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

Skill	Relationship
bc-dataverse-entity-generator	Generate CDS table first, then create page
bc-dataverse-mapping-generator	Page used in lookup procedures for coupling
bc-tooltip-manager	Enhance tooltips after page generation
dataverse-schema-generator	Reference schema docs for field selection

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

Issue	Solution
Fields not found	Verify field names match table exactly (case-sensitive)
Page doesn't display data	Check RefreshOnActivate = true and OnInit trigger present
CreateFromCDS action fails	Verify CRM Integration Management available and CDS connection configured
Compilation errors	Update variable names to match entity (CDSCountry, CDSDepartment)

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