All around NAV dev and test
I tend to think I am not that a sentimental goof, but probably this alone proves I am. Nevertheless I vision myself looking forward and spotting the opportunities that lie out there, rather than being a sourpuss. Or say, being the Waldorf and Statler of the Dynamics world (or at least one part of this illustrious couple). Even though, every now and then, I label myself more or less like that.
Having been into C/SIDE training intensively lately, I cannot help but getting somewhat retrospective on this subject. At the same time I dare think that it might be somewhat entertaining to share this with you. If it all proves not to be of any value to you, just let me warble in my chair and you just pass by.
Way back in 1999 I made a major shift in my working live, moving from being a high school teacher to being a fulltime C/SIDE trainer for the Dutch Navision Software subsidiary. The move wasn't as strange as it might sound at first. Having graduated from the Delft University of Technology as an engineer in applied physics, my first engagement was as a scientific software developer at a small company that developed medical instruments based on small computer systems. FORTRAN and C had been my software hinterland for quite some years already. Hence, eventually getting into C/AL, wasn't that big a move at all and surely it was fun, and after all these years still is. Albeit that things have changed in many aspects.
Just take the simple matter of getting the systems up and running for a course. In those days the students would gather at our training location mostly without a machine. It might have been that some did bring a laptop, but that clearly wasn't custom yet. Whatever system they would be using, the only requisite it did need to comply with was that it was running Windows; nothing more was needed.
After a small introduction I would hand out a Navision Financials product CD and let each of the students run the installation wizard by applying Next > Next > … > Next > Finish. Within less than 5 minutes everyone was up-and-running with a clean demo installation of Navision Financials.
No SQL Server, no .NET framework, report viewer or Visual Studio. How many NAV pros in that time had even heard of Visual Studio?
No hassle with specific builds to be sure everything compiled right. Always possible to import .fob files from older versions (who did ever decide that I cannot import a NAV 2013 .fob into NAV 2013 R2?).
Only 5 minutes that separated us from diving into the subject, not being distracted by technology.
Honesty says it still isn't taking very long to get your system "training ready" and it definitely takes a zillion time less than getting "training ready" for AX. However, it isn't as easy as it used to be and there are dozen more reasons that can make your installation do something you do not want to focus on during a training.
Pentecost weekend. Finally I have moved somewhat out of the razzle-dazzle of months passed. Glad I succeeded to have planned Friday off, going to the hockey World Cup in The Hague. Sit, simmer (in the sun) and shout. And I don't care about all those Canadians thinking this is not hockey. Probably they never achieved something in this sport.
So here is me picking up blogging again. Haven't been doing that a lot lately and can't say my list of subjects diminished. You know it's not only time that helps this list to grow. Performing C/SIDE courses, which I have been doing a lot lately, typically contributes to it also. Sitting in one room with NAV pros, independent of their experience level, always brings useful thing "on the table". Just like this undocumented feature: jump to a function. Never had been aware of it myself for the 15 years working with NAV now. Or has it been added only recently? Still never to old to learn.
OK, I find myself inside a C/SIDE object looking a the list of user-defined functions on the C/AL Globals window.
Now I want to jump right to this function, taken CheckBlockedCustOnDocs in Table 18 as our example. I can make use of the Go To Defintion functionality right clicking my mouse.
This works great and it will bring focus to the C/AL Editor window. But you know, probably I am old fashioned, but the lesser I can use my mouse the more I prefer it. Hence instead of using the mouse it turns out that clicking the F9 key achieves the same.