mirror of
https://github.com/microsoft/BCQuality.git
synced 2026-08-06 17:36:53 +01:00
a56d1453b9
Repair broken knowledge references and align review examples with canonical articles. Correct explicit version gates, restore a missing title, and recognize the plugin directory in the root guard. Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
26 lines
1.5 KiB
Markdown
26 lines
1.5 KiB
Markdown
---
|
|
bc-version: [25..]
|
|
domain: style
|
|
keywords: [this, codeunit, self-reference, aa0248, scope]
|
|
technologies: [al]
|
|
countries: [w1]
|
|
application-area: [all]
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
# Use the `this` keyword for self-reference inside codeunits (CodeCop AA0248)
|
|
|
|
## Description
|
|
|
|
CodeCop AA0248 recommends prefixing self-references inside a codeunit with `this`. `this.ValidateCustomer(Customer)` is unambiguous: the call resolves to a procedure on the current codeunit, not to a local variable or a procedure on a passed-in object. Without the prefix, a reader of a 200-line procedure has to scan the whole codeunit to confirm whether `ValidateCustomer` is local. `this` also makes it possible to pass the current codeunit as an argument — `SomeOtherCodeunit.DoWork(this)` — which is the only way to expose the running codeunit instance to a collaborator. The rule applies only to codeunits, not to pages, reports, queries, or tables — those object types do not have a `this` reference in AL.
|
|
|
|
## Best Practice
|
|
|
|
Inside a codeunit, prefix calls to procedures and accesses to global variables on the same codeunit with `this.`, and pass `this` when an external codeunit needs a reference to the running instance.
|
|
|
|
See sample: `this-keyword-in-codeunits.good.al`.
|
|
|
|
## Anti Pattern
|
|
|
|
Calling a codeunit-local procedure as a bare identifier (`ValidateCustomer(Customer)`) when other readings are possible. The ambiguity costs reading time on every encounter and grows with codeunit size.
|
|
|
|
See sample: `this-keyword-in-codeunits.bad.al`.
|