SAP UI themes

Over the years SAP came with many themes for their UI technologies like SAP GUI, Web Dynpro for ABAP/Java, ITS (SAP GUI for HTML), BSP, HTMLb, BI, JSF, NetWeaver Business Client, Enterprise Portal, SAP UI5, SAP CRM UI and etc. In this blog post, I mention few of major ones.

First, there are two main categories of the SAP UI themes based on Unified Rendering (UR):

·        UR Classic = Unified Rendering Classic or UR 1.0

·        LS = Unified Rendering Lightspeed or UR 2.0

In general the UR is a SAP proprietary HTML rendering and JavaScript library for SAP UI technologies.

Frameworks (UI technologies) that use UR Classic are (at this point of time):

·        Web Dynpro ABAP (WDA-UR): SAP NetWeaver 7.00, SAP NetWeaver 7.10 

·        Web Dynpro Java (WDA-UR):  all SAP Netwaever releases out of maintenance ( <= SAP NetWeaver 7 EhP2 (7.02) )

·        Business Server Pages (BSP)

·        HTMLB for Java

·        SAP BEx Web Analyzer (Business Intelligence - BI)

Frameworks (UI technologies) that use UR are (at this point of time):

·        Web Dynpro ABAP (WDA-LS): >= SAP NetWeaver 7 EhP1, >= SAP NetWeaver 7.11

·        Web Dynpro Java (WDJ-LS): >= SAP NetWeaver 7.10)

·        SAPGUI for HTML (HTMLGUI-LS): ABAP kernel integrated ITS

·        Lightspeed Server Faces (LSF)

SAP GUI themes:

SAP Belize Theme – started in 2016, adopted Fiori 2 theme for classic applications

SAP Blue Crystal Theme – started in 2013 came with a new color scheme (blue and white), revised UI elements, revised SAP GUI icons, it was inspired by the Blue Crystal Design in SAP Fiori.

Corbu Theme – started in 2012 came with reduced contrast and revised SAP GUI icons

SAP Signature Theme – started in 2008 as of SAP GUI 7.4, the theme was offered for all SAP UI technologies in order to ensures the harmonization of different UIs

System Dependent Theme – inherits theme from SAP backend system

Tradeshow Theme – refined Streamline Theme

Streamline Theme – introduced first for SAP Enterprise Portal product

Enjoy Theme – started in 1999 as of SAP GUI 4.6

Classic Theme – started in 1999, OS Windows theme up to Windows 2000

For details see also post called: SAP GUI visual designs.

Fiori 3 themes:

SAP Quartz (Light/Dark)

Fiori 2 themes:

SAP Belize (Deep/Contrast White/Contrast Black)

Fiori 1 themes:

SAP Blue Crystal

SAP NetWeaver 7 EhP2 themes:

SAP Corbu

SAP Gold Reflection - alias for SAP Corbu theme

Custom themes can be created with SAP UI Theme Designer and  Portal Theme Editor:

SAP Tradeshow

SAP Tradeshow Plus - also known as SAP Signature Design

More information:

710719 - SAP GUI family and visual designs ("themes")

2000110 - Unified Rendering

2124106 - Themes for Unified Rendering based UI technologies (Web Dynpro ABAP/Java, BSP, SAP GUI for HTML, BI, JSF)

Web Dynpro ABAP theming support matrix

Active Component Framework

A SAP component which is responsible for integration of active components in web based user interfaces of SAP is called Active Component Framework (ACF). It enables usage of technologies like Adobe Forms or MS Office components in SAP technology like WebDynpro.

Implementation of the ACF contains ActiveX controls, JavaBeans, and applets that run in Web browsers or in SAP NetWeaver Business Client (NWBC). What the ACF does is to provide services to process mass data while fetching the data from the backend and reset modified data state), displaying data in-place or outside a browser or the NWBC, integrating components in the Web Dynpro programming model (data binding, event handling), keeping the status of a component when a new page is loaded.

Web Dynpro ABAP (WD4A) provides the following ACF based UI elements for developers of user interfaces: Gantt, Network, OfficeControl, InteractiveForm, AcfExecute, AcfUpDownload, FlashIsland, SilverlightIsland and ActiveX.

Technically the AFC is installed with SAP GUI. However it can be also download from SAP SMP via support.sap.com/patches -> "Browse our Download Catalog" -> "SAP Technology Components" -> "ACF" -> Download the latest available ACF patch. Also see following SAP Notes for the same.

766191 - Installation of Active Component Framework

891202 - Installing Active Component Framework for NW04S SP04

In closing words I need to say that as whole software world is moving to light wave option of HTML5 based UIs also SAP is shifting away from UIs based on such an active components. SAP is heavily investing in their Fiori based UI.

Useful links:

Online docu for ACF

846952 - Erase ACF from client PC

1150277 - Prerequisites for using ACF

OpenUI5

Only very short time ago I blogged about SAPUI5 and here’s continuation. SAP wants to be more and more involved in open source software. As a proof on last year’s Teched 2013 they introduced continuation of SAPUI5 in form of open source called as OpenUI5. The basic difference between those two is that OpenUI5 is free version available under the Apache 2.0 Open Source license. On other hand SAPUI5 is for SAP’s customers and partner having SAP licenses. From central functionalities point of view they both are equal.

For all the details see the OpenUI5 announcement blog at SCN.

To see what UI you can get out of OpenUI5 see here.

Useful links for OpenUI5:

sapui5.org – official page

sap.github.io/openui5

@OpenUI5 - twitter

SAP Product Road Map SAP User Interface Technologies

13 reasons why SAP should open-source SAPUI5

This is why I like #openUI5!

Industry analysis view on OpenUI5

SAPUI5

Earlier this year SAP came with their new UI technology called SAP UI5. Wait a moment don't they have other UI technologies? Right they do have. Let's do some check and list some of them:

SAPGUI, NetWeaver Business Client (NWBC), browser-based classic dynpros (HTMLB), Business Server Pages (BSP), webDynpro for Java and ABAP, SAP CRM web client, SRM web client, Interactive Forms by Adobe,…

So why new UI? We can look at SAPUI5 as SAP’s HTML5 controls library. SAP is using it as the standard User Interface Control library in all their future applications that need a “consumer grade” User Experience. From technical perspective UI5 is based on HTML/CSS/Javascript and built on open libraries such as jQuery. SAP basically took what was available in open source standards like JQuery, HTML5, JavaScript, CSS and only enhanced it where there was lack of enterprise functions. UI5 is optimized to consume REST/OData services as exposed by e.g. SAP HANA, SAP Netweaver Gateway, SAP HANA Cloud Gateway etc.

SAPUI5 is bundled with SAP NetWeaver Cloud (code name Neo or Project River) which is OnDemand offering or Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).

UI5 homepage

UI5 dev guide

UI5 developer-center

UI5 SDK

SAP User Interface Technologies - Road Map

UI5 get to know

- 28/01/2014 update -
SAPUI5 has twin buddy called OpenUI5 which is basically same thing just open source based.