press Ctrl+F1 to switch to change mode before editing.

See also

• SE80 — Object Navigator
• SE37 — Function Builder

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