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ABAP Keyword Documentation → ABAP − Reference → Processing Internal Data → Assignments → Assignment and Conversion Rules → Conversion Rules for Structures →Conversions Between Flat Structures and Single Fields
Conversion Outside of Unicode Programs
Outside of Unicode programs, the structure involved is regarded as a single field of type c (casting), whose length is determined by the length of its components and possible alignment gaps. In this case, the assignment between the structure and the single field is done in accordance with the conversion rules between the data type c and the data type of the single field (see Conversion Rules for Elementary Data Types).
Note
Assignments of this type are only advisable if the structure in question only contains character-like components. If a single field is assigned to a structure that does not only contain character-like components, the content of these components usually then no longer matches the data type, which means that it is no longer possible to evaluate them individually.
Conversion in Unicode Programs
The following rules apply in Unicode programs when converting a flat structure to a single field and back:
No conversion rule is defined for any other cases, and assignments are not possible.
Note
If a syntax error occurs due to an invalid assignment between flat structures and single fields, the fragment view of the corresponding structure can be displayed when displaying the syntax error in ABAP Editor by choosing the pushbutton with the information icon.