Sap API Style

SAP API Style Guide

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Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. When to Use This Skill
3. Quick Decision Tree
4. Core Principles
5. Quick Reference Tables
6. Templates Available
7. Reference Files
8. Instructions for Use
9. Common Pitfalls to Avoid
10. External Resources
11. Updates and Maintenance
12. Common Issues

Overview

This skill provides comprehensive guidance for documenting SAP APIs according to official SAP API Style Guide standards. It covers all major API types and documentation approaches used across the SAP ecosystem.

Documentation Source: https://github.com/SAP-docs/api-style-guide (76 files extracted)

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Creating API documentation for REST, OData, Java, JavaScript, .NET, or C/C++ APIs
• Writing OpenAPI specifications for SAP API Business Hub
• Reviewing API names for SAP naming convention compliance
• Documenting API parameters, responses, operations with proper formatting
• Creating manual API documentation using SAP templates
• Writing documentation comments in source code (Javadoc, JSDoc, XML comments)
• Implementing API deprecation following SAP lifecycle policies
• Developing developer guides or service documentation
• Performing quality checks on API documentation
• Publishing APIs to SAP API Business Hub

Quick Decision Tree

What Type of API?

REST/OData API
├─ Auto-generated (OpenAPI/Swagger)?
│  └─ references/rest-odata-openapi-guide.md
│     • OpenAPI specification standards
│     • Package, API, operation descriptions
│     • Parameters, responses, components
│     • SAP API Business Hub requirements
│
└─ Manually written?
   └─ references/manual-templates-guide.md
      • REST templates (2-level: overview → method)
      • OData templates (3-level: service → resource → operation)
      • Complete field requirements
      • templates/ directory for ready-to-use files

Native Library API
├─ Java → references/java-javascript-dotnet-guide.md
├─ JavaScript → references/java-javascript-dotnet-guide.md
├─ .NET (C#) → references/java-javascript-dotnet-guide.md
└─ C/C++ → references/java-javascript-dotnet-guide.md
    • Documentation comments structure
    • Language-specific tags
    • Templates for classes, methods, enums
    • Complete code examples

What Task?

Naming
└─ references/naming-conventions.md
   • REST/OData naming (resources, parameters, URIs)
   • Native library naming (classes, methods, constants)
   • Common mistakes to avoid

Writing Descriptions
└─ references/rest-odata-openapi-guide.md
   • Package descriptions
   • API details (info object)
   • Operations, parameters, responses

Quality Assurance
└─ references/quality-processes.md
   • Complete API Quality Checklist
   • Review workflows
   • Development team guidelines

Deprecating APIs
└─ references/deprecation-policy.md
   • Lifecycle states (beta, active, deprecated, decommissioned)
   • Timeline requirements (12+ months support)
   • Required metadata (x-sap-stateInfo)

Developer Guides
└─ references/developer-guides.md
   • Structure guidelines
   • Content selection
   • Code sample standards

Core Principles

1. Consistency Across SAP APIs

All SAP API documentation follows consistent conventions:

• Naming: Language-specific (camelCase, PascalCase, kebab-case)
• Structure: Hierarchical with clear navigation
• Formatting: Sentences start with capitals, end with periods
• Language: American English

2. API-Type-Specific Standards

3. Progressive Disclosure

Documentation organized hierarchically:

• High-level overviews provide context and navigation
• Detailed references cover specific APIs, methods, operations
• Examples and templates demonstrate practical usage

4. Quality Standards

All documentation must:

• ✅ Be reviewed by User Assistance (UA) developers
• ✅ Use consistent naming and terminology
• ✅ Include complete parameter and response descriptions
• ✅ Avoid sensitive data in examples
• ✅ Provide working code examples
• ✅ Maintain accurate links and cross-references

Quick Reference Tables

Character Limits

API Naming Rules

General Rules (all API types):

• ❌ Don't include "API" in name: ~~"Custom Forms API"~~ → ✅ "Custom Forms"
• ❌ Don't include "SAP" prefix: ~~"SAP Document Approval"~~ → ✅ "Document Approval"
• ❌ Don't use verbs: ~~"Configuring Portal"~~ → ✅ "Portal Configuration"
• ✅ Capitalize words properly
• ✅ Avoid technical specifics (REST, OData, etc.)

See references/naming-conventions.md for complete language-specific rules.

Common Documentation Tags

Java/JavaScript:

• @param <name> <description> - Parameter documentation
• @return <description> - Return value
• @throws <class> <description> - Exception
• @deprecated <description> - Deprecation notice

.NET:

• <summary> - Brief description
• <param name=""> - Parameter
• <returns> - Return value
• <exception cref=""> - Exception

See references/java-javascript-dotnet-guide.md for complete tag reference.

API Lifecycle States

See references/deprecation-policy.md for complete timeline and process requirements.

Large Reference Search Routing

Search large references before loading them. Use rg -n "<resource|operation|parameter|description|template|deprecation|x-sap-stateInfo>" references/*.md to locate the exact rule, then open only the relevant excerpt.

• Use references/manual-templates-guide.md for manually written REST/OData documentation templates. Search for REST API Template, OData Operation Template, field requirements, method, or the resource name.