Documentation
Review reports with live data
Review Business Central reports in VS Code with live data. Explore view options, navigation, diagnostics and regional settings.
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Publish new reports before previewing
A new wizard report must first be published to Business Central. Accepting the preview publish prompt publishes the complete extension. If publication fails or is cancelled, publication remains required. Missing matching RAD data also triggers a full publish. Review the AL Report Creator output and AL publishing messages on failure, then retry the preview after a successful publish.
Preview shortcuts and page navigation
The essential controls at a glance. Hover over a key symbol to see its name.
| Action | Keys / mouse |
|---|---|
| Open & edit | |
| Open previewIn the AL report editor | Alt⇧P |
| Open Dataset ViewerIn the AL report editor or active preview | Alt⇧S |
| Open layout externallyIn the AL report editor | Alt⇧L |
| Undo the last style changeIn the active preview · macOS: ⌘ instead of Ctrl | CtrlZ |
| Navigate pages | |
| Previous pageFocus the PDF area | ←or⇞ |
| Next pageFocus the PDF area | →or⇟ |
| Previous / next pageAlso when zoomed in | Alt/Alt |
| Jump to a pageEnter a page number and confirm | ↵ |
| Zoom & scroll | |
| Zoom in / out+ / − 10 percentage points · 25–300% | Ctrl/Ctrl |
| Scroll or turn pagesNo modifier; paging only in single-page fit-page mode | / |
Mouse-wheel symbols follow the same order as the actions. Opening commands are also available from the command palette.
Click the PDF area before using arrow or page keys. These keys do not turn pages while an input, button or dialog has focus. Mouse-wheel shortcuts apply while the pointer is over the preview area.
Navigation floats at the bottom centre of the preview and also offers first and last page controls. Single- and two-page views show the selected page or spread at every zoom level. Page changes preserve the relative horizontal and vertical scroll position. Click the zoom percentage to reset to 100%, or use the view buttons to fit the whole page or its width.
Working with the preview
The preview shows the actual PDF rendered by Business Central. Save layout changes to refresh it without redeploying the layout. Changes to the AL report may require publishing first. Keep the preview on another screen for a continuous edit-and-check workflow.
View options
Choose a custom zoom level, fit page, fit width, single-page or two-page view. Select the language and format region to test regional output. Save defaults in user or workspace settings.json:
{
"al-report-creator.preview.defaultZoomMode": "fit-page",
"al-report-creator.preview.defaultZoomLevel": 100,
"al-report-creator.preview.defaultSpreadMode": "single",
"al-report-creator.preview.defaultFormatRegion": "local"
}
defaultZoomLevel applies to custom zoom mode. Format region accepts local, service or an IETF language tag such as de-DE. Restore viewer defaults to reapply saved preferences. Use the filter icon to run the request page with your report filters and options.
Navigation options
The preview provides actions to open the report in Business Central, save the current PDF, open the layout in its external designer, jump to AL or open Dataset Viewer. Opening the report in Business Central prompts for publication if AL or layout changes require it.
The VB code editor edits the RDLC layout's global <Code> section with syntax highlighting, line numbers, search and undo/redo. Saving updates only that section and refreshes the preview.
Tools
The Tools menu provides report operations that are also available from the command palette. They work with the report currently shown in the preview.
Add regions to columns and triggers
Groups AL report columns and triggers into collapsible regions while keeping properties visible. See Add regions to columns and triggers for details.
Add data item filters
Adds AL logic that makes selected DataItem filters available for report output. See Add data item filters for details.
Add Global Data Management
Sets up the transfer of changing values to RDLC headers and footers. See Add Global Data Management for details.
Rename columns
Renames dataset columns and updates their layout references. See Rename columns for details.
Rename labels
Renames only labels declared in the AL labels section together with their affected RDLC and Word references. Global and local label variables and their references remain unchanged. Review proposed names and conflicts in the wizard before applying the changes. See Rename labels for details.
Add carry overs
Adds carry-overs and subtotals to AL and RDLC. See Add carry overs for details.
Copy report
Copies a report, selected layouts and their translations. See Copy report for details.
Create foreign key buffer table
Creates a memory-efficient temporary buffer table for selected foreign-key fields. See Create foreign key buffer table for details.
ALRC: Preview Report
Renders the selected RDLC or Word layout through Business Central and displays the resulting PDF in VS Code. Start from the layout or its AL report. If several layouts exist, select one; DefaultRenderingLayout marks the default.
Saved layout changes refresh the preview automatically without publishing the layout. If the AL part changes, the extension can publish the report before rendering again. You can move the preview tab into a separate VS Code window on a second monitor.
Word may remain open during layout editing. The extension waits until the saved file can be read consistently. Closing Word may only be necessary when the report object itself needs publishing and the normal AL build would otherwise encounter a locked file.
If Business Central reports a vague RequestMinimum failure for an RDLC layout, the extension can obtain the underlying compiler diagnostic with error text and position. This helps you fix the actual issue instead of reversing changes one by one, losing the designer's undo history whenever it closes due to the need of reloading the layout.