String Templates

Searchable keywords: string template, pipe, |...|, literal brace, escape, expression limiter, JSON, \{, \}

Syntax

String templates are delimited by |...|. Embedded expressions use { expr }:

DATA(s) = |Hello { lv_name }!|.
DATA(s) = |User: { cl_abap_context_info=>get_user_technical_name( ) }|.
DATA(s) = |Length: { strlen( lv_text ) }|.

Escaping Special Characters

Inside |...|, four characters have special meaning and must be escaped with \:

Character	Escape as	Produces
{	\{	literal {
}	\}	literal }
\	\\	literal \
\|	\|	literal \|

" Produces: \ | { }
DATA(s) = |\\ \| \{ \}|.

JSON Payloads — The Most Common Mistake

JSON objects start with { — which ABAP treats as an expression delimiter. Always escape outer JSON braces as \{ and \}.

" WRONG — "Expression limiter '{' in string template not followed by space"
rv_result = |{"success":"X","name":"{ lv_name }"}|.
"            ^ unescaped { triggers parse error

" CORRECT — outer JSON braces escaped, expression { } left as-is
rv_result = |\{"success":"X","name":"{ lv_name }"\}|.

" CORRECT — error with method call
rv_result = |\{"success":"","error":"{ lx_error->get_text( ) }"\}|.

" CORRECT — multiple embedded fields
rv_result = |\{"success":"X","object":"{ lv_obj_name }","type":"{ lv_obj_type }"\}|.

Control Characters

DATA(s) = |line1\nline2|.   " newline
DATA(s) = |col1\tcol2|.     " tab
DATA(s) = |line1\r\nline2|. " CR+LF

Chaining with &&

DATA(s) = |{ lv_a }| && ` separator ` && |{ lv_b }|.

Performance Note

A string template containing only literal text (no { } expressions) is evaluated at runtime. Prefer backquote literals for pure text:

" Prefer this for literal-only strings
DATA(s) = `Hello World`.

" Not this (runtime overhead with no benefit)
DATA(s) = |Hello World|.