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Introducing the ABL Editor : Tasks : Writing ABL code : Working with preprocessor elements : Viewing preprocessors in ABL source files
 
Viewing preprocessors in ABL source files
When the preprocessor evaluation is on, inactive preprocessor regions for the file that is currently open are displayed in gray in the ABL Editor. This enables you to evaluate and view the code that is excluded by preprocessor.
Note: You can use the Preprocessor inactive option in the Editor Colors options to specify a different color for the inactive preprocessor regions.
When you hover over a preprocessor reference, the value of the preprocessor appears in a pop-up dialog. For example, in the following illustration, hovering over the preprocessor {&TABLE} in the ABL Editor displays the current value of preprocessor as Customer in a popup dialog. If the preprocessor evaluation is not completed at the time of hovering, no value is displayed in the hover pop-up dialog.
When the preprocessor evaluation is enabled, ABL Editor's code assistance evaluates the value of preprocessors at selected offset and displays the proposals for the defined preprocessor. If the preprocessor option is disabled, a message appears stating Enable preprocessing to get proposals. For example, in the following illustration, when a preprocessor DB is defined, code assistance after {&DB} displays tables from the database.