API communication in MS Dynamics NAV 2018 Now Business Central.

Hi All ,

Once again I am getting stuck with calling of API in MS Dynamics NAV in my Germany office so I

thought why not get a dive into the sea of API. And lets check what it is in reality.

What is an API ?

Google says API is an Application Programming Interface. A way which provides us a facility to get 

data from another server.

But I cant understand now also. So lets get some diagrammatic view of an API.

I have a requirement from customer whenever a payment is done by a customer we need to check 

whether the customer has a credit balance to buy the article if no then send the notification to 

customer please contact the owner to increase your credit balance.

So here we were suggested to come with a solution of API we need to create one API which will be 

used by Paypal developers to checks whether this transaction is allowed or not.

I hope you got the point that what is an API.

API is generally a program written to say outer world that we will give you your data just send me 

the url for this requirement. In our example , my developed API will take the parameter of customer 

No. and will check in our customer table below points :

1. Customer Exist or Not.

2. If Exist , check the credit balance and proceed.

I hope concept is clear and requirement is also clear.

So what NAV developers will do now , we will create codeunit and will check the conditions and 

expose it to web service. But now we want to interpret with Paypal and they suggested API.

How to use API in NAV 2018?

First we will see how we can use then we will create API also.

Requirement from NAV Side :

1. Enable your NAV 2018 Admin for Soap and Odata Url.

If you want to go in more deep about API follow this video.

2. Search for API Setup page. Open it and click on Integrate API function it will populate all API present in NAV in Table API Web Service.  This is new system table.

3. We can check the data in Page but we need to create one page for this , as I had created this page on table API Web Service.

Please check how to create page on this table if you dont know in NAV from MSDN.

Lets Run this page.

You can create a web service for this page and check the data for this on browser.

The result of the data will be in JSON Format.

These are the following APIs provided by NAV 2018.

How to call API of NAV?

This is the URL provided by MSDN:

 http://<<Server Name>>:<<OData Port>>/<<Service Name>>/api/beta

For me its :

http://localhost:7048/DynamicsNAV110/api/beta

Hint : If you are not familiar with the url just open web service page and click on URL fields. There are 3 fields

ODATA V4 URL

ODATA URL

SOAP URL

With this you will get the desired URL for your system I followed the same.

After some time the result is as in Screen.

Now if its an API URL it should be present in POSTMAN. Lets check there also the result of our API  data is it available to other world.

For this I will write a new POST.

But I get 1 point now Microsoft is going to Business Central to a next Level of Data Library.

Some imporant points Summary Post 2 Tables from

Hi,

You can have a look for Tables in MS Dynamics NAV from the below link. I am summarising the

concept below. If you like then do comment and subscribe to my blog post.

Tables by microsoft.

Note 1.

RECORDID Datatype :- It Stores RECORD ID and Primary key values.

Note 2.

ExtendedDataType property

When you select the Phone No. field without closing the No. -

Property window, notice that now the Phone No. – Property window is shown.

By selecting a value in the ExtendedDataType property, you will change the layout

and behavior of controls on a page. Use the value to add an icon next to an input

field to indicate whether the field relates to a phone number, email address, or URL.

Note 3.

Why we use Field Groups in Navision?

Note: If you do not define any Field Groups for the drop-down control, by

default, you will only see data from two fields in the source table: the primary key

and description fields, because these are indexed automatically.

Note 4.

Up to 40 keys can be associated to a table, and the first on the list is the primary

key. All other keys are secondary keys and optional.

The primary key is composed of up to 20 fields in a record. The combination of

values in fields in the primary key makes it possible for Microsoft SQL Server to

perform a unique identification of each record. The primary key determines the

logical order in which records are stored, regardless of their physical placement on

a disk.

Secondary keys are used to view records in an order that differs from the one in

which they are sorted, according to the primary key fields.

Note 5.

Note: The field ID that is specified in the TableRelation property must be in

the primary key of the table that is specified by the table ID in the property. If the

specified field is not the first field in the primary key, the other fields that are listed

before it in the key must be filtered to one value.

Note 6.

7 types of flowfields Sum, Average,Lookup,Exist,Min, Max,Count

Note 7.

SumIndexFields

A SumIndexField is a decimal field that can be attached to a key definition. This is

the fundamental feature of the Microsoft Dynamics NAV that constructs the basis

for FlowFields. SumIndexFields enable fast calculation of numeric columns in

tables,

Note 8.
Each key can have at most 20 SumIndexFields. During database design, a decimal field can

be associated with a key as a SumIndexField.

The type of SumIndexField must be numeric (Decimal, BigInteger, Integer or Duration).

Summary of CAL CODE Programming guide

Hi,

Today I get a look on the below link for CAL Code present in NAV. I am summarising all the points from this PDF.

Thanks to www.mergetool.com

http://www.mergetool.com/Data/MGT/CalProgGuide.pdf

Note 1. There must be 1 character space between operators.

Note 2. Do not use any blank lines at the beginning and end of the function.

Note 3. Use 2 character space in alignment.

Note 4. If you want to break lines in CAL Code then use 2 character space in all.

For Eg.

MyVariable := Variable1 + Variable2 * 2 +

                     Variable3 * 3;  

Note 5. Use parenthesis alignment uniquely.

For Eg.

aaaaaaaaaa := ((xxxxxxxxxxx / yyyyyyyyyyyyy) -

                         (1 + zzzzzzzzzz / 100)) * 100;

IF (xxx <> '') AND

     ((A = 1) OR

      (B = 2)) THEN ...

Note 5. Always use // for comment with 1 space character.

Note 6. Use Value of option instead of hard Code or Integer values.

Note 7.Use Parameters to transfer Values in a Function.

... P(0); ...

PROCEDURE P(MyOption : 'Value0,Value1,Value2');

BEGIN

CASE

MyOption OF MyOption::Value0:

x := x * 10;

MyOption::Value1: x := x * 15;

MyOption::Value2: x := x * 20;

END;

END;

Note 8.  The variable you are operating on or comparing to something else must always come first in expressions.

IF (Date < a) OR (Date > b) THEN Date := c;

Note 9.  IF and THEN should normally be on the same line. ELSE should be on a separate line.

Note 10.  If the last statement in the THEN part of an IF-THEN-ELSE statement is an EXIT or an ERROR, don’t continue with an ELSE statement.

EXAMPLE

IF x <> y THEN

EXIT(TRUE);

x := x * 2;

y := y - 1;

EXAMPLE (BAD)

IF x < y THEN

EXIT(TRUE)

ELSE BEGIN

x := x * 2;

y := y - 1;

END;

Note 12.  

When BEGIN follows THEN, ELSE or DO, it should be on the same line, preceded by one space 

character.

EXAMPLE

IF (x = y) AND (a = b) THEN BEGIN

x := a;

y := b;

END;

EXAMPLE

IF (xxx = yyyyyyyyyy) AND (aaaaaaaaaa = bbb) THEN BEGIN

x := a;

x := y;

a := y;

END ELSE BEGIN

y := x;

y := a;

END;

Note 13.

Indentation of REPEAT statements:

Simple case:

REPEAT ;

     UNTIL ;

Complex case:

REPEAT ;

     UNTIL AND AND ;

REPEAT

should always be alone on a line.

IF x < y THEN BEGIN

     REPEAT

           x := x + 1;

          a := a - 1;

     UNTIL   x = y;

               b := x;

      END;

Note 14.  If there are more than two alternatives, use a CASE statement. Otherwise, use IF.

Note 15.  Within WITH-DO blocks, do not repeat the name of the object with the member variable or 

function. For example, in the following example do not replace the call of the member function 

INSERT with MyRecord.INSERT.

EXAMPLE

WITH MyRecord DO

BEGIN

INSERT;

...;

END;

Note 15. use TESTFIELD FUNCTION to check if value is not blank before assigning.

Note 16. 

To set properties from C/AL, use the following style:

"Customer No.".Visible := TRUE;

Cust.MARK := TRUE;

CurrReport.SHOWOUTPUT := TRUE;

Do not write:

Customer." No.".Visible(TRUE);

Cust.MARK(TRUE);

CurrReport.SHOWOUTPUT(TRUE);

Note 17.

Remember to set the property Editable=No on FlowFields unless you want to be able to enter values in the field.

Note 18.

As default, set the property NotBlank=Yes on the primary key fields in a table. No other fields in a table should have this property

Note 19.

Since a disabled field cannot be included in a form, never release a table with disabled fields.

Note 20.

When you apply the property ValidateTableRelation=No to a field, you should also apply the property TestTableRelation=No. Otherwise a database test on the field relations in a database may fail.

Note 21.

When programming the OnLookup trigger for a field, remember that the system will not call the code in the field’s OnValidate trigger unless you call Field.VALIDATE explicitly.

Remember also that if errors can occur in the validation, you must operate on a copy of the Rec-variable (as shown in the example below) instead of directly on Rec.

EXAMPLE

Department Code – OnLookup

WITH Cust DO BEGIN

Cust := Rec;

Dept.Code := "Department Code";

IF FORM.RUNMODAL(O,Dept) = Action::LookupOK THEN BEGIN

"Department Code" := Dept. Code;

VALIDATE("Department Code");

Rec := Cust;

END;

END;

Note 22.

As a rule, use 20 characters for a code field that is likely to be visible to external companies or organizations. Otherwise, use 10 characters.

Note 23.

To assign a value to data type DateFormula, whether it is a field or a variable, you must use the 

EVALUATE function. EXAMPLE IF FORMAT(Dateformulavariable) = ' ' THEN EVALUATE(Dateformulavariable, '1W'); 

You must use the FORMAT function to make a comparison with a text string. If you do not use this function, the IF statement will fail, because you can not compare DateFormula with data type Text.

Note 24.

To make Lookup work on a field that has a table relation to a system table, you must always explicitly set the LookupFormID property on controls showing the field

Note 25.

Remember to set the LookupFormID and DrillDownFormID properties on most tables. You cannot anticipate when a user will need to be able to activate a Lookup or DrillDown button – for example, if someone makes a report with a filter tab on the table, the Lookup button on the filter tab will not appear unless the LookupFormID property is set on the table.

Note 26.

If it is necessary to change the key before accessing a table in the database, first set the correct key, then set the correct filters, and finally, access the table. Put only the necessary key fields in a call of SETCURRENTKEY. That is, if the table order is not important, use only the fields that are used in the subsequent calls of SETRANGE and SETFILTER. This makes it possible to change the definition of the key (as long as it still includes the fields mentioned in the call of SETCURRENTKEY – in the order given) without having to change any code.

EXAMPLE

Rec.RESET;

Rec.SETCURRENTKEY(Field1,Field2);

Rec.SETRANGE(Field1,x);

Rec.SETRANGE(Field2,y);

Rec.FIND('-');

In the example, a possible key is Field 1, Field2, Field 3. Without changing the code above, the key could be changed to Field1, Field3, Field2.

Summarise post 1 for ms dynamics NAV 2013.

Q1. Can another developer overwrite an object locked by you?


NO


Q2. Which object type is new in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013?

Querry


Q3.What are the elements of the logical database structure in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013?
MODEL ANSWER:
Field, record, table, and company.


Auto-Locking
Users may frequently forget to lock the objects before opening them in the
designer. You can configure Microsoft Dynamics NAV Development Environment
to automatically lock the objects when a user designs them.
To switch auto-locking on, click Tools > Options, to open the Options window.
In the Options window, set the Auto-Lock on Design property to Yes, and then
click OK.


Note: This change affects only the user who has made it. Every user must set
this option himself or herself.


Note: There is no automatic unlocking in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013. As
soon as you auto-lock an object, the object remains locked until you unlock it.


Note: You can access drop-down, look-up or a specific property editor by
pressing the F6 key or the ALT+DOWN combination on your keyboard.


Note: The mark on an object is automatically cleared when you compile
multiple objects again, and the object compiles successfully. To toggle the mark on
an object manually, selecting the object in the Object Designer, and then on the
Edit menu, click Toggle Mark, or press CTRL+F1 on your keyboard.

Why we should use BEGIN END in our conditional Looping

This post is related to my one mistake so I just want to share it with all. This post will help my 

readers to understand how the conditional statement works in Navision and what is the impact of 

BEGIN END on all the Conditions.

For this I am using two scenarios of Code as shown in screenshot.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Now in all the screen if you run the debugger it will show you the real facts.

Screen 1 and 3 are same in both the scenarios and working.

it will check all the three conditions.

Screen 2 is showing difference that whenever the IF condition before Begin is checked then either the

 whole code will be run else whole code will not be run by AL.

I hope it will be helpful to all developers of NAVISION. If you like my post then please share and 

comment.

7 Doubts You Should Clarify About Multiple Language Solution In NAV

Is your Solution MULTI Language Acceptable?

Hi All,

This post is about  providing your solution of Nav to be implemented in multi langauages.

While creating reports in NAV we have many a times used Hard Code Error  which resolves solutions but the long term impact of such cases I want to share with my readers.

So the summarise post is below :- 

How to achieve Multi Language Implementation Solution?

We must provide every error , message , confirmation in TEXT CONSTANT and we must provide another language in Caption ML Property of NAV.

More about property is Here.

Where we must use it?

1. Object Name

2. Function Name

3. Function Variable

4.Option Type 

5.Control Names.

 Comment,CAPTIONML,OPTIONML,Instruction,Instruction Tool ML.

Rules :-

Always use text constants and avoid hard code while defining ERROR,MESSAGE,CONFIRM,STRMENU,OPTION,DATEFORMULA

Alway try to use FIELDCAPTION,TABLECAPTION,STRSUBSTNO to retrieve caption values for comparing object names.

Thanks.

Please subscribe our post and follow us below to getmore valuable updates to develop MS Dynamics NAV Solutions.

Discontinued Component NAV 2013 & Later - INPUT BOX (The Input Method is Obsolete). in NAV 2017

Error (The Input Method is Obsolete).

How to use Window dialog Box in NAV 2013 R2 And Above?

Error while using dialog in NAV 2013 R2.



To resolve this error we must have to use DotNet variable in NAV 2013 R2. 

We have to define this variable as DOTNET Type.

And directly paste this as SUBTYPE : Microsoft.VisualBasic.Interaction.'Microsoft.VisualBasic, Version=10.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a'



my text constants are :- Name ConstValue
Text000 The customer was found.\
Text001 Customer No. %1 is:\%2
Text002 Sorry, that customer could not be found.

Also put this property as YES in NAVISION.

The result is :

And final Result is this :

How to use SETTABLEVIEW Function in Navision?

SETTABLEVIEW

This is a very important function that can be used in various scenarios ccording to business requirement and dealing.

Defination :-

This function applies filters to the record for the Pages , Report or Xmlport.

Syntax :-    SETTABLEVIEW(Record)

To see more about this please Click Here.

Implementation :-

To use this function we have to create 2 variables and I am adding this function on my customer card to see the impact. 

How to use Temporary Tables in Navision?

What are Temporary Tables in Navision?

Temporary Tables are basically a Temporary variable which points to table and are in use until the table is not closed from Client. This image will define it much better.

For more reference , Please click here on MSDN.

Now see the use of Temporary Tables in this code.

Result :

What is the difference between CLEAR & RESET Functions in NAV?

What is the use of RESET & CLEAR : -

Basically when we use a want to reuse a variable we need to unapply all the filters that are previously applied on that variable, this is why we need to CLEAR or REST that variable.

If its string type we use ABC=''; IF its Integer type we use ABC=0;
OR we use CLEAR(ABC);
Now, when we are using a RECORD type variable we always use

CLEAR(ABC) or ABC.RESET;

Difference is that while using RESET it clears all the filters already applied on that variable and if any key is changed it will reset the primary also.

CLEAR is 1 more step Ahead that it will Clear all the fields individually from this recor type variable.

For reference please check :-After RESET

After Clear

How to INSERT a Record in Customer table and then modify that record?

Use OF AL to update insert delete in MS Dynamics NAV 2017?

We can insert a record and modify that inserted record into table using Codeunit.

For an Example: I am updating my name in Customer table and updating that Name.

Look at this Code.

After Running the Code-unit we got this desired result:-

How to use GETFILTER & SETFILTER How to use it and where to use it in MS Dynamics NAV?

Basically these two filters are majorly used in reports creation of NAVISION. Howsoever I read these functions in MSDN Defination.

To get a better view of these two function I am creating a report using these SETFILTER and GETFILTER.

My readers can also see these functions in many base reports from MS Dynamics NAV.

Firstly look at the defination of these two inbuilt Functions in NAV from MSDN.

SETFILTER

Assigns a filter to a field that you specify. via MSDN

GETFILTER

Returns a list of the filters within the current filter group that are applied to a field. via MSDN.

Howsoever now I am creating a report whose filter I AM going to setup with these two functions lets have a look on my screenshots.

I hope this blog will make easier for beginners to learn this functions in details. I also request NAV seniors to comment and correct me for my mistaks in any of my blog written.

According to me,

I use GETFILTER for getting the filetrs on reports which I had defined in

ReqFilterFields I am Showing It here.

Code :

Result:You will receive this filter result 3 Times as i have 3 <>0 records in Customer Table.

In my next blog I will show you how to use setfilter in MS Dynamics NAV 2016.