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First Commands

This page walks through the commands you'll run every day. It assumes you've installed adt and logged in to at least one system.

All commands accept --sid <SID> to target a non-default system. Output samples below are trimmed for readability.

1. Confirm the session — adt info​

adt info
System       DEV (001)
User         DEVELOPER
Release      SAP_BASIS 7.58 SP 0001
Host         https://sap.example.com:44300
Session      active, CSRF cached

If adt info succeeds, authentication, cookies, and the security session are all working. See the full reference at adt info.

2. List local abapGit content — adt ls​

adt ls ./src

Lists ABAP objects serialized in the current directory using the abapGit format. This command does not require authentication — it only reads local files. Handy for browsing a cloned gCTS repository.

Reference: adt ls.

3. Quick search — adt search​

adt search "ZCL_*"
adt search "ZCL_UNIT" --type CLAS --limit 20
CLAS   ZCL_ABAP_UNIT_ASSERT        Unit test assertions
CLAS   ZCL_UNIT_HELPER             Local helper class
INTF   ZIF_UNIT_CONTRACT           Shared contract

Uses the ADT repository information system. Filter by --type (CLAS, INTF, PROG, FUGR, DEVC, TABL, …) or --package.

Reference: adt search.

4. Resolve a single object — adt get​

adt get ZCL_ABAP_UNIT_ASSERT
Name         ZCL_ABAP_UNIT_ASSERT
Type         CLAS/OC
Package      SABP_UNIT
URI          /sap/bc/adt/oo/classes/zcl_abap_unit_assert
Description  ABAP Unit: Assert

get is a zero-assumption resolver — it returns the canonical URI plus metadata for any object. Useful as the first step before source, lock, or outline.

Reference: adt get.

5. Read source — adt source​

adt source /sap/bc/adt/oo/classes/zcl_abap_unit_assert/source/main

Or via the typed wrapper:

adt objects class source ZCL_ABAP_UNIT_ASSERT

Both stream the ABAP source to stdout. Pipe to a file, less, or your favorite formatter.

tip

adt source is lock-free and read-only. For the write cycle (lock → edit → PUT → unlock) see adt lock.

References: adt source, adt objects.

6. Transports — adt cts​

# Your recent transports
adt cts transport list --user $USER

# Inspect one
adt cts transport get DEVK900123
DEVK900123  K  Modifiable  PPLENKOV  Refactor unit test helpers
  Tasks:
    DEVK900124  Task  PPLENKOV
  Objects:
    CLAS ZCL_UNIT_HELPER
    INTF ZIF_UNIT_CONTRACT

Reference: adt cts transport.

7. Run unit tests — adt aunit​

adt aunit ZCL_UNIT_HELPER --coverage
ZCL_UNIT_HELPER
  ✓ should_split_on_separator              12ms
  ✓ should_trim_whitespace                  8ms
  ✗ should_handle_empty_input               3ms
      Expected: initial
      Actual:   space
  2 passed, 1 failed, 0 skipped             Coverage 87%

Runs ABAP Unit under the covered object's package. --coverage enables SAP Coverage Analyzer and reports line/branch coverage.

Reference: adt aunit.

8. Everything else​

The full command catalogue lives in the sidebar under CLI. High-value entry points:

Next steps​