Creating Your First Project

Launch a BC Docker container and create your first AL extension project from scratch.

40 minBeginner

Learning Objectives

Create a BC sandbox container with BcContainerHelper
Initialize an AL extension project
Understand app.json configuration
Publish and test your first extension

Create a BC Sandbox Container

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

New-BcContainer.ps1

$containerName = 'bcserver'
$password = 'P@ssw0rd'
$securePassword = ConvertTo-SecureString -String $password -AsPlainText -Force
$credential = New-Object pscredential 'admin', $securePassword
$auth = 'UserPassword'
$artifactUrl = Get-BcArtifactUrl -type 'Sandbox' -country 'us' -select 'Latest'

New-BcContainer `
    -accept_eula `
    -containerName $containerName `
    -credential $credential `
    -auth $auth `
    -artifactUrl $artifactUrl `
    -vsixFile (Get-LatestAlLanguageExtensionUrl) `
    -updateHosts

First Run Takes Time

The first container creation downloads several GB of images. Subsequent containers start much faster thanks to Docker layer caching.

This script:

Downloads the latest BC sandbox artifact
Creates a Docker container named bcserver
Installs the AL Language extension into VS Code
Updates your hosts file for bcserver DNS resolution

Access BC at: https://bcserver (user: admin, password: P@ssw0rd)

Create an AL Project

In VS Code:

Ctrl+Shift+P → AL: Go!
Select "A starter extension"
Choose folder location
Select "Your own server"
Enter server: https://bcserver
Authentication: UserName and Password
Username: admin, Password: P@ssw0rd

Understanding app.json

Every AL extension requires an app.json manifest:

app.json

{
    "id": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001",
    "name": "My First Extension",
    "publisher": "NAVBC",
    "version": "1.0.0.0",
    "brief": "My first BC extension",
    "description": "Learning AL development with NAVBC Learning",
    "privacyStatement": "https://navbc.com/privacy",
    "EULA": "https://navbc.com/eula",
    "help": "https://learn.navbc.com",
    "url": "https://navbc.com",
    "logo": "logo.png",
    "dependencies": [],
    "screenshots": [],
    "platform": "1.0.0.0",
    "application": "24.0.0.0",
    "idRanges": [
        { "from": 50100, "to": 50149 }
    ],
    "resourceExposurePolicy": {
        "allowDebugging": true,
        "allowDownloadingSource": true,
        "includeSourceInSymbolDownload": true
    },
    "runtime": "13.0",
    "features": ["NoImplicitWith"]
}

Key fields:

id — Unique GUID for your app
idRanges — Object ID range allocated to your extension
application — Minimum BC version required
dependencies — Other apps your extension depends on

Your First AL Object

Replace the default HelloWorld with a custom table:

CustomerBonus.Table.al

table 50100 "Customer Bonus"
{
    Caption = 'Customer Bonus';
    DataClassification = CustomerContent;

    fields
    {
        field(1; "Entry No."; Integer)
        {
            Caption = 'Entry No.';
            AutoIncrement = true;
        }
        field(2; "Customer No."; Code[20])
        {
            Caption = 'Customer No.';
            TableRelation = Customer."No.";
        }
        field(3; "Bonus Amount"; Decimal)
        {
            Caption = 'Bonus Amount';
            DecimalPlaces = 2 : 2;
        }
        field(4; "Bonus Date"; Date)
        {
            Caption = 'Bonus Date';
        }
    }

    keys
    {
        key(PK; "Entry No.")
        {
            Clustered = true;
        }
        key(Customer; "Customer No.")
        {
        }
    }
}

Publish Your Extension

Ctrl+Shift+P → AL: Publish
Choose "bcserver" as target
Wait for compilation and publishing
Open BC → Search for "Customer Bonus"

Download Available

Check the Downloads section below for a ZIP containing the complete starter project files.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Container won't start	Ensure Hyper-V and WSL 2 are enabled
Publish fails	Check `app.json` ID ranges don't conflict
Can't connect to BC	Verify hosts file has `bcserver` entry
Symbol download fails	Run `AL: Download symbols` manually

Next Steps

With your environment ready, Module 3 dives deep into table development — the foundation of every BC extension.

Downloads

README.txt