NAV 2016 Extensions

Hi,

In this post I would like to show you how NAV 2016 Extensions work!!!

NAV 2016 has a new method of deploying the customization's without modifying source code by using Extensions.


Extensions can be installed, upgraded, and uninstalled in an on-premises deployment, as well as for selected tenants in a multi-tenant deployment. 

Let me first show you how to create an NAVX file.

• Create 3 folders in any specified path as shown below.

• Export all the base objects without any customization of NAV 2016 to the OriginalObj folder.
• Let us assume that a customization is done in current NAVInstance1.
• Added a Boolean filed on Vendor Table & Card Approve Vendor.
• Added New CodeUnit(50000) and Table(50000).

• Once done with customization export the all the objects of your current instance with modified objects to other folder ModifiedObj.

• Open NAV Developer Shell

• Here we can find few cmdlet commands,let us compare both Original & Modified object files exported. Use the below command.

• Compare-NAVApplicationObject -OriginalPath <OriginalObj folder path> -ModifiedPath <ModifiedObj folder path> -DeltaPath <DeltaObj folder path> 

• System will start comparing both the file and extract the differences as DELTA file into the given Delta folder.

• This will do a quick compare and you see the changes once comparison is completed.

• In my case as I said there are 2 new objects and 2 changed objects.

• Open Delta folder and you can find Delta files created for changes found in comparison.

• Now we need to generate an XML file which stores Version, Description and other details of the customization. Run the below cmdlet.

• New-NAVAppManifest -Name "Extension Demo" -Publisher "Demo" -Version "1.0.0.0" | New-NAVAppManifestFile -Path D:\NAVEXT\Extensions.xml

• This will generate an xml file with the Version details.

 

• Now generate an NAVX file which will carry the customization done and it can be used to install and uninstall on the other instances of NAV 2016.

• Run the below command

• Get-NAVAppManifest -Path D:\NAVEXT\Extensions.xml | New-NAVAppPackage -SourcePath D:\NAVEXT\DeltaObjects -Path D:\NAVEXT\Extension.navx

Now the whole customization is available in the single NAVX file format with which we can install, upgrade, and uninstall in an on-premises deployment, as well as for selected tenants in a multi-tenant deployment.



In my next post I will elaborate how to Install and Uninstall NAVX file.

Cheers.. :)