AL Coding Guidelines Extension

This VS Code extension enforces coding guidelines for Business Central AL language development. It checks files upon saving and reports issues.

Prerequisites

• Node.js: You must have Node.js installed to build this extension. Download it from https://nodejs.org/.
• VS Code: Visual Studio Code editor.

Setup Instructions

1. Install Node.js: If you haven't already, download and install Node.js.
2. Open Terminal: Open a terminal in this directory (al-guidelines-extension).
3. Install Dependencies: Run the following command:

   npm install
   

4. Compile the Extension:

   npm run compile
   

5. Run/Debug:
   • Open this folder in VS Code.
   • Press F5 to start debugging.
   • A new "Extension Development Host" window will open.
   • Open an .al file in that window to test the guidelines.

Features

• Formatting & Whitespace:
  • Operators: Enforces spaces around binary operators (e.g., a + b).
  • Keywords: Checks for space after NOT.
  • Control Structures: Ensures if, while, repeat, and case start on a new line.
• File Structure & Naming:
  • Files: Warns on empty files or files containing multiple objects.
  • Naming: Enforces alphanumeric filenames (snake_case/kebab-case recommended).
  • Object Definition: Validates that files start with a proper AL object type.
• Naming Conventions:
  • Variables: Enforces Temp prefix for temporary record variables.
• Control Flow:
  • Deprecation: Warns about nested WITH statements (deprecated).
• Performance:
  • Data Access: Recommends FindSet() over Find('-') or Find('+').
• UI & Accessibility:
  • Page Properties: Enforces ApplicationArea and ToolTip properties on field and action blocks in Page and PageExtension objects.
  • UsageCategory: Enforces UsageCategory property on Page objects.
  • Page ApplicationArea: Enforces ApplicationArea property on Page objects (in addition to fields/actions).
• Security & Internationalization:
  • Data Security: Enforces DataClassification property on fields in Table and TableExtension objects.
  • Localization: Warns against using CaptionML (suggests XLIFF).
  • Hardcoding: Warns on hardcoded strings in Error, Message, Confirm, and StrSubstNo, suggesting the use of Labels.
• Error Handling:
  • Best Practices: Warns against using AssertError in production code.
• Project Structure:
  • Permissions: Scans the workspace to ensure at least one permissionset or permissionsetextension object exists.

Customization

You can add more rules in src/extension.ts inside the validateALFile function.