mdAL VS Code Extension

This repository contains the VS Code language extension adding support for mdAL. mdAL is a Domain Specific Language that enables a Model-Driven approach to extension module development for the ERP System Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. mdAL stands for model-driven AL.

System Requirements

To use the mdAL VS Code extension you need Java JRE 8 or newer (please restart after installing Java JRE).

Quickstart

To quickly familiarize yourself with mdAL and the VS Code extension have a look at the mdAL demo project. For more information on mdAL visit mdal-lang.github.io.

Creating new Projects

To start using mdAL create a new AL project (Alt + A, Alt + L) and download the symbol references. Then add your object ranges to the app.json file. Create a new file with the .mdal ending. If it is not running already the language server starts once opening an mdAL file. After a few seconds features like content assist and documentation hovers are available. You can trigger AL code generation either from the menu item "Generate AL Code" by right-clicking inside an mdAL file or by using the command palette (Shift + Ctrl + p or Shift + Command + p).

Features

• Language Support
  • Syntax highlighting for mdAL files.
• Commands (available on *.mdal files)
  • Load symbol references: Loads the symbol references found in the .alpackages folder.
  • Generate AL Code: Generates AL Code from the currently opened mdAL file into the src-gen folder.
  • Clean: Deletes the src-gen folder.
• Menu items (available on *.mdal files)
  • Load symbol references
  • Generate AL Code
• Code Actions
• Content Assist
• Documentation hovers
• Snippets

If you encounter errors or have suggestions for future releases, please open an issue.

Development

This extension is built using the build tool Gradle. If Java JDK or JRE is installed, you can use the bundled Gradle wrapper and build the project with this command:

$ ./gradlew build

To start a new VS Code window in debug mode use this command:

$ ./gradlew debugCode

A list of all available Gradle tasks can be obtained with this command:

$ ./gradlew tasks

License

Apache 2.0 (c) Jonathan Neugebauer