Avoid FRIENDS in class definitions

WarningAnti-Patterns & Bad Practices#EC FRIENDSRemote Enabled

Overview

Avoid FRIENDS in class definitions.

ATC Finding Message: Avoid FRIENDS; expose behavior via public methods

Rationale

FRIENDS exposes private and protected members to another class and creates a hidden bidirectional dependency. It defeats encapsulation and makes both classes harder to change independently. Expose a public method or interface instead of granting friendship.

Non-Compliant

CLASS lcl_service DEFINITION PUBLIC FINAL FRIENDS lcl_helper CREATE PUBLIC.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    METHODS execute.
ENDCLASS.

Compliant

CLASS lcl_service DEFINITION PUBLIC FINAL CREATE PUBLIC.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    METHODS execute.
ENDCLASS.

Suppression

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

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

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

Technical Details

• Native ATC Class: ZCL_SKYLINT_NO_FRIENDS
• Implementation File: zcl_skylint_no_friends.clas.abap