Microsoft Offers Glimpse of the New AL Code for Microsoft Dynamics NAV Extensions

Recent GitHub merges and updates to the AL Hello World project 

The Microsoft Dynamics NAV development team has released the first public glimpse of the future of the AL language, and the reveal, via samples files on GitHub, has generated significant developer interest.

Updates to the AL syntax (it's not a new language -Ed.) for Microsoft Dynamics NAV that will position it to use the Visual Studio Code editor instead of the traditional Dynamics NAV development environment. One primary use will be to develop new NAV and Dynamics 365 for Financials extensions.

Microsoft MVP Vjekoslav Babićwas one of the first to report on Microsoft's reveal of the new code sample on GitHub. The public project was preceded by some details about the AL language plans in conferences in late 2016, so the publication of the code itself had been much anticipated. "[T]he NAV community is biting their fingernails off waiting for Microsoft to actually release the thing," Babićwrote.

"This repo contains AL language code samples for developing extensions on the Dynamics NAV platform," Microsoft noted on GitHub. "We're not yet in preview, so this repo is meant as a way for you to get familiar with the new syntax and provide feedback."

In his post Babić, shared a screen shot displaying what a simple "Hello, World!" codeunit would look like in the new syntax, as ...