SAL2

Scripting in AL - attempt #2.

app

Business Central extension adding a code editor for running scripts.

Now with code highlighting and IntelliSense!

IntelliSense is implemented naively - the main unresolved issues are:

• no autocomplete if the code preceding the current position is broken
• field name suggestions do not work in record methods like SetRange
  • for now you can use the Record.SetRange(Record.FieldName, ...) syntax
• no suggestions for function arguments

What does it do?

Currently? Not much. Code is parsed, semantically analyzed and executed. Message with the memory state is displayed at the end of each procedure execution.

Goals

1. Support copy-and-pasting existing AL code and running it without any changes
2. Add new features to make life easier

Limitations

!TODO describe current implementation limitations

Sample code

The entry point is a parameterless trigger called OnRun. You can define additional procedures with var parameters and (named) return values. Global variables are not supported (yet?).

procedure WriteLineMultiplied(text: text; count: integer)
begin
    WriteLine(text * count);
end;

trigger OnRun()
var
    hello: boolean;
    text: text;
begin
    text := 'h' + 'e' + 'l' * 2 + 'o';
    hello := 'hello' = text;

    if hello then
        text += ' ' + 'world!';

    WriteLine(text);

    WriteLineMultiplied(text + ' ', 3);
end;

Supported features

Data types

type	status	remark
boolean	✅
text	✅
code	✅
guid	✅
enum	⭕️	Planned (but maybe not possible outside of record fields?).
option	⭕️	Planned.
integer	✅
decimal	✅
char	✅
byte	⭕️
date	✅
time	✅
datetime	✅
dateformula	✅
duration	⭕️
record	✅ ⭕️	Temporary records are not supported - yet.
recordid	⭕️
recordref & fieldref & keyref	❓	Should be possible to implement - at least partially.
blob & outstream & instream	⭕️
textbuilder	⭕️
variant	❓	Should be possible to implement - at least partially.
dialog	❓	Low priority.
dictionary	❓	Low priority.
list	❓	Low priority.
codeunit	❌ ❓	Runtime reflection for codeunits is not possible (at least as far as I know). Codenit.Run(Integer) is possible. It could be possible by generating another extension with "bindings"?
page	❌ ❓	Same as codeunits. Page.Run(Integer) is possible.
report	❌ ❓	Same as codeunits. Report.Run(Integer) is possible.
json*	❓	Low priority.
xml*	❓	Low priority.
http*	❓	Low priority.
others	❓	No priority.

Key

• ✅ - supported
• ⭕️ - planned/partially supported
• ❓ - not supported/not planned
• ❌ - not possible

Record methods

type	status	remark
AddLink(URL: Text, [Description: Text]): Integer	⭕️
AddLoadFields([Field: Identifier, ...])	⭕️
AreFieldsLoaded(Field: Identifier, ...): Boolean	⭕️
Ascending([Ascending: Boolean]): Boolean	⭕️
CalcFields(Field: Identifier, [Field: Identifier, ...])	⭕️
CalcSums(Field: Identifier, [Field: Identifier, ...])	⭕️
ChangeCompany([Company: Text])[: Boolean]	⭕️
ClearMarks()	⭕️
Consistent(Consistent: Boolean)	⭕️
Copy(FromRecord: Record, [ShareTable: Boolean])	⭕️
CopyFilter(Any, Any)	⭕️
CopyFilters(var Record)	⭕️
CopyLinks(var Record)	⭕️
CopyLinks(RecordRef)	⭕️
Count(): Integer	✅
CountApprox(): Integer	⭕️
CurrentCompany(): Text	⭕️
CurrentKey(): Text	⭕️
Delete([RunTrigger: Boolean])[: Boolean]	✅
DeleteAll([Boolean])	⭕️
DeleteLink(Integer)	⭕️
DeleteLinks()	⭕️
FieldActive(Any)	⭕️
FieldCaption(Any)	⭕️
FieldError(Any [, Text])	⭕️
FieldError(Any, ErrorInfo)	⭕️
FieldName(Any)	⭕️
FieldNo(Field: Identifier): Integer	✅
FilterGroup([Integer])	⭕️
Find([Text])	⭕️
FindFirst()[: Boolean]	✅
FindLast()[: Boolean]	✅
FindSet()[: Boolean]	✅
FindSet([Boolean])	⭕️
FindSet(Boolean, Boolean)	⭕️
Get([Any,...])	⭕️
GetAscending(Any)	⭕️
GetBySystemId(Guid)	⭕️
GetFilter(Any)	⭕️
GetFilters(): Text	✅
GetPosition([Boolean])	⭕️
GetRangeMax(Any)	⭕️
GetRangeMin(Any)	⭕️
GetView([UseNames: Boolean]): Text	✅
HasFilter()	⭕️
HasLinks()	⭕️
Init()	✅
Insert([RunTrigger: Boolean])[: Boolean]	✅
Insert(Boolean, Boolean)	⭕️
IsEmpty(): Boolean	✅
IsTemporary()	⭕️
LoadFields(Any,...)	⭕️
LockTable([Boolean] [, Boolean])	⭕️
Mark([Boolean])	⭕️
MarkedOnly([Boolean])	⭕️
Modify([RunTrigger: Boolean])[: Boolean]	✅
ModifyAll(Any, Any [, Boolean])	⭕️
Next([Steps: Integer]): Integer	✅
ReadConsistency()	⭕️
ReadIsolation([IsolationLevel])	⭕️
ReadPermission()	⭕️
RecordId()	⭕️
RecordLevelLocking()	⭕️
Relation(Any)	⭕️
Rename(Any [, Any,...])	⭕️
Reset()	✅
SecurityFiltering([SecurityFilter])	⭕️
SetAscending(Any, Boolean)	⭕️
SetAutoCalcFields([Any,...])	⭕️
SetCurrentKey(Any [, Any,...])	⭕️
SetFilter(Field: Identifier, Filter: Tex, [Substitution: Any, ...])	✅	only up to 10 substitutions
SetLoadFields([Any,...])	⭕️
SetPermissionFilter()	⭕️
SetPosition(Text)	⭕️
SetRange(Field: Identifier, [FromValue: FieldType, [ToValue: FieldType]])	✅
SetRecFilter()	✅
SetView(View: Text)	✅
TableCaption(): Text	✅
TableName(): Text	✅
TestField(Any)	⭕️
TestField(Any, ErrorInfo)	⭕️
TransferFields(var Record [, Boolean])	⭕️
TransferFields(var Record, Boolean, Boolean)	⭕️
Validate(Field: Identifier, [FromValue: FieldType])	✅
WritePermission()	⭕️

Text methods

type	status	remark
ConvertStr(Text, Text, Text)	✅
CopyStr(Text, Integer [, Integer])	✅
DelChr(Text [, Text] [, Text])	✅
DelStr(Text, Integer [, Integer])	✅
IncStr(Text)	✅
InsStr(Text, Text, Integer)	✅
LowerCase(Text)	✅
MaxStrLen(Text)	✅
PadStr(Text, Integer [, Text])	✅
SelectStr(Integer, Text)	✅
StrCheckSum(Text [, Text] [, Integer])	✅
StrLen(Text)	✅
StrPos(Text, Text)	✅
StrSubstNo(Text [, Any,...])	✅	only up to 10 substitutions
UpperCase(Text)	✅
Contains(Text: Text): Boolean	✅
EndsWith(Text)	✅
IndexOf(Text [, Integer])	✅
IndexOfAny(Text [, Integer])	✅
IndexOfAny(List of [Char] [, Integer])	⭕️
LastIndexOf(Text [, Integer])	✅
PadLeft(Integer [, Char])	✅
PadRight(Integer [, Char])	✅
Remove(Integer [, Integer])	✅
Replace(Text, Text)	✅
Split([Text,...])	⭕️
Split(List of [Text])	⭕️
Split(List of [Char])	⭕️
StartsWith(Text)	✅
Substring(Integer [, Integer])	✅
ToLower(): Text	✅
ToUpper(): Text	✅
Trim()	✅
TrimEnd([Text])	✅
TrimStart([Text])	✅

Statements

• assignment (:=, +=, -=, *=, /=)
• while loop
• for loop (both to and downto)
• repeat-until loop
• if and if-else statement
• exit statement - both variants, with and without an expression

!TODO list unsupported statements - case, foreach, break, ?

Operators

• unary operators
  • numeric (+, -)
  • boolean (not)
• binary operators
  • comparison (<, <=, <>, >=, >, =)
  • numeric (+, -, *, /, mod, div)
  • boolean (and, or, xor)
  • text (+, *)
    • !TODO explain * operator
  • date (+, -)
  • time (+, -)
  • datetime (+, -)

Built-in functions

• Message(Text: Text, [Substitution: Any, ...]) (up to 10 substitutions)
• Error(Text: Text, [Substitution: Any, ...]) (up to 10 substitutions)
• WriteLine(Text: Text, [Substitution: Any, ...]) (up to 10 substitutions)
• Abs(Number: Decimal): Decimal
• Power(Number: Decimal, Power: Decimal): Decimal
• Format(Input: Any, [Length: Integer, [FormatNumber: Integer]]): Text
• Format(Input: Any, [Length: Integer, [FormatString: Text]]): Text
• CalcDate(Formula: Text, [Date: Date]): Date
• CalcDate(Formula: DateFormula, [Date: Date]): Date
• ClosingDate(Date: Date): Date
• CreateDateTime(Date: Date, Time: Time): DateTime
• CurrentDateTime(): DateTime
• NormalDate(Date: Date): Date
• Time(): Time
• Today(): Date
• WorkDate([WorkDate: Date]): Date
• Date2DMY(Date: Date, Part: Integer): Integer
• Date2DWY(Date: Date, Part: Integer): Integer
• DMY2Date(Day: Integer, [Month: Integer, [Year: Integer]]): Date
• DWY2Date(WeekDay: Integer, [Week: Integer, [Year: Integer]]): Date
• DT2Date(DateTime: DateTime): Date
• DT2Time(DateTime: DateTime): Time
• CreateGuid(): Guid
• IsNullGuid(Guid: Guid): Boolean
• Evaluate(var Value: Any, Input: Text, [FormatNumber: Integer])[: Boolean]

!TODO list unsupported and planned

Planned

1. editor improvements
   • better intellisense
   • ui - hide editor before symbols are received
2. remaining record methods
3. blobs + streams + file management
4. case, continue
5. more built-in functions and methods
6. option, enum, others
7. allow Record.SetRange(Record.Field, ...);
8. strlen as a method?

editor

React app addin using the Monaco Editor for script input.