Avoid CHECK Statements

WarningAnti-Patterns & Bad PracticesQuickFix Ready#EC NO_CHECK_IN_LOOPRemote Enabled

Overview

Avoid CHECK statements; prefer IF with RETURN or CONTINUE.

ATC Finding Messages:

• Avoid CHECK inside loop; use IF ... CONTINUE instead
• Avoid CHECK outside loop; use IF ... RETURN instead

Rationale

CHECK behaves like CONTINUE inside a loop but like RETURN outside a loop, so moving the statement between contexts silently changes control flow. That dual meaning makes refactoring and reviews hazardous. Replace it with an explicit IF ... CONTINUE or IF ... RETURN that states the intended behavior.

Non-Compliant

LOOP AT lt_orders INTO ls_order.
  CHECK ls_order-status = 'OPEN'.
  process_order( ls_order ).
ENDLOOP.

Compliant

LOOP AT lt_orders INTO ls_order.
  IF ls_order-status <> 'OPEN'.
    CONTINUE.
  ENDIF.
  process_order( ls_order ).
ENDLOOP.

Automated QuickFix

This rule provides an automated QuickFix directly in Eclipse ABAP Development Tools (ADT):

1. Position the cursor on the flagged statement.
2. Press Ctrl + 1 (Quick Assist).
3. Select the automated refactoring to apply the clean syntax immediately.

Configuration & Thresholds

This check can be fine-tuned directly in the ATC Check Variant Editor (CHKV) in Eclipse ADT:

Parameter Name	Data Type	Default Value	Description & Guidance
CHECK_IN_LOOP	Boolean	true	Detect CHECK inside loops and suggest IF NOT ... CONTINUE guard clause
CHECK_OUTSIDE_LOOP	Boolean	true	Detect CHECK outside loops and suggest IF NOT ... RETURN guard clause

Suppression

To suppress findings for this rule, append the pseudo-comment to the statement:

" Standard pseudo-comment:
... "#EC NO_CHECK_IN_LOOP

" SAP CI_ prefix format:
... "#EC CI_NO_CHECK_IN_LOOP

Related Rules

• Avoid CASE with a Single WHEN Branch — #EC NO_SINGLE_WHEN
• Avoid Comparing to abap_true / abap_false — #EC NO_BOOL_COMPARE
• Avoid Yoda Conditions — #EC NO_YODA_COND

Technical Details

• Native ATC Class: ZCL_SKYLINT_NO_CHECK_STMT
• Implementation File: zcl_skylint_no_check_stmt.clas.abap