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* Complete AL review knowledge readiness Fill telemetry and Query coverage, strengthen thin review domains, correct audited content defects, and add deterministic cheap-model evaluation and reference-integrity safeguards. Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Copilot-Session: 9825b012-e653-496a-9310-c1f4b6f8ac27 * Generalize review fixture discovery Derive smoke cases from the leaf, domain, and paired-sample conventions so new leaves require no scoring-contract changes. Keep only exceptional selection/context overrides and fail when retrieval metadata cannot rank the selected article. Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Copilot-Session: 9825b012-e653-496a-9310-c1f4b6f8ac27 * Preserve published field IDs in sample Keep the existing Email and Contact Email field IDs unchanged, clarify that the sample represents an independent baseline, and use a local breaking-change rule for the generic smoke evaluation. Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Copilot-Session: 9825b012-e653-496a-9310-c1f4b6f8ac27 * Clarify published field identity rules State explicitly that a published field keeps its ID, name, and type while a replacement is added as a separate field under an unused ID. Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Copilot-Session: 9825b012-e653-496a-9310-c1f4b6f8ac27 * Align field obsoletion sample baselines Use Email field ID 3 as the shared baseline so the bad example demonstrates a same-ID rename while the good example retains the original field and adds a separate replacement. Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Copilot-Session: 9825b012-e653-496a-9310-c1f4b6f8ac27 --------- Co-authored-by: Jesper Schulz-Wedde <jesper.schulzwedde@microsoft.com>
22 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
22 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
---
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bc-version: [all]
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domain: error-handling
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keywords: [fielderror, testfield, field-validation, onvalidate, error-message, mandatory-field, record-context]
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technologies: [al]
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countries: [w1]
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application-area: [all]
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---
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# Choose `TestField` For Conditional Checks And `FieldError` For Already-Failed Validation
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## Description
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`TestField` and `FieldError` look interchangeable but behave differently, and choosing the wrong one produces either dead code or a check that never fires. `TestField` performs the comparison itself and throws only when the field is empty or does not match the supplied value; `FieldError` performs no comparison and always raises an error the moment it is reached. Both attach the field caption and the record's primary-key context to the message automatically, which is why neither should be replaced by a hand-built `Error` call that interpolates the field name as a literal.
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## Best Practice
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Use `TestField` when the condition is a simple presence-or-equality check on a single field — mandatory-field gates and prerequisite checks at the top of a procedure read clearly and self-document intent. Use `FieldError` inside an `OnValidate` trigger or a validation procedure where surrounding business logic has already determined the value is invalid and you want a specific, custom message. Rely on the built-in field-and-record context both methods add rather than re-stating the field name in the text.
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See sample: `fielderror-vs-testfield.good.al`.
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## Anti Pattern
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Calling `FieldError` to "test" a field — placing it on a path that is reached unconditionally and expecting it to validate — terminates execution every time because `FieldError` never evaluates a condition. The inverse smell is reaching for `TestField` when the rule needs a tailored message, then bolting a vague generic string onto a check that cannot express the real business reason. A reviewer can spot the first by a `FieldError` that is not guarded by a preceding `if`, and the second by a `TestField` whose intent comment describes a condition more complex than presence or equality.
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See sample: `fielderror-vs-testfield.bad.al`.
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