Problem with parameter passing from method to task

[mikko.maki-rahkola@accenture.com]

Hi everyone,
hope some of you can help me out with a problem I'm facing...
 
We're running a PR item approval workflow on 4.6c and determining the approver agent with a responsibility rule. One element in the responsibility rule container is settlement rule category (COBRB-KONTY) which is filled from the maintenance order assigned to the PR item.
 
Ok, I have created an instance-dependent custom method in the subtype of the PR item object BUS2009 which picks up the assigned maintenance order details and returns among others the settlement rule category. The export param SettlRuleCategory is of type COBRB-KONTY (2-char type). Here's the relevant method code:
 
BEGIN_METHOD GETORDERDETAILS CHANGING CONTAINER.
DATA:
...
    ordernumber LIKE aufk-aufnr,
    settlrulecat LIKE cobrb-konty,
    wa_cobrb LIKE cobrb,
...
  SWC_GET_PROPERTY self 'Order' ordernumber. "Order attribute contains the order number
...
   IF NOT ordernumber IS INITIAL AND ordercategory = 30. " 30 stands for maintenance orders
     SWC_CREATE_OBJECT maintorder 'BUS2007' ordernumber.
   ENDIF.                                               
...
  SELECT SINGLE * FROM aufk INTO wa_aufk WHERE aufnr = ordernumber.
  IF sy-subrc = 0.
    orderobjnr = wa_aufk-objnr. 
...
  ENDIF.
...
  SELECT SINGLE * FROM cobrb INTO wa_cobrb WHERE objnr = orderobjnr.
  IF sy-subrc = 0.
    settlrulecat = wa_cobrb-konty.
...
  ENDIF.
...
  SWC_SET_ELEMENT CONTAINER 'SettlRuleCategory' settlrulecat.
...
 
What's strange is that after executing the method with valid data, I see a three-character value (e.g. 'ORD') in my export parameter although cobrb-konty only has two chars(!). Not getting confused about this, I included the method in a new task and binded the parameter value to the task container element (of type COBRB-KONTY as well). Starting the task with a valid input PR item, the third character is suddenly dropped and my task container element has a result only a two character value (= 'OR'). 
 
Defining the task container element to be a three-char type does not help, the third character is dropped here too. I also tried changing the method export parameter and code variable types to three-char types, but the third character is dropped in the same way. As a temporary solution, I'm currently passing the two char value to the responsibility rule.
 
The other weird thing about this is that the value entry of the resp rule container element (type cobrb-konty) in OOCU_RESP/PFAC is quite difficult. It accepts e.g. 'ORD', but after pressing enter cuts the third character (=> 'OR') and second time pressing for 'OR' does not accept it. So I have to enter ORD and then immediately go out of the change mode. This way I get to keep 'OR' in the cont element even though the system doesn't properly accept it.
 
Have any of you bumped into a similar peculiarity or have I just missed something or do I need to go straight to OSS on this? 
 
Thanks for your help!
-Mikko


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