DynamicsCrm.DevKit - Visual Studio Marketplace Documentation

Version 4.x - A comprehensive development toolkit for Microsoft Dynamics 365 / Power Platform / Dataverse

Description

DynamicsCrm.DevKit is a powerful Visual Studio extension designed to accelerate and streamline development for Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and Dataverse. It provides a complete suite of project templates, item templates, code generators, and CLI tools to help developers build high-quality plugins, workflows, custom APIs, web resources, and more.

Key Highlights:

• 🚀 12 Project Templates for rapid solution scaffolding
• 📝 13 Item Templates for quick file creation
• 🔍 20 Roslyn Analyzers following Microsoft best practices
• ⚡ CLI Tool for automated deployment and code generation
• 🎯 IntelliSense Support for JavaScript/TypeScript form development

Features

📦 Project Templates (12 Templates)

Create complete project structures with best practices built-in:

📄 Item Templates (13 Templates)

Quickly add new items to your projects:

🔍 Roslyn Analyzers (20 Rules)

Built-in code analysis following Microsoft Power Platform Best Practices:

⚡ DynamicsCrm.DevKit.Cli

Powerful command-line interface for automated deployment and code generation:

Deployment Modes:

Example Commands:

# Fast deploy plugins using SDK login dialog
DynamicsCrm.DevKit.Cli.exe /sdklogin:"yes" /json:"..\DynamicsCrm.DevKit.Cli.json" /type:"servers" /profile:"DEBUG" /onlyupdateassembly:"yes"

# Deploy web resources using ClientSecret authentication
DynamicsCrm.DevKit.Cli.exe /conn:"AuthType=ClientSecret;Url=https://org.crm.dynamics.com;ClientId=xxx;ClientSecret=xxx;" /json:"..\DynamicsCrm.DevKit.Cli.json" /type:"webresources" /profile:"DEBUG"

# Generate JavaScript form files
DynamicsCrm.DevKit.Cli.exe /sdklogin:"yes" /json:"..\DynamicsCrm.DevKit.Cli.json" /type:"generators" /profile:"JS-FORM"

🎯 Visual Studio Integration

Integrated Features:

• 📤 Deploy WebResources directly from Visual Studio Solution Explorer
• 📊 Deploy Reports directly from Visual Studio
• 🔗 Connection Manager for multiple CRM environments
• 💡 IntelliSense for JavaScript form development with field names, controls, tabs, sections

🚀 Key Features in Action

These videos were recorded from previous version, but we have since released version 4.x with improved output.

Deploy Server Projects (Plugins, Workflows, Custom Actions, Custom APIs, Data Providers)

Deploy all server-side components with just 1 click!

Form IntelliSense

Full IntelliSense support for Dynamics 365 form fields, tabs, sections, and controls in JavaScript/TypeScript.

Deploy WebResources from Visual Studio

Deploy JavaScript, CSS, HTML, and image files directly from Solution Explorer.

Deploy Reports from Visual Studio

Deploy SSRS reports directly from Visual Studio with automatic upload to Dynamics 365.

Installation

Requirements

• Visual Studio 2022 (v17.0+) or Visual Studio 2026 (v18.0+)
  • Community, Professional, or Enterprise editions
  • Supports both AMD64 and ARM64 architectures
• .NET Framework 4.5 or higher
• .NET Core SDK (for Console Core projects)

Install from Visual Studio Marketplace

1. Open Visual Studio
2. Go to Extensions > Manage Extensions
3. Search for "DynamicsCrm.DevKit"
4. Click Download and restart Visual Studio

Or download directly from: Visual Studio Marketplace

Getting Started

Step 1: Create a New Solution

1. Create a blank solution: [ProjectName].sln
2. Add Shared Project (required): [ProjectName].Shared

Step 2: Add Server-Side Projects

• Add Server Project for plugins, workflows, custom actions, custom APIs
• Configure DynamicsCrm.DevKit.Cli.json for deployment

Step 3: Add Client-Side Projects

• Add WebResource Project for JavaScript, CSS, HTML
• Use JavaScript Form item template for form-level scripts with IntelliSense

Step 4: Add Testing Projects

• Add Test Project for unit testing with FakeXrmEasy
• Add UI Test Project for UI automation with EasyRepro

Tutorials

Complete step-by-step tutorials for common scenarios:

What's New in v4

🆕 New Features

• ✅ Console Core Project Template - .NET Core support for cross-platform development
• ✅ Bat File Item Template - Batch scripts for CLI automation
• ✅ 18 Roslyn Analyzers - Built-in code analysis for best practices
• ✅ Visual Studio 2026 / Preview Support - Supports VS 17.0 to 19.x
• ✅ ARM64 Architecture Support - Native support for ARM-based Windows

🔄 Improvements

• ✅ Modern SDK project format
• ✅ Improved async/await patterns
• ✅ Enhanced TypeScript definitions
• ✅ Better IntelliSense support
• ✅ Updated to latest Dynamics 365 SDK versions
• ✅ Improved error handling and debugging experience

🔀 Migration from v3

• Plugin, Workflow, Custom Action, Custom Api, Data Provider projects consolidated into Server Project
• Console Shared Project renamed to Console Project
• Template numbering reorganized for clarity
• Target frameworks: .NET Framework 4.6.2, 4.8, and .NET Standard 2.0

Configuration Files

DynamicsCrm.DevKit.json

Project-level configuration for connection settings and preferences.

DynamicsCrm.DevKit.Cli.json

CLI configuration for deployment profiles:

{
  "servers": [...],
  "webresources": [...],
  "generators": [...],
  "solutionpackagers": [...],
  "proxytypes": [...],
  "datasources": [...],
  "downloadwebresources": [...],
  "downloadreports": [...],
  "uploadreports": [...]
}

See DynamicsCrm.DevKit.Cli.json Documentation for detailed configuration options.

Resources

• 📖 Wiki Documentation
• 🐛 Issue Tracker
• 💻 Source Code
• 📧 Support

Tags

Dynamics, Dynamics 365, Dynamics CRM, Power Platform, Dataverse, CDS, Tool, JavaScript, Plugin, Workflow, Custom Action, Custom API, WebResource, TypeScript, IntelliSense, Code Generator, CLI, Roslyn Analyzer

License

MIT License - See LICENSE for details.

Author

Phuoc Le
GitHub | Visual Studio Marketplace

Made with ❤️ for the Dynamics 365 Developer Community