Clone an Azure Business Central repository to Visual Studio Code

To clone an Azure Business Central AL (Application Language) repository to Visual Studio Code, you can follow these steps. This process assumes you have already set up an Azure DevOps repository and have installed the necessary tools.

Prerequisites:

1. Visual Studio Code (VS Code): Make sure you have Visual Studio Code installed on your system. If not, download and install it from here.
2. AL Language Extension: Install the AL Language extension in VS Code. Open VS Code, go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X), and search for AL Language. Install it.
3. Git: Make sure Git is installed on your system. If not, you can install it from here.
4. Azure DevOps Access: Ensure you have access to the Azure DevOps repository with the correct permissions.
5. Azure DevOps Personal Access Token (PAT): You might need a personal access token (PAT) to authenticate with the Azure DevOps repository.

Steps to Clone the Repository:

1. Generate a Personal Access Token (PAT) (if you haven’t already):
   • Go to Azure DevOps.
   • In the upper right corner, click on your user icon and select Security.
   • Under Personal Access Tokens, click on New Token.
   • Select the scopes you need for the repository, such as Code (Read & Write), and then generate the token.
2. Get the Clone URL:
   • Go to the Azure DevOps repository page.
   • Click on Repos in the left sidebar, and navigate to the specific repository.
   • Click on the Clone button in the upper-right of the repository page.
   • Copy the HTTPS clone URL (you will use this in VS Code).
3. Open Visual Studio Code:
   • Open VS Code on your local machine.
4. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and type Git: Clone, then select Git: Clone from the list of commands.
5. Enter the Repository URL:
   • Paste the HTTPS URL of your Azure DevOps repository into the input field and press Enter.
   • When prompted, enter your Azure DevOps username and the personal access token (PAT) for authentication.
6. Choose a Local Directory:
   • Select the folder where you want to clone the repository to your local machine.
7. Open the Folder in VS Code:
   • After the repository is cloned, VS Code will prompt you to open the folder containing the project. Click Open to open the folder in VS Code.
8. Set Up the AL Project:
   • If your Azure DevOps repository contains a Business Central AL project, open the app.json file to ensure that it is recognized as a Business Central AL project.
   • If this is the first time you’re opening the AL project, VS Code may ask you to download and install the necessary dependencies for AL development.
9. Run the Project:
   • Once your repository is cloned, you can work with the AL code.
   • Open the launch.json file in the .vscode folder (if it exists) to configure the connection to your Business Central environment.
   • You can run the project directly from Visual Studio Code by pressing F5 to start debugging.

Additional Tips:

• AL Language Extension: Ensure that you have the AL Language extension installed and configured correctly.
• AL Project Structure: If your repository does not contain the proper AL project structure, you may need to initialize it using the AL: Go! command in VS Code.
• Commit Changes: After making changes, you can use the Source Control view in VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+G) to commit and push changes back to the Azure DevOps repository.