| bc-version |
domain |
keywords |
technologies |
countries |
application-area |
|
|
ui |
| enqueuebackgroundtask |
| async-calculation |
| child-session |
| factbox |
| cue-tile |
| onaftergetcurrrecord |
| responsive-page |
| read-only |
|
|
|
|
Offload Slow Read-Only Page Calculations To Background Tasks
Contributions welcome — open a PR to refine or extend this article.
Description
Pages that compute statistics, aggregates, or external lookups inline block the page from rendering until the calculation finishes, producing a visible freeze on FactBoxes, cue tiles, and calculated fields. Business Central provides page background tasks: CurrPage.EnqueueBackgroundTask runs a dedicated codeunit in a read-only child session and returns values via OnPageBackgroundTaskCompleted, so the page opens immediately and fills in computed values as they arrive. This matters because users should never wait on a calculation they may not need. The mechanism has specific rules that are easy to get wrong, which is why it warrants an explicit pattern.
Best Practice
Move any noticeable read-only computation off the synchronous render path into a background task. Enqueue from OnAfterGetCurrRecord so the task is tied to the currently focused record, and pass small payloads through the Dictionary of [Text, Text] input/output, converting types with Format and Evaluate. Keep each task focused on one value or a small related set rather than one large task, and show a placeholder until results land. Because tasks auto-cancel when the page closes, the record changes, or a same-ID task is re-enqueued, always supply sensible defaults and handle the timeout path in OnPageBackgroundTaskError — never let critical functionality depend on completion. For tests, drive the task synchronously with RunPageBackgroundTask.
Anti Pattern
Enqueuing from OnAfterGetRecord on a list page fires the task for every row, and each cancels the instant the selection moves to the next row — pure wasted child-session churn; a reviewer spots EnqueueBackgroundTask called from OnAfterGetRecord (or from OnOpenPage, where the record context is not yet stable). The other tell is a task codeunit attempting a database write or Modify: background tasks run read-only and the write fails at runtime. Inline heavy calculation directly in OnAfterGetCurrRecord with no task at all is the baseline smell — it reintroduces the page freeze the feature exists to remove.
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