ABAP Program Types

The type of an ABAP program determines, for example, which declarations and processing
blocks a program can contain and how it can be executed in the ABAP runtime environment.
The following table lists all program types for standalone programs (compilation units ) and what
impact each of these has on their properties.
Program Type Execution

Global Declarations

Processing Blocks Dynpros

Text
Pools

Local interfaces and

classes, all other
declarative statements

All except function

Yes
modules

Yes

Methods only

No

Yes

All except event

blocks for
reporting events

Yes

Yes

No

No

All except function

modules and event
Yes
blocks for
reporting events

Yes

Event block
LOAD-OFPROGRAM,
subroutines,
methods

No

Yes

None

No

No

Executable
program

SUBMIT statement
or by calling a
dynpro or selection
screen using a
transaction code

Class pool

A global class of the

Calling a visible
class library, local
method using CALL interfaces and classes,
METHOD or a
TYPES and
transactions code
CONSTANTS
statements

Calling a function
Function
module using CALL Local interfaces and
group or
FUNCTION or a
classes, all other
function pool dynpro using a
declarative statements
transaction code
Interface pool None

A global interface of the

None
class library

Calling a dynpro
Module pool using a transaction
code

Local interfaces and

classes, all declarative
statements

Subroutine
pool

External calls to local

Local interfaces and
procedures
classes, all other
(subroutines or
declarative statements
methods)

Type group or
None
type pool

TYPES and
CONSTANTS
statements

The second table column indicates the type of execution primarily intended for the program. The
third column indicates which declarations can be made in the global declaration section of a

program of the specified type. The fourth column indicates which processing blocks the program
can contain. The fifth column indicates whether your own dynpros are supported, and the last
column indicates whether you can create your own text pools.