Print Your Name and Company

Print Your Name and Company using strFmt() and curExt() in X++

Overview

D365 F&O is a multi-company system. Every user session runs in one legal entity (for example USMF in the Contoso demo data), and most tables store data per company. This program prints a greeting with your name and the company the session is running in. It introduces two things you will use constantly: strFmt() for building messages, and curExt() for finding the current company.

Knowing the current company is essential when you write queries, create records or debug "missing data" problems. Very often the data exists, but in a different legal entity from the one the user is working in.

Prerequisites

• A D365 F&O development environment with Visual Studio, and a model and project to work in.
• A runnable class: Add > New Item > Dynamics 365 Items > Code > Runnable Class (Job). The class name must match the file name.
• Access to a company in D365 F&O (for example USMF in the demo data).

Code Walkthrough

1. Storing the name in a variable

str myName = "Rahul";

str is the X++ string type. A str declared without a length can hold any length of text. Replace Rahul with your own name to personalise the output.

2. Building and printing the message

info(strFmt("Hello, my name is %1 and I am working in company %2", myName, curExt()));

This one line does three things:

• curExt() returns the company ID (DataAreaId) of the current session, such as USMF.
• strFmt() replaces %1 with myName and %2 with the company ID. Placeholders are numbered, so their order in the text does not have to match the argument order.
• info() writes the finished sentence to the Infolog.

Key Concepts

• Legal entity / DataAreaId: every company has a short ID. Company-specific tables have a hidden DataAreaId field that the kernel filters automatically.
• curExt(): returns the current company ID. The same value is available as tableBuffer.DataAreaId on any company-specific record.
• strFmt(): supports up to nine placeholders (%1 to %9) and converts numbers, dates and enums to text automatically.
• changeCompany(): a statement that temporarily switches the company for a block of code, for example changeCompany("DEMF") { ... }.

Expected Output

Hello, my name is Rahul and I am working in company USMF

The company ID depends on the company selected in the top-right corner of D365 F&O. If you switch to DEMF and run the class again, the output changes to DEMF.

Best Practices and Common Mistakes

• Do use strFmt() instead of joining strings with +. It is easier to read and works with translated labels.
• Do remember that the company ID is case-insensitive, but it is usually stored in lower case in the database (usmf).
• Do not hard-code company IDs in production code. Read them from parameters or use curExt().
• Do not forget that queries only return data from the current company unless you use the crossCompany keyword.
• Tip: when you debug "record not found" problems, print curExt() first to confirm which company the code runs in.

Interview Questions

1. What does curExt() return?
   The ID of the legal entity (DataAreaId) the current session runs in.
2. How do you query data across several companies?
   Use select crossCompany (optionally with a container of company IDs), or set query.allowCrossCompany(true).
3. How do you run a block of code in another company?
   Wrap it in changeCompany("DEMF") { ... }. Remember to reset table buffers inside the block.
4. How many placeholders does strFmt() support?
   Nine, from %1 to %9.
5. What is the field that stores the company on a table?
   DataAreaId. It exists on tables whose SaveDataPerCompany property is Yes.