gCTS / AFF format plugin

Package: @abapify/adt-plugin-gcts · format names: gcts, aff

Serializes ABAP objects to the SAP abap-file-formats layout used by gCTS (git-enabled CTS) and SAP's official AFF tooling. Metadata is emitted as JSON, and CDS artifacts use SAP's .asddls / .asdcls extensions rather than abapGit's .acds.

When to use it

• Your SAP system uses gCTS as the delivery mechanism and you need its exact on-disk layout.
• You want compatibility with SAP's own AFF tooling (abap-file-formats community).
• You prefer JSON metadata (easier to diff, no XML tooling required).

For the abapGit-native layout, use @abapify/adt-plugin-abapgit.

Installation

bun add @abapify/adt-plugin-gcts

Self-registers on import. Select via --format gcts (or the alias aff).

bunx adt import package --format gcts ZMY_PKG ./out

Both names resolve to the same plugin.

Filename convention

Object	Metadata	Source
CLAS	<name>.clas.json	<name>.clas.abap (+ .locals_def.abap, .testclasses.abap, …)
INTF	<name>.intf.json	<name>.intf.abap
PROG	<name>.prog.json	<name>.prog.abap
FUGR	<name>.fugr.json	— (function modules handled under the group)
DOMA	<name>.doma.json	—
DTEL	<name>.dtel.json	—
TABL	<name>.tabl.json	—
TTYP	<name>.ttyp.json	—
DEVC	package.devc.json	—
DDLS	<name>.ddls.json	<name>.ddls.asddls
DCLS	<name>.dcls.json	<name>.dcls.asdcls

Namespace-qualified names (e.g., /ABAPIFY/ZFOO) are encoded as bracket folders — (abapify)/zfoo.clas.json — matching the AFF rules.

Differences vs abapgit plugin

Concern	abapgit	gcts / aff
Metadata format	XML (XSD-validated)	JSON
CDS source suffix	.acds	.asddls / .asdcls
Namespace folders	#namespace#	(namespace) bracket folders
Package file	package.devc.xml	package.devc.json
Ecosystem	open-source abapGit	SAP gCTS / SAP/abap-file-formats

Current status

v0.1 covers the SAP → disk direction (import / checkout). Export back to SAP is on the roadmap — track progress in docs/roadmap/epics/e06-gcts-format-plugin.md.

Internals

Structure mirrors the abapgit plugin (handler per object type, auto-registered via createHandler) but schemas are JSON Schema literals instead of XSDs. Each handler produces a typed JSON object matching the AFF metadata spec and, optionally, source text files.

See the package AGENTS.md for handler conventions.

Extending

Adding a new object type follows the same pattern as the abapgit plugin — create a handler and register it. The JSON shape is defined by the AFF specification; check the upstream SAP/abap-file-formats repo for the current schema of the type you're adding.

See writing a format plugin.

Troubleshooting

• Missing .asddls output — CDS sources are only emitted for DDLS/DCLS objects; make sure the server returned source (get_source call succeeded).
• Bracket folders wrong case — AFF rules require lowercase inside brackets; the plugin normalizes, but custom extensions must do the same.