Business Central CDS Page Generator

Generates AL list page objects for CDS (Dataverse) tables with standard CRM integration patterns. Creates read-only list pages with coupling support, CreateFromCDS actions, and proper field visibility.

Prerequisites

• CDS table exists (TableType = CDS) in src/Table/
• Available page ID (use Object ID Ninja or manual allocation)
• Understanding of which fields should be visible by default
• Author prefix defined (e.g., "BCS", "ABC", "XYZ") for consistent object naming

Quick Reference

Naming conventions:

• Page name: "[PREFIX] CDS [EntityName]" (plural) — replace [PREFIX] with author prefix (e.g., "BCS CDS Countries")
• Page caption: 'Dataverse [EntityName]'
• File name: [PREFIX]CDS[EntityName].Page.al — replace [PREFIX] (e.g., "BCSCDSCountries.Page.al")
• Entity variable: CDS[Entity] (e.g., CDSCountry, CDSDepartment)

Note: The author's prefix in examples is "BCS". Replace with your own prefix throughout.

Standard properties:

• PageType = List
• Editable = false (CDS tables are read-only from BC)
• RefreshOnActivate = true (refresh from Dataverse on page activation)
• UsageCategory = Lists (makes page searchable)

Workflow

Step 1: Identify CDS Table and Prefix

Gather information:

1. Author Prefix — your organization's prefix (e.g., "BCS", "ABC", "XYZ")
2. CDS Table Name (e.g., "[PREFIX] CDS bcs_country")
3. Entity Display Name (e.g., "Countries", "Departments")
4. Primary Fields — which fields are most important (code, name, key identifiers)
5. System Fields — standard fields that should be hidden (CreatedOn, ModifiedOn, statecode, statuscode, SystemId)

Step 2: Determine Page ID

Find next available page ID:

Get-ChildItem "src/Page/*.al" | 
  ForEach-Object { 
    $content = Get-Content $_.FullName -Raw
    if ($content -match 'page\s+(\d+)') { [int]$matches[1] }
  } | Sort-Object | Select-Object -Last 1

Next ID = Last ID + 1

Step 3: Generate Page Structure

Create the page file with:

1. File path: src/Page/[PREFIX]CDS[EntityName].Page.al (e.g., BCSCDSCountries.Page.al)
2. Page properties — use standard CDS list page properties
3. Layout — organize fields by visibility priority (see references/field-layout.md)
4. Actions — include CreateFromCDS action
5. Triggers — add OnInit trigger
6. Procedures — add SetCurrentlyCoupled[Entity] procedure

For complete code patterns and templates, read:

• references/quick-start.md — quick start guide with workflows and troubleshooting
• references/field-layout.md — field organization and visibility patterns
• references/standard-components.md — actions, triggers, and procedures
• references/examples.md — complete working examples

Step 4: Organize Fields

Field visibility rules:

1. Visible (3-5 fields): Primary identifiers, names, key business fields
2. Hidden (Visible = false): Technical fields, system fields, supplementary data

Standard field order:

1. Primary identification fields
2. Important business fields
3. Additional business fields (hidden)
4. System fields (all hidden): CreatedOn, ModifiedOn, statecode, statuscode, SystemId

Step 5: Add Standard Components

Required components:

• CreateFromCDS action — creates BC records from selected Dataverse records
• OnInit trigger — initializes CRM Integration Management
• SetCurrentlyCoupled[Entity] procedure — tracks coupled record in lookup scenarios

See references/standard-components.md for complete implementations.

Step 6: Validate

• Page name follows "[PREFIX] CDS [EntityName]" pattern with your author prefix
• File name follows [PREFIX]CDS[EntityName].Page.al pattern
• Caption is 'Dataverse [EntityName]'
• SourceTable references correct CDS table
• All field names match table definition (case-sensitive)
• ToolTips are meaningful
• CreateFromCDS action variable matches entity name
• SetCurrentlyCoupled procedure parameter matches entity name
• Page compiles without errors

Field Layout Principles

Primary fields (visible):

• Code/Number fields
• Name/Description fields
• Key classification fields

Hidden fields:

• GUIDs (except for debugging)
• Audit timestamps (CreatedOn, ModifiedOn)
• Status codes (statecode, statuscode)
• SystemId

ToolTip format:

• Start with "Specifies"
• Be specific about what the field represents
• End with period

Example: 'Specifies the two-letter ISO country code.'

Integration with Other Skills

Common Patterns

Master Data Pattern

For reference entities (Country, Currency, Legal Entity):

• Show code + name
• Show key attributes (ISO codes, classifications)
• Hide most other fields

Transactional Pattern

For transaction entities (Order, Invoice):

• Show document number + date
• Show party fields (customer, vendor)
• Show amount/status
• Hide line-level details

Standard CRM Entity Pattern

For OOB entities (Account, Contact, Product):

• Use base CRM table as SourceTable (e.g., "CRM Product")
• Follow same field visibility rules
• Adapt entity variable names

See EXAMPLES.md for complete implementations of each pattern.

Troubleshooting

Output Confirmation

CDS list page generated successfully!

Page: [ID] "BCS CDS [EntityName]"
File: src/Page/BCSCDS[EntityName].Page.al
Caption: Dataverse [EntityName]
Source: "BCS CDS [tablename]"

Visible fields: [count]
Hidden fields: [count]

Components included:
✓ CreateFromCDS action
✓ OnInit trigger
✓ SetCurrentlyCoupled[Entity] procedure

Next steps:
- Build project (Ctrl+Shift+P → AL: Build)
- Test page opens from Tell Me search
- Verify data displays from Dataverse connection