SAP ABAP: How to Convert String to Lowercase (Methods & Examples)

In SAP ABAP, you can convert a string to lowercase using the TO LOWER CASE statement or the TRANSLATE statement. Here are the different methods to achieve this:

1. Using TO LOWER CASE (ABAP 7.40 and Above)

The TO LOWER CASE statement is the simplest and most straightforward way to convert a string to lowercase in ABAP 7.40 and higher versions.

DATA: lv_string TYPE string VALUE 'HELLO ABAP'.

lv_string = lv_string TO LOWER CASE.

WRITE: lv_string.  " Output: hello abap

• Explanation: The TO LOWER CASE statement converts all the characters in lv_string to lowercase.

2. Using TRANSLATE (Older ABAP Versions)

For versions earlier than ABAP 7.40, you can use the TRANSLATE statement to convert the string to lowercase.

DATA: lv_string TYPE string VALUE 'HELLO ABAP'.

TRANSLATE lv_string TO LOWER CASE.

WRITE: lv_string.  " Output: hello abap

• Explanation: The TRANSLATE statement with the TO LOWER CASE option converts the string to lowercase.

3. Using cl_abap_codepage (For Code Page Specific Lowercase Conversion)

If you’re working with non-ASCII characters or need to handle code-page specific conversions, you can use the class cl_abap_codepage.

DATA: lv_string TYPE string VALUE 'HELLO ABAP',
      lv_lowercase TYPE string.

lv_lowercase = cl_abap_codepage=>convert_to( iv_value = lv_string iv_direction = 'U' ).  " To lowercase

WRITE: lv_lowercase.  " Output: hello abap

• Explanation: cl_abap_codepage=>convert_to can be used for more complex or internationalization-specific string manipulations.

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