Using a different query form

Each query that ships with standard Ax uses the standard query form (SysQueryForm) when interactive is set to 'Yes' (by default). Some customers would want a different query form rather than the standard form for a particular query (usually displayed when you press the 'select' button in a dialog). You can do this by creating your customer query form and changing the form property of the query in the AOT property-sheet. You can use the standard query form (SysQueryForm) as a basis for your new form by duplicating it and modifying it.

Remember: To make a query form non-modifiable, you can set the UserUpdate property to No.

If you any questions or comments e-mail me on: mirko@mirkobonello.com

Displaying and Saving a Query

Sometimes it might be useful to display a query you have created in the AOT to the user. After this the user makes changes to the query (adds ranges and sort fields) and you would like to save the query (as changed by the user) to a table in the database, therefore saving the state of the query as modified by the user. Then you can re-use the query later by retreiving it from the table.

To do this you need to:

1. Create a field in your table of type container;
2. Create the query, you want to initially display to the user, as usual from the AOT;
3. Use the following code:


void createAndSaveQueryInTable()
{
  QueryRun queryRun;
  YourTable yourTable;
  ;
  // Attach new queryRun object to AOT Query
  queryRun = new QueryRun(queryStr('YourQuery'));

  // Display the query to the user for him/her to make the necessary changes
  if (queryRun.prompt())
  {
    // Save the packed query to the database
    // Pack the queryRun so that it can be saved in the table
    yourTable.QueryContainerField = queryRun.pack();
    yourTable.insert();
   }
}


Now, to retrieve the saved query from the table, for some other use, is equally simple:


void retrieveQueryFromTable()
{
  Container packedQuery;
  YourTable yourTable;
  ;
  // Get the necessary record from the table
  yourTable = YourTable::find(......);

  // Get the query stored in the table in packed form
  packedQuery = yourTable.QueryContainerField;

  // check if you already have a query packed in your field
  if (packedQuery)
  {
    // Unpack it into a queryRun
    queryRun = new QueryRun(packedQuery);
  }
  else
  {
    // Call method to create a new query - method shown in code snippet above
    queryRun = this.createAndSaveQueryInTable();
  }

  // Do any cool work with your QueryRun here
  // .....
}


If you any questions or comments e-mail me on: mirko@mirkobonello.com

Dynamics Ax 2009 RCT

Here is a link to the Dynamics Ax 2009 Rapid Configuration Tool which is available to download from PartnerSource:

Click Here

The key features of this tool are:

Best Practice documentation for building partner Knowledge Base;
AX 2009 Data Import and Export;
Project Management via Microsoft Project Integration and Issue Tracking;
Alerts and Notifications;
Fast and Easy AX Configuration;

From MBS website:

This latest version of the RCT provides a newly generated set of activities for easier implementation of Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2009. In addition, it provides significant improvements to activity dependencies as well as the ability to detect circular dependencies among activities. The tool includes updated and expanded Best Practices documentation for Microsoft Dynamics® AX2009. MS Project import and export functionality has been improved along with the Installer which has been improved giving better error detection by capturing logs.

The RCT for Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2009 is a standalone installation of the RCT version originally provided as part of the previous Partner Productivity Toolkit.

Note: The Rapid Configuration Tool for Microsoft Dynamics® AX2009 is released as a separate tool from the Microsoft Dynamics® AX application and is not supported by Microsoft.


If you any questions or comments e-mail me on: mirko@mirkobonello.com

Dynamics Ax 2009 Exams

It seems that some MS Dynamics Ax 2009 exams are in the pipeline:

AX 2009 Development Introduction - November 20 2008

AX 2009 Enterprise Portal - November 26 2008

Keep up to date with the latest exams from Microsoft here.

If you any questions or comments e-mail me on: mirko@mirkobonello.com

Dynamics Ax 2009 Enterprise Portal Sample Code

To find some very good AX 2009 Enterprise Portal sample code in various formats:
Click Here

Some AX 2009 EP videos:
Click Here

A very good DAX 2009 EP blog:

Click Here


If I find some more AX 2009 useful resources I will append them to this post.

If you any questions or comments e-mail me on: mirko@mirkobonello.com

Using an AOT query in a form at runtime

This is not the recommended/standard way to use queries in forms but in case you might need it - here is how it can be done:


public void init()
{
  QueryRun queryRun;
  Args args = new Args();
  ;
  super();

  args.name(querystr(MyAOTQuery));
  queryRun = classfactory.queryRunClass(args);
  this.query(queryRun.query());
}


In the above snippet, inserted in the init() method of the datasource, a QueryRun and an Args object was created. The args.name property was set to the AOT query you want to use in your form and the queryRun was constructed using this args object. Finally the query of the datasource (remember that 'this', in the code snippet, is the current datasource) is set to the query of the QueryRun.

If you any questions or comments e-mail me on: mirko@mirkobonello.com

Dynamics Ax User Ranges

I recently received the following development question regarding Dyanmics Ax:

How to access the user specified ranges in a form i.e. the ranges set manually by the use, using right click 'Filter by field / Filter by selection' or using the advanced query button.

This is actually quite simple as shown in the following code:


public void executeQuery()
{
  Query query;
  int i;
  ;
  super();

  // get a pointer to the current query
  query = this.queryRun().query();

  // Traverse the ranges for the specified table in the query
  for (i = 1; i <= query.dataSourceTable(tableNum(custTable)).rangeCount(); i++)
  {
    // For each range field found display the field name and value chosen by user
    info(strfmt("Field Name: %1 ", fieldid2name(tableNum (CustTable), query.dataSourceTable(tableNum(custTable)).range(i).field())));
    info(strfmt("Value chosen by user: %1", query.dataSourceTable(tableNum(custTable)).range(i).value()));

// Or perform any other work
  }
}


The above code was written in the executeQuery() method of the DataSource to show the field names and values chosen by the user every time he makes a selection.

Tested on Ax 4.0 and 2009

If you any questions or comments e-mail me on: mirko@mirkobonello.com