Strengthen review contracts and add AL reliability guidance (#196)

* Strengthen review contracts and HTTP guidance

- add outbound HttpClient transport and HTTP status review rules with paired fixtures`n- resolve layered action-skill overrides deterministically across enabled layers`n- validate findings reports and enforce measurable changed-fixture coverage

* Add data handling and test isolation guidance

- add SCM guidance for deriving base quantities through line unit-of-measure validation`n- add security guidance for parameterizing SetFilter with external text`n- add test isolation guidance for resetting per-test state before initialization guards`n- add web-service guidance for JSON null handling and invariant standard format 9`n- route and cover all five rules with paired evaluation fixtures

* Fix findings report rollup validation

* Validate findings report rollups

* Enforce merged finding identity

* Fix locationless finding deduplication

* Reject conflicting merged corrections

* Detect conflicting leaf corrections

* Route HTTP error checks to canonical web-services knowledge

Let the Error Handling leaf conditionally retrieve the existing HTTP owner articles, preserving applicability and exact-path provenance. Add deterministic source-contract and retrieval regressions without duplicating knowledge rules.

Copilot-Session-Id: a92a7788-103e-4651-9b84-19e34caffb94

Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: wenjiefan <wenjiefan@microsoft.com>
Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Jesper Schulz-Wedde <jesper.schulzwedde@microsoft.com>
This commit is contained in:
Stefano Demiliani 2026-09-29 13:03:39 +02:00 • committed by GitHub
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commit 4287233f80
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41 changed files with 1974 additions and 38 deletions

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codeunit 50181 "Scanner Receipt Import Bad"
{
procedure PostScannedReceipt(ItemNo: Code[20]; LocationCode: Code[10]; UnitOfMeasureCode: Code[10]; ScannedQuantity: Decimal; DocumentNo: Code[20])
var
ItemJournalLine: Record "Item Journal Line";
ItemJnlPostLine: Codeunit "Item Jnl.-Post Line";
begin
if ScannedQuantity <= 0 then
Error(PositiveQuantityErr);
ItemJournalLine.Init();
ItemJournalLine.Validate("Posting Date", WorkDate());
ItemJournalLine.Validate("Entry Type", ItemJournalLine."Entry Type"::"Positive Adjmt.");
ItemJournalLine.Validate("Document No.", DocumentNo);
ItemJournalLine.Validate("Item No.", ItemNo);
ItemJournalLine.Validate("Location Code", LocationCode);
ItemJournalLine."Unit of Measure Code" := UnitOfMeasureCode;
ItemJournalLine.Quantity := ScannedQuantity;
ItemJournalLine."Quantity (Base)" := ScannedQuantity;
ItemJnlPostLine.RunWithCheck(ItemJournalLine);
end;
var
PositiveQuantityErr: Label 'The scanned quantity must be greater than zero.';
}

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codeunit 50180 "Scanner Receipt Import Good"
{
procedure PostScannedReceipt(ItemNo: Code[20]; LocationCode: Code[10]; UnitOfMeasureCode: Code[10]; ScannedQuantity: Decimal; DocumentNo: Code[20])
var
ItemJournalLine: Record "Item Journal Line";
ItemJnlPostLine: Codeunit "Item Jnl.-Post Line";
begin
if ScannedQuantity <= 0 then
Error(PositiveQuantityErr);
ItemJournalLine.Init();
ItemJournalLine.Validate("Posting Date", WorkDate());
ItemJournalLine.Validate("Entry Type", ItemJournalLine."Entry Type"::"Positive Adjmt.");
ItemJournalLine.Validate("Document No.", DocumentNo);
ItemJournalLine.Validate("Item No.", ItemNo);
ItemJournalLine.Validate("Location Code", LocationCode);
ItemJournalLine.Validate("Unit of Measure Code", UnitOfMeasureCode);
ItemJournalLine.Validate(Quantity, ScannedQuantity);
ItemJnlPostLine.RunWithCheck(ItemJournalLine);
end;
var
PositiveQuantityErr: Label 'The scanned quantity must be greater than zero.';
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: scm
keywords: [quantity-base, qty-per-unit-of-measure, unit-of-measure-code, unit-of-measure-management, calcbaseqty, getqtyperunitofmeasure, qty-rounding-precision, item-journal-line]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Derive base quantities through the line's unit of measure
## Description
Inventory, item ledger entries, reservations, item tracking, and warehouse quantities are measured in the item's base unit of measure. Document and journal lines hold `Quantity` in the line's `"Unit of Measure Code"`, together with `"Qty. per Unit of Measure"` and base-unit fields such as `"Quantity (Base)"`. Ten boxes of twelve pieces are 120 base units, not 10. When a line's `Quantity` is validated, the table derives the base quantity through its `CalcBaseQty` procedure. That procedure calls `"Unit of Measure Management".CalcBaseQty` with the line's quantity rounding precision and raises an error when rounding would turn a non-zero quantity into a zero base quantity. Code that bypasses this conversion creates a line whose quantity and base quantity disagree, or makes a stock decision in the wrong unit.
## Best Practice
On a document or journal line, validate `"Unit of Measure Code"` before `Quantity`, and validate both. Validating the unit of measure sets `"Qty. per Unit of Measure"` from the item unit of measure; validating the quantity then fills the base fields with the correct rounding. Compare line quantities with inventory or availability in base units, for example `"Quantity (Base)"` or `"Outstanding Qty. (Base)"`.
Outside a line, get the factor with `"Unit of Measure Management".GetQtyPerUnitOfMeasure(Item, UnitOfMeasureCode)` and convert with its `CalcBaseQty` or `CalcQtyFromBase` procedures instead of multiplying by hand. Pass the item unit's quantity rounding precision where the available overload accepts it.
Reading these fields for display, reporting, or a temporary buffer that is never posted is not a conversion defect. Code that proves the line uses the base unit of measure (`"Qty. per Unit of Measure"` equal to 1) is also correct, but don't assume this from the item alone, because a line can use another unit.
See sample: [`derive-base-quantities-through-the-line-unit-of-measure.good.al`](derive-base-quantities-through-the-line-unit-of-measure.good.al).
## Anti Pattern
Assigning `Quantity` directly on an item journal, sales, purchase, or transfer line and then inserting, modifying, or posting it. Also assigning a base field such as `"Quantity (Base)" := Quantity`, multiplying by a hard-coded or separately looked-up factor without the line's rounding, or comparing a line's `Quantity` with `Item.Inventory` or another base-unit value. Detection signal: a direct `:=` to `Quantity`, `"Qty. per Unit of Measure"`, or a `(Base)` quantity field on a persisted or posted line, or a comparison between a non-base line quantity and an inventory quantity.
See sample: [`derive-base-quantities-through-the-line-unit-of-measure.bad.al`](derive-base-quantities-through-the-line-unit-of-measure.bad.al).
## References
- [Set up units of measure, including quantity rounding precision](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/inventory-how-setup-units-of-measure)
- [BCApps: Unit of Measure Management conversions](https://github.com/microsoft/BCApps/blob/4abbb8ff848cdcb4e1187fc7a3e2da0612dd0d2b/src/Layers/W1/BaseApp/Foundation/UOM/UnitofMeasureManagement.Codeunit.al)
- [BCApps: Item Journal Line quantity validation and CalcBaseQty](https://github.com/microsoft/BCApps/blob/4abbb8ff848cdcb4e1187fc7a3e2da0612dd0d2b/src/Layers/W1/BaseApp/Inventory/Journal/ItemJournalLine.Table.al)
- [BCApps: Sales Line quantity validation and CalcBaseQty](https://github.com/microsoft/BCApps/blob/4abbb8ff848cdcb4e1187fc7a3e2da0612dd0d2b/src/Layers/W1/BaseApp/Sales/Document/SalesLine.Table.al)

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codeunit 50161 "Cancel External Quotes Bad"
{
procedure CancelQuote(ExternalDocumentNo: Text)
var
SalesHeader: Record "Sales Header";
begin
SalesHeader.SetRange("Document Type", SalesHeader."Document Type"::Quote);
SalesHeader.SetFilter("External Document No.", ExternalDocumentNo);
SalesHeader.DeleteAll(true);
end;
}

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codeunit 50160 "Cancel External Quotes Good"
{
procedure CancelQuote(ExternalDocumentNo: Code[35])
var
SalesHeader: Record "Sales Header";
begin
if ExternalDocumentNo = '' then
Error(MissingExternalDocumentNoErr);
SalesHeader.SetRange("Document Type", SalesHeader."Document Type"::Quote);
SalesHeader.SetRange("External Document No.", ExternalDocumentNo);
SalesHeader.DeleteAll(true);
end;
procedure CancelQuotes(ExternalDocumentNos: List of [Code[35]])
var
ExternalDocumentNo: Code[35];
begin
foreach ExternalDocumentNo in ExternalDocumentNos do
CancelQuote(ExternalDocumentNo);
end;
var
MissingExternalDocumentNoErr: Label 'The external document number is missing.';
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: security
keywords: [setfilter, setrange, filter-expression, filter-injection, external-input, wildcard, deleteall, modifyall]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Do not concatenate external text into a SetFilter expression
## Description
The `String` argument of `SetFilter` is a filter expression, not a value. Characters such as `..`, `|`, `&`, `<`, `>`, `=`, `*`, `?`, `@`, parentheses, and single quotes are operators. Text from a user, request page, API payload, file, or another system that is concatenated into that expression can therefore change which records match: `*` matches every value, `A|B` widens an exact lookup to two values, `10000..` becomes a range, and `J & V` becomes a conjunction or an invalid filter. `SetFilter` with an empty expression applies no filter at all. When the filtered record is then modified, deleted, exported, or used for a permission-relevant decision, the procedure acts on records the caller never identified.
## Best Practice
Treat an externally supplied identifier as a value. Use `SetRange(Field, Value)` for equality and `SetRange(Field, FromValue, ToValue)` for a typed range; neither parses operators. Reject an empty identifier explicitly when "no value" must not mean "every record". For several external values, apply `SetRange` once per value instead of joining them with `|`.
Use `SetFilter` when an operator is part of the procedure's own contract. Keep the operator in a constant expression and pass operands through replacement fields (`%1`, `%2`) of the field's data type, such as a `Date` or `Decimal` operand for `'>=%1'`. Do not rely on wrapping text in single quotes to neutralize it: according to the filter syntax, quotes protect `&`, `(`, `)`, `=`, and `|`, but `*` still acts as a wildcard inside `'J & V*'`.
Text that the user deliberately entered as a filter is supposed to be parsed. Do not report a request-page or `FilterPageBuilder` filter, a `GetFilters`/`GetView` round trip, a FlowFilter, or a field whose documented purpose is to hold a filter expression. Constant filter strings and operands produced by the extension's own code are also not external input.
See sample: [`do-not-concatenate-external-text-into-setfilter.good.al`](do-not-concatenate-external-text-into-setfilter.good.al).
## Anti Pattern
`Rec.SetFilter(Field, ExternalText)` or `Rec.SetFilter(Field, Prefix + ExternalText + Suffix)` where the text is meant to identify one record or a known list of records, with no validation that restricts it to a literal value. The finding is strongest when the resulting set is written by `Modify`, `ModifyAll`, `Delete`, or `DeleteAll`, or is returned to an external caller. Detection signal: a non-constant expression, concatenation, or `StrSubstNo` result passed as the `String` argument of `SetFilter`, where the operand comes from a parameter, page field, JSON/XML value, file line, or HTTP request.
See sample: [`do-not-concatenate-external-text-into-setfilter.bad.al`](do-not-concatenate-external-text-into-setfilter.bad.al).
## References
- [Record.SetFilter method, including the empty-filter remark](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/methods-auto/record/record-setfilter-method)
- [Filtering with SetRange and SetFilter](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/devenv-setcurrentkey-setrange-setfilter-getrangemin-and-getrangemax-methods)
- [Filter criteria, operators, and values that contain symbols](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/ui-enter-criteria-filters#filter-criteria-and-operators)

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codeunit 50411 "Test Sales Setup Initialize Bad"
{
Subtype = Test;
[Test]
[HandlerFunctions('CustomerCardHandler')]
procedure CustomerCardOpensForSelectedCustomer()
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
Initialize();
LibrarySales.CreateCustomer(Customer);
LibraryVariableStorage.Enqueue(Customer."No.");
Page.RunModal(Page::"Customer Card", Customer);
LibraryVariableStorage.AssertEmpty();
end;
[Test]
procedure StockoutWarningCanBeDisabled()
var
SalesSetup: Record "Sales & Receivables Setup";
begin
Initialize();
LibrarySales.SetStockoutWarning(false);
SalesSetup.Get();
Assert.IsFalse(SalesSetup."Stockout Warning", 'The stockout warning was not disabled.');
end;
local procedure Initialize()
begin
if IsInitialized then
exit;
LibraryVariableStorage.Clear();
LibrarySetupStorage.Restore();
LibrarySales.SetStockoutWarning(true);
IsInitialized := true;
LibrarySetupStorage.SaveSalesSetup();
end;
[ModalPageHandler]
procedure CustomerCardHandler(var CustomerCard: TestPage "Customer Card")
begin
Assert.AreEqual(LibraryVariableStorage.DequeueText(), CustomerCard."No.".Value(), 'The customer card opened for the wrong customer.');
end;
var
Assert: Codeunit Assert;
LibrarySales: Codeunit "Library - Sales";
LibrarySetupStorage: Codeunit "Library - Setup Storage";
LibraryVariableStorage: Codeunit "Library - Variable Storage";
IsInitialized: Boolean;
}

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codeunit 50410 "Test Sales Setup Initialize Good"
{
Subtype = Test;
[Test]
[HandlerFunctions('CustomerCardHandler')]
procedure CustomerCardOpensForSelectedCustomer()
var
Customer: Record Customer;
begin
Initialize();
LibrarySales.CreateCustomer(Customer);
LibraryVariableStorage.Enqueue(Customer."No.");
Page.RunModal(Page::"Customer Card", Customer);
LibraryVariableStorage.AssertEmpty();
end;
[Test]
procedure StockoutWarningCanBeDisabled()
var
SalesSetup: Record "Sales & Receivables Setup";
begin
Initialize();
LibrarySales.SetStockoutWarning(false);
SalesSetup.Get();
Assert.IsFalse(SalesSetup."Stockout Warning", 'The stockout warning was not disabled.');
end;
local procedure Initialize()
begin
LibraryTestInitialize.OnTestInitialize(Codeunit::"Test Sales Setup Initialize Good");
LibraryVariableStorage.Clear();
LibrarySetupStorage.Restore();
if IsInitialized then
exit;
LibraryTestInitialize.OnBeforeTestSuiteInitialize(Codeunit::"Test Sales Setup Initialize Good");
LibrarySales.SetStockoutWarning(true);
IsInitialized := true;
LibrarySetupStorage.SaveSalesSetup();
LibraryTestInitialize.OnAfterTestSuiteInitialize(Codeunit::"Test Sales Setup Initialize Good");
end;
[ModalPageHandler]
procedure CustomerCardHandler(var CustomerCard: TestPage "Customer Card")
begin
Assert.AreEqual(LibraryVariableStorage.DequeueText(), CustomerCard."No.".Value(), 'The customer card opened for the wrong customer.');
end;
var
Assert: Codeunit Assert;
LibrarySales: Codeunit "Library - Sales";
LibrarySetupStorage: Codeunit "Library - Setup Storage";
LibraryTestInitialize: Codeunit "Library - Test Initialize";
LibraryVariableStorage: Codeunit "Library - Variable Storage";
IsInitialized: Boolean;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: testing
keywords: [initialize, isinitialized, library-test-initialize, ontestinitialize, library-variable-storage, library-setup-storage, test-fixture, test-codeunit]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Reset per-test state before the IsInitialized guard
## Description
Standard Business Central test codeunits call a local `Initialize` procedure at the start of every test method. Global variables in a test codeunit keep their values between the codeunit's test methods, so a Boolean such as `IsInitialized` lets `Initialize` run expensive shared setup only once. The procedure therefore has two parts with different lifetimes: work that must run before **every** test, and one-time setup behind the guard. If per-test reset is placed after the guard, it runs only for the first test. Values left in `Library - Variable Storage` by a failed test, or setup records a test changed, then leak into later tests, which pass or fail depending on execution order.
## Best Practice
Call `Initialize()` as the first statement of every test method. Inside it, keep this order, which the Base Application tests follow:
1. Per-test work, before the guard: raise `"Library - Test Initialize".OnTestInitialize`, call `LibraryVariableStorage.Clear()`, and call `LibrarySetupStorage.Restore()` when setup tables were saved.
2. `if IsInitialized then exit;`
3. One-time work: raise `OnBeforeTestSuiteInitialize`, create the shared fixture and setup values, set `IsInitialized := true`, save the setup tables that tests may change (for example `LibrarySetupStorage.SaveSalesSetup()`), and raise `OnAfterTestSuiteInitialize`.
Create data that a single test changes inside that test, not in the shared fixture. Base Application suites also commit after the one-time setup so the shared fixture survives each test's transaction; whether that commit is valid depends on the test transaction model and runner isolation, see [`transactionmodel-attribute-governs-test-transactions.md`](transactionmodel-attribute-governs-test-transactions.md) and [`testisolation-belongs-on-the-test-runner.md`](testisolation-belongs-on-the-test-runner.md).
A test codeunit with no shared setup and no queued values doesn't need an `Initialize` procedure. Don't report its absence on its own.
See sample: [`reset-per-test-state-before-the-isinitialized-guard.good.al`](reset-per-test-state-before-the-isinitialized-guard.good.al).
## Anti Pattern
`if IsInitialized then exit;` as the first statement of `Initialize`, followed by `LibraryVariableStorage.Clear()`, `LibrarySetupStorage.Restore()`, or other reset calls that are then skipped for every test after the first. A related defect is a test method in a codeunit that uses the pattern but doesn't call `Initialize()`, so it runs with whatever state the previous test left. Detection signal: in a `Subtype = Test` codeunit, a reset call placed after the `IsInitialized` exit, or a `[Test]` procedure that uses shared globals or queued values without first calling `Initialize()`.
See sample: [`reset-per-test-state-before-the-isinitialized-guard.bad.al`](reset-per-test-state-before-the-isinitialized-guard.bad.al).
## References
- [BCApps: `Initialize` in the ERM Sales Document tests](https://github.com/microsoft/BCApps/blob/4abbb8ff848cdcb4e1187fc7a3e2da0612dd0d2b/src/Layers/W1/Tests/ERM-Sales/ERMSalesDocument.Codeunit.al)
- [BCApps: Library - Test Initialize events](https://github.com/microsoft/BCApps/blob/4abbb8ff848cdcb4e1187fc7a3e2da0612dd0d2b/src/Layers/W1/Tests/ApplicationTestLibrary/LibraryTestInitialize.Codeunit.al)
- [BCApps: Library - Setup Storage](https://github.com/microsoft/BCApps/blob/4abbb8ff848cdcb4e1187fc7a3e2da0612dd0d2b/src/Layers/W1/Tests/ApplicationTestLibrary/LibrarySetupStorage.Codeunit.al)
- [Testing the application](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/devenv-testing-application)

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codeunit 50100 "HTTP Status Handling Bad"
{
procedure GetCustomer(CustomerId: Guid): JsonObject
var
Client: HttpClient;
Response: HttpResponseMessage;
CustomerJson: JsonObject;
ResponseText: Text;
begin
if not Client.Get(
StrSubstNo('https://api.example.com/customers/%1', CustomerId),
Response)
then
Error('The customer service could not be reached.');
// A completed request can still contain a 4xx or 5xx error document.
Response.Content().ReadAs(ResponseText);
CustomerJson.ReadFrom(ResponseText);
exit(CustomerJson);
end;
}

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codeunit 50100 "HTTP Status Handling Good"
{
procedure GetCustomer(CustomerId: Guid): JsonObject
var
Client: HttpClient;
Response: HttpResponseMessage;
CustomerJson: JsonObject;
ResponseText: Text;
begin
if not Client.Get(
StrSubstNo('https://api.example.com/customers/%1', CustomerId),
Response)
then
Error('The customer service could not be reached.');
if not Response.IsSuccessStatusCode() then
Error('The customer service returned HTTP status %1.', Response.HttpStatusCode());
Response.Content().ReadAs(ResponseText);
CustomerJson.ReadFrom(ResponseText);
exit(CustomerJson);
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: web-services
keywords: [httpclient, httpresponsemessage, issuccessstatuscode, httpstatuscode, response-body, json]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Check HTTP status before consuming the response body
## Description
A successful AL `HttpClient` call only confirms that the platform completed the HTTP exchange. The server can still return `4xx` or `5xx`, often with an error document whose shape differs from the expected success payload. Parsing that body as business data can produce misleading parse errors, incomplete records, or decisions based on an error response.
## Best Practice
After handling any platform or transport failure, check `HttpResponseMessage.IsSuccessStatusCode()` or the expected `HttpStatusCode()` before interpreting the response body as a success payload. Handle non-success status explicitly and include safe diagnostic context when appropriate. A bounded error body may be read for diagnostics, but it must not enter the success parsing path.
See sample: [`check-http-status-before-consuming-response-body.good.al`](check-http-status-before-consuming-response-body.good.al).
## Anti Pattern
Checking only the Boolean result of `Get`, `Post`, `Put`, `Delete`, or `Send` and then parsing `Response.Content()` as the expected payload. The Boolean can be `true` for any HTTP status, including authentication failures, throttling, validation errors, and server failures.
See sample: [`check-http-status-before-consuming-response-body.bad.al`](check-http-status-before-consuming-response-body.bad.al).
## References
- [HttpResponseMessage.IsSuccessStatusCode method](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/methods-auto/httpresponsemessage/httpresponsemessage-issuccessstatuscode-method)
- [HttpClient data type](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/methods-auto/httpclient/httpclient-data-type)

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codeunit 50173 "Contact Payload Reader Bad"
{
procedure ApplyPayload(var Contact: Record Contact; Payload: JsonObject)
var
Token: JsonToken;
begin
if Payload.Get('email', Token) then
Contact.Validate("E-Mail", CopyStr(Token.AsValue().AsText(), 1, MaxStrLen(Contact."E-Mail")));
Contact.Modify(true);
end;
}

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codeunit 50172 "Contact Payload Reader Good"
{
procedure ApplyPayload(var Contact: Record Contact; Payload: JsonObject)
var
EmailAddress: Text;
begin
if TryGetText(Payload, 'email', EmailAddress) then
Contact.Validate("E-Mail", CopyStr(EmailAddress, 1, MaxStrLen(Contact."E-Mail")));
Contact.Modify(true);
end;
local procedure TryGetText(Payload: JsonObject; PropertyName: Text; var Value: Text): Boolean
var
Token: JsonToken;
begin
if not Payload.Get(PropertyName, Token) then
exit(false);
if not Token.IsValue() then
Error(NotAValueErr, PropertyName);
if Token.AsValue().IsNull() then
exit(false);
Value := Token.AsValue().AsText();
exit(true);
end;
var
NotAValueErr: Label 'The property %1 must contain a single value.', Comment = '%1 = JSON property name';
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: web-services
keywords: [jsonobject, jsontoken, jsonvalue, isnull, asvalue, astext, asdecimal, optional-property, json-null, payload-parsing]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Check for JSON null before converting a value
## Description
An optional property in a JSON payload can be missing or present with the value `null`, and the two cases behave differently in AL. When the Boolean result is captured, `JsonObject.Get` returns `false` for a missing key but `true` for `"email": null`, because the key exists. The conversion methods on `JsonValue` (`AsText`, `AsCode`, `AsDecimal`, `AsInteger`, `AsDate`, `AsBoolean`, and the others) fail with a runtime error when the value is `NULL` or `UNDEFINED`. Code that guards only with `Get` therefore passes its tests with the property omitted and fails in production when the sender serializes an empty field as `null`, which many services do by default.
## Best Practice
For every property that the contract allows to be optional or nullable, check three things before converting: that `Get` (or `SelectToken`) returned `true`, that the token `IsValue()` rather than an object or array, and that `AsValue().IsNull()` is `false`. Put this in one small helper per target type and decide explicitly what a missing or null property means: a default, leaving the field unchanged, or a validation error that names the property.
Required properties can still fail fast, but with an error that states the missing or null property instead of a generic conversion error. Keep a numeric or date conversion strict when the contract says the value must be a number or a date; `IsNull` covers only `null`, not a value of the wrong type.
See sample: [`check-json-null-before-converting-values.good.al`](check-json-null-before-converting-values.good.al).
## Anti Pattern
`if Json.Get('email', Token) then Email := Token.AsValue().AsText();` or an unguarded `Token.AsValue().AsDecimal()` on a property that the external contract allows to be `null`. The `Get` check makes the code look defensive, but it doesn't handle a present `null`. Detection signal: an `As<Type>()` call on a `JsonValue` obtained from an external payload with no preceding `IsNull()` check on the same token, where the property isn't documented as always non-null.
See sample: [`check-json-null-before-converting-values.bad.al`](check-json-null-before-converting-values.bad.al).
## References
- [JsonObject.Get method](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/methods-auto/jsonobject/jsonobject-get-method)
- [JsonValue.AsText method: fails on NULL or UNDEFINED](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/methods-auto/jsonvalue/jsonvalue-astext-method)
- [JsonValue.IsNull method](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/methods-auto/jsonvalue/jsonvalue-isnull-method)
- [JsonToken data type](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/methods-auto/jsontoken/jsontoken-data-type)

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codeunit 50171 "Exchange Rate Export Bad"
{
procedure SendRate(CurrencyCode: Code[10]; StartingDate: Date; ExchangeRate: Decimal)
var
Client: HttpClient;
Response: HttpResponseMessage;
RequestUrl: Text;
begin
RequestUrl := StrSubstNo(RateUrlTok, CurrencyCode, Format(StartingDate), Format(ExchangeRate));
if not Client.Get(RequestUrl, Response) then
Error(RequestFailedErr);
if not Response.IsSuccessStatusCode() then
Error(RateRejectedErr, Response.HttpStatusCode());
end;
procedure ReadRate(RateText: Text) ExchangeRate: Decimal
begin
if not Evaluate(ExchangeRate, RateText) then
Error(InvalidRateErr, RateText);
end;
var
RateUrlTok: Label 'https://rates.example.com/rates?currency=%1&date=%2&rate=%3', Locked = true;
RequestFailedErr: Label 'The exchange rate service could not be reached.';
RateRejectedErr: Label 'The exchange rate service rejected the rate. Status code: %1.', Comment = '%1 = HTTP status code';
InvalidRateErr: Label 'The exchange rate %1 is not a valid decimal number.', Comment = '%1 = received value';
}

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codeunit 50170 "Exchange Rate Export Good"
{
procedure SendRate(CurrencyCode: Code[10]; StartingDate: Date; ExchangeRate: Decimal)
var
Client: HttpClient;
Response: HttpResponseMessage;
RequestUrl: Text;
begin
RequestUrl := StrSubstNo(RateUrlTok, CurrencyCode, Format(StartingDate, 0, 9), Format(ExchangeRate, 0, 9));
if not Client.Get(RequestUrl, Response) then
Error(RequestFailedErr);
if not Response.IsSuccessStatusCode() then
Error(RateRejectedErr, Response.HttpStatusCode());
end;
procedure ReadRate(RateText: Text) ExchangeRate: Decimal
begin
if not Evaluate(ExchangeRate, RateText, 9) then
Error(InvalidRateErr, RateText);
end;
var
RateUrlTok: Label 'https://rates.example.com/rates?currency=%1&date=%2&rate=%3', Locked = true;
RequestFailedErr: Label 'The exchange rate service could not be reached.';
RateRejectedErr: Label 'The exchange rate service rejected the rate. Status code: %1.', Comment = '%1 = HTTP status code';
InvalidRateErr: Label 'The exchange rate %1 is not a valid decimal number.', Comment = '%1 = received value';
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: web-services
keywords: [format, evaluate, standard-format-9, xml-format, locale, regional-settings, decimal-separator, data-exchange, integration]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Format exchanged values with standard format 9
## Description
`Format(Value)` uses standard format 0, the display format, and follows the current user's regional settings. The same decimal renders as `-76.543,21` for a European region and `-76,543.21` for English (US); the same date renders as `05-04-21` or `04/05/21`. Text built this way and sent outside Business Central (an HTTP query string or body, an XML or CSV file, a signature or hash input, or an external key) changes with the user or job queue session that produces it. The receiver can reject it or, worse, misread it. `Evaluate` without a format number has the same dependency when it parses machine-generated text.
## Best Practice
Use `Format(Value, 0, 9)` for machine-readable text. Standard format 9 is the XML format and doesn't depend on the region: `-76543.21` for a decimal, `2021-04-05` for a date, `04:35:55.553` for a time, `true`/`false` for a Boolean, and a UTC `DateTime` such as `2021-04-05T03:35:55.553Z`. Parse such text with `Evaluate(Variable, Text, 9)`.
Prefer typed APIs when they exist. `JsonObject.Add` and `JsonValue.SetValue` with a `Decimal`, `Date`, or `Boolean` argument write a JSON value without going through display text. An XMLport handles this with `FormatEvaluate = Xml`.
For `Enum` and `Option` values, format 9 produces the ordinal number, not the name. When the external contract exchanges names, map them explicitly; see [`api-enum-values-are-a-contract-by-name-not-ordinal.md`](api-enum-values-are-a-contract-by-name-not-ordinal.md).
Text shown to a person (messages, captions, report columns, notifications) should keep the regional display format. `Code`, `Text`, and `Guid` values don't need format 9 because their standard formats don't vary by region.
See sample: [`format-exchanged-values-with-standard-format-9.good.al`](format-exchanged-values-with-standard-format-9.good.al).
## Anti Pattern
`Format(Amount)`, `Format(PostingDate)`, or `Format(SomeDateTime)` concatenated into a URL, request body, XML or CSV line, file name, or hash input. Passing the `Decimal` or `Date` itself to `StrSubstNo` for such text has the same effect, because `StrSubstNo` formats it with the display format. Also `Evaluate(DecimalOrDateVariable, ExternalText)` without format number 9 on text received from another system. The code usually works for the developer's own region and fails for users or job queue sessions in another one. Detection signal: `Format` with one argument, or with a format number other than 9, applied to a `Decimal`, `Date`, `Time`, `DateTime`, or `Boolean` on a path that writes to an `HttpContent`, `HttpRequestMessage`, `OutStream`, `XmlDocument`, or file.
See sample: [`format-exchanged-values-with-standard-format-9.bad.al`](format-exchanged-values-with-standard-format-9.bad.al).
## References
- [Formatting values, dates, and time: standard formats by region and format 9](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/devenv-format-property)
- [System.Format method](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/methods-auto/system/system-format-joker-integer-integer-method)
- [System.Evaluate method and format number 9](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/methods-auto/system/system-evaluate-method)
- [FormatEvaluate property for XMLports](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/properties/devenv-formatevaluate-property)

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codeunit 50100 "Http Platform Failure Bad"
{
procedure GetCustomer(CustomerId: Guid): Text
var
Client: HttpClient;
Response: HttpResponseMessage;
ResponseText: Text;
RequestSucceeded: Boolean;
begin
RequestSucceeded := Client.Get(
StrSubstNo('https://api.example.com/customers/%1', CustomerId),
Response);
// Response content is unavailable when the platform call failed.
Response.Content().ReadAs(ResponseText);
exit(ResponseText);
end;
}

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codeunit 50100 "Http Platform Failure Good"
{
procedure GetCustomer(CustomerId: Guid): Text
var
Client: HttpClient;
Response: HttpResponseMessage;
ResponseText: Text;
begin
if not Client.Get(
StrSubstNo('https://api.example.com/customers/%1', CustomerId),
Response)
then
Error('The customer service could not be reached.');
Response.Content().ReadAs(ResponseText);
exit(ResponseText);
end;
}

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---
bc-version: [all]
domain: web-services
keywords: [httpclient, transport-failure, boolean-return, httpresponsemessage, content, runtime-error]
technologies: [al]
countries: [w1]
application-area: [all]
---
# Handle HttpClient platform failure before accessing the response
## Description
AL `HttpClient` methods can fail before a usable HTTP response exists because of an invalid request, DNS or network failure, certificate validation, timeout, a disabled extension setting, or the response-size limit. When code captures the optional Boolean return value, `false` reports this platform or transport failure. The accompanying `HttpResponseMessage` is not safe to consume; accessing its content after the failed call can raise another error and obscure the original failure.
## Best Practice
When capturing the Boolean return value from `Get`, `Post`, `Put`, `Delete`, or `Send`, stop the current response-processing path immediately when it is `false`. Report or propagate the transport failure without reading status, headers, or content. Omitting the optional Boolean is also valid when fail-fast behavior is intended: the runtime then raises an error if the operation cannot execute.
See sample: [`handle-httpclient-platform-failure-before-response-access.good.al`](handle-httpclient-platform-failure-before-response-access.good.al).
## Anti Pattern
Capturing a failed call in a Boolean and then reading `Response.Content()`, parsing the body, or otherwise treating `Response` as usable. Do not report omission of the Boolean by itself; that form deliberately delegates failure propagation to the runtime.
See sample: [`handle-httpclient-platform-failure-before-response-access.bad.al`](handle-httpclient-platform-failure-before-response-access.bad.al).
## References
- [HttpClient.Send method](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/methods-auto/httpclient/httpclient-send-method)
- [Call external services with HttpClient](https://learn.microsoft.com/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/developer/devenv-httpclient)