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Michael Dieringer 186691f815
3 AL/BC patterns from CURABIS's internal automated-testing training material (#158)
* Add 3 more AL/BC patterns from CURABIS Academy testing course material

Third batch from CURABIS ApS: item-ledger-entry document-no lookup after Ship-and-Invoice posting, TestPage.Visible()/.Enabled() as the mechanism for verifying field UI state, and LibraryUtility.GenerateGUID() for collision-free test fixture values.

* Address Jesper Schulz-Wedde's review on PR #158

- use-generateguid-for-unique-test-fixture-values.md: GenerateGUID()
  is a Code[10] number-series value, not a real GUID; truncating it
  with CopyStr for a shorter field cuts off the changing digits. Point
  to GenerateRandomCode/GenerateRandomCodeWithLength/GenerateRandomXMLText
  instead, which verify uniqueness against the actual table.
- Split use-testpage-visible-enabled-to-verify-field-ui-state.md: drop
  its editability claim (the sample opens with OpenView() and asserts
  Enabled(), which verifies enabled state, not editability — Editable()
  and Enabled() are distinct TestField methods). New companion article
  use-testpage-editable-to-verify-field-editability.md covers Editable()
  with OpenEdit() specifically.
- Wire GenerateGUID/CopyStr and TestPage Visible/Enabled/Editable cues
  into al-testing-review.md, and the Item Ledger Entry/Last Shipping No.
  posting cue into al-data-modeling-review.md.

The Item Ledger Entry article itself was independently verified against
current BCApps source and needs no changes.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* Address second round of Jesper Schulz-Wedde's review on PR #158

- use-generateguid-for-unique-test-fixture-values.md/.good.al: documented
  each LibraryUtility helper's actual behavior, verified against
  LibraryUtility.Codeunit.al. GenerateRandomCode opens the target table as
  a temporary RecordRef, so despite taking TableNo it never checks real
  data. GenerateRandomXMLText performs no table lookup at all. Only
  GenerateRandomCodeWithLength/GenerateRandomCode20 (capped at Code[10]/
  Code[20]) genuinely verify against the real table. Fixture switched to
  GenerateRandomCodeWithLength where the comment claims verified
  uniqueness.
- al-testing-review.md: rewired the cue to catch the actual anti-pattern
  (hardcoded literals, hand-built uniqueness, short-field GUID truncation)
  instead of only matching the compliant GenerateGUID()+CopyStr shape;
  broadened tokens to include TestPage, Library - Utility, and
  .Visible()/.Enabled()/.Editable().
- al-data-modeling-review.md: restricted the Item Ledger Entry
  Last-Shipping-No. cue to sales combined posting; purchase combined
  posting is Receive+Invoice and uses different fields entirely.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* Fix remaining correctness issues from Jesper's 2026-09-15 re-review

- use-generateguid-for-unique-test-fixture-values.md: narrowed the
  collision rule to primary-key/unique-lookup fields - an ordinary
  descriptive field carries no uniqueness constraint, so a hardcoded
  or deterministic value there isn't the anti-pattern (the article and
  its al-testing-review.md worklist cue both said "primary-key or
  descriptive field"). Also corrected GenerateRandomCode: it opens its
  target table as a temporary RecordRef that starts and stays empty,
  so its repeat/until loop always exits after one iteration and never
  retries even within a single test run - the "non-colliding within a
  test run" claim was false. It's the rightmost N characters of
  GenerateGUID()'s sequential series, so a short field's value cycles
  (Code[1] repeats every 10 calls, Code[2] every 100). Verified against
  LibraryUtility.Codeunit.al in the BCApps reference clone.
- item-ledger-entry-document-no-follows-last-shipping-no: both
  fixtures called FindSet() without consuming its optional Boolean,
  which raises a runtime error on an empty result set - the opposite
  of the article's own claimed "silently matches zero rows, no error"
  behavior. Wrapped in `if ... then;` per the existing
  guard-database-reads.good.al idiom.
- al-data-modeling-review.md: widened both not-applicable scope
  clauses (intro and outcome) to include dimension wiring, posting-
  routine structure, and Item Ledger Entry document-number lookups -
  the leaf declared itself not-applicable outside setup/master/key/
  numbering/block/audit surfaces despite having a targeted cue for
  this PR's own new article.
- Converted this PR's 8 plain-backtick "See sample: `x.good.al`."
  references (across all 4 new articles) to the READ-convention
  markdown-link form required by Knowledge-Retrieval.ps1.

Rebased onto upstream/main (one conflict in al-data-modeling-review.md
intro wording, merged).

* Stop routing GenerateRandomCode20 as compliant for shorter fields

al-testing-review.md's cue presented GenerateRandomCodeWithLength and
GenerateRandomCode20 as interchangeable options for "a shorter field
needing real verified uniqueness." They aren't: verified against
LibraryUtility.Codeunit.al, GenerateRandomCode20 truncates
GenerateGUID()'s sequential value down to the target field's length by
keeping the leftmost (slowest-changing) characters via PadStr, so its
retry loop against a field shorter than 20 can churn through the same
truncated prefix for a long time. GenerateRandomCodeWithLength has no
such problem (it generates exactly the requested length of random
text). The knowledge article itself already scoped GenerateRandomCode20
to Code[20] correctly - only the skill cue needed narrowing to match.

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-09-29 12:49:11 +02:00
.claude-plugin Simplify standalone AL code review skill (#150) 2026-09-03 10:25:44 +02:00
.github Add source-verified Finance knowledge and review domain (#57) 2026-09-21 10:20:41 +02:00
community Add AL-focused AppSource validation guidance (#142) 2026-09-14 12:42:45 +02:00
custom Improve partner onboarding and documentation navigation (#174) 2026-09-09 17:31:03 +02:00
docs Add source-verified Finance knowledge and review domain (#57) 2026-09-21 10:20:41 +02:00
evaluation Add source-verified Finance knowledge and review domain (#57) 2026-09-21 10:20:41 +02:00
microsoft 3 AL/BC patterns from CURABIS's internal automated-testing training material (#158) 2026-09-29 12:49:11 +02:00
schemas Add machine-readable review contracts (#182) 2026-09-15 10:27:40 +02:00
skills Add machine-readable review contracts (#182) 2026-09-15 10:27:40 +02:00
tools Add machine-readable review contracts (#182) 2026-09-15 10:27:40 +02:00
.gitignore Own the knowledge-index generator + index-aware review skills (#25) 2026-06-04 15:02:12 +02:00
CODEOWNERS Fix CODEOWNERS: correct @jeschulz -> @jesperschulz on base rules (#53) 2026-06-25 14:28:48 +02:00
LICENSE Add initial project structure with .gitignore, LICENSE, README, and CODEOWNERS 2026-04-17 05:56:10 +02:00
plugin.json Simplify standalone AL code review skill (#150) 2026-09-03 10:25:44 +02:00
README.md Add SCM functional knowledge domain (#192) 2026-09-21 10:16:44 +02:00
SECURITY.md Microsoft mandatory file 2026-04-17 03:58:13 +00:00

BC Quality - Don’t teach one agent. Teach the ecosystem. 🤝

Quality skills and knowledge that help AI tools make better Business Central development decisions: catch BC-specific defects, avoid misleading advice, and explain findings with references you can read.

BCQuality contains knowledge and reusable skills, not agents or a Business Central extension. Your host supplies the agent. You can install the content as a plugin, use it from another integration, or browse the knowledge directly.

Quick start

The walkthrough below uses GitHub Copilot CLI in a terminal, not the Copilot Chat panel in VS Code. First install Copilot CLI and sign in. Your account and organization policy must allow its use. You do not need to clone BCQuality, build a runner, or deploy an app to Business Central for this source-review example.

Standalone plugin installation

Run these commands in your terminal:

copilot plugin install microsoft/BCQuality
copilot plugin list

The list should include bcquality. The plugin currently exposes the al-code-review skill. Installation and skill discovery are the general pattern; reviewing an app is one example of using it.

Example: Review a complete app folder

Start a new CLI session in your own app folder, replacing the example path:

cd "C:\Repos\MyBusinessCentralApp"
copilot

Approve access only to a project you trust, then ask:

Use the installed al-code-review skill to review the complete Business Central app in this folder without changing my source files. Return the complete BCQuality findings report.

The folder should contain app.json and your AL source; it does not need to be a Git repository. On macOS or Linux, use your app's local path instead.

Expect a report for each selected review, with findings, source locations, severity, confidence, and references to the relevant guidance. Some hosts show the structured JSON directly. completed with no findings means nothing was flagged in that review's scope; partial or failed is not a clean result. See reading your results.

PowerShell 7 (pwsh) is recommended for fast knowledge discovery. If it is unavailable, the review can still discover knowledge by reading the folders.

Documentation

I want to... Start here
Choose direct reading, a supplied skill, or my own agent Ways to use BCQuality
Review a file, changes, a branch, or a particular concern Using BCQuality
Resolve setup problems, incomplete reviews, or incorrect findings Troubleshooting and support
Browse the available guidance Knowledge by domain
Configure the plugin or use my organization's rules Customizing BCQuality
Contribute knowledge or improve a rule Your first contribution
Connect a host, agent, or CI integration Minimal integration example

All documentation and technical references.

Scope

Today's curated content covers technical AL code review and a focused Supply Chain Management (SCM) functional domain. It augments the agent's judgment; it is not an exhaustive BC manual or a substitute for compilation, analyzers, tests, or human review. See coverage and limits for the available domains and the difference between a folder review and a comparison. Mechanical issues already enforced by the AL compiler or standard analyzers are intentionally left to those deterministic tools rather than duplicated here.

The SCM domain covers selected inventory, costing, reservation, tracking, and warehouse/posting workflows, not exhaustive supply chain validation. Broader functional coverage such as Finance, Manufacturing, Jobs, and Service, and technologies such as PowerShell, pipelines, and Power Platform, remain valid future scope, not current coverage claims.

What's in this repo

Knowledge articles cover one concern each. Skills tell an agent how to find and apply the relevant knowledge. Both live in three layers:

Layer Purpose
Microsoft Microsoft-endorsed skills and their knowledge.
Community Community-owned skills and their knowledge.
Custom Organization-specific additions and overrides in your own fork.

All three are enabled by default; Custom is empty upstream. You do not need to configure layers to get started.

Versioning

Update the installed plugin from your terminal, then start a new session:

copilot plugin update bcquality

Plugin versions and content-release tags are different. For reproducible runs and organization forks, see updates and versions.

What belongs here

Knowledge belongs here when it prevents a BC-specific mistake an otherwise capable agent would make, including false-positive findings. BC facts belong in knowledge articles, not skill instructions. See the admission test and examples.

Contributing

Partners are welcome to contribute to the layer that owns the domain, regardless of affiliation. Start with the contribution guide. To report a problem without authoring a rule, see support.

License

MIT