Creating new C/AL routines

Now that we have a good overall picture of how we enable users to access the tools we create, we are ready to start creating our own NAV C/AL routines. It is important that we learn our way around the NAV C/AL code in the standard product first. You may recall the advice in a previous chapter that the new code we create should be visually and logically compatible with what already exists. If we think of our new code as a guest being hosted by the original system, we will be doing what any thoughtful guest does—fit smoothly into the host's environment.

An equally important aspect of becoming familiar with the existing code is to increase the likelihood that we can take advantage of the features and components of the standard product to address some of our application requirements. There are at least two types of existing NAV C/AL code of which we should make use whenever appropriate.

One group is the callable functions that are used liberally throughout NAV. Once...