AL page design patterns for Business Central. An agent skill from javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection.

MITAuto-check passedDevelopment

Install Skill Pages

skills CLI
$ npx skills add javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection --skill skill-pages -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection skill-pages --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/skill-pages .claude/skills/skill-pages && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
skill-pages
GitHub stars
109
Token cost
~3.3k tokens
SKILL.md length
479 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
14
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

AL page design patterns for Business Central. An agent skill from javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection.

  • Works in 5 steps: Determine Page Type → Design Layout → Add Actions and Navigation → …
  • Implementing page extensions
  • SKILL.md covers Purpose, When to Load, Core Patterns and Workflow, plus 2 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Skill Pages is an agent skill from javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection. AL page design patterns for Business Central. Use when creating Card, List, ListPart, Document pages, implementing page extensions, or designing UX layouts.

Its SKILL.md is about 3.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Development, covering Design patterns. The repository describes itself as: AL development toolkit for Business Central with specialist agents, skills and review workflows for Copilot, Claude Code and Codex. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Implementing page extensions
  • Designing UX layouts

Example prompts

  • “/skill-pages”

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Determine Page Type
  2. Design Layout
  3. Add Actions and Navigation
  4. Implement Dynamic UI
  5. Build and Test

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 4f99d7d. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are al).

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):

    • learn.microsoft.com

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Skill Pages loads about 3.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 42 tokens; SKILL.md has 479 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~42
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~3.3k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection at commit 4f99d7d, republished under its MIT licence (© javiarmesto). 479 words, ~3,343 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/skill-pages/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
skill-pages
description
AL page design patterns for Business Central. Use when creating Card, List, ListPart, Document pages, implementing page extensions, or designing UX layouts.

Skill: AL Page Design

Purpose

Design and customize Business Central pages: Card, List, Document, Worksheet, and RoleCenter page types, page extensions with addafter/addbefore/modify, dynamic UI (visibility, styling), FastTab layout, promoted actions, and FactBoxes.

When to Load

This skill should be loaded when:

  • Creating a new page (any type) for a custom or extended table
  • Extending a standard BC page with custom fields, groups, or actions
  • Designing a Document page with header-lines structure
  • Implementing dynamic visibility, conditional styling, or field importance
  • Optimizing page performance (FlowField limits, lazy loading)

Core Patterns

Pattern 1: Card Page

Single-record display with FastTab groups:

al
page 50100 "Contoso Project Card"
{
    PageType = Card;
    SourceTable = "Contoso Project";
    Caption = 'Project Card';
    UsageCategory = None;          // accessed from list, not search

    layout
    {
        area(Content)
        {
            group(General)
            {
                Caption = 'General';
                field("No."; Rec."No.")
                {
                    ApplicationArea = All;
                    Importance = Promoted;      // visible in collapsed FastTab
                }
                field(Description; Rec.Description)
                {
                    ApplicationArea = All;
                    Importance = Promoted;
                }
                field(Status; Rec.Status)
                {
                    ApplicationArea = All;
                    StyleExpr = StatusStyleExpr;
                }
                field("Starting Date"; Rec."Starting Date")
                {
                    ApplicationArea = All;
                }
            }
            group(Details)
            {
                Caption = 'Details';
                Visible = DetailsVisible;       // dynamic visibility

                field("Project Manager"; Rec."Project Manager")
                {
                    ApplicationArea = All;
                }
                field(Budget; Rec.Budget)
                {
                    ApplicationArea = All;
                }
            }
        }
        area(FactBoxes)
        {
            systempart(Notes; Notes) { ApplicationArea = All; }
            systempart(Links; Links) { ApplicationArea = All; }
        }
    }

    actions
    {
        area(Processing)
        {
            action(Release)
            {
                ApplicationArea = All;
                Caption = 'Release';
                Image = ReleaseDoc;
                Promoted = true;
                PromotedCategory = Process;
                PromotedIsBig = true;

                trigger OnAction()
                begin
                    Rec.TestField(Status, Rec.Status::Open);
                    Rec.Validate(Status, Rec.Status::Released);
                    Rec.Modify(true);
                end;
            }
        }
        area(Navigation)
        {
            action(Entries)
            {
                ApplicationArea = All;
                Caption = 'Ledger Entries';
                Image = LedgerEntries;
                RunObject = page "Contoso Project Entries";
                RunPageLink = "Project No." = field("No.");
            }
        }
    }

    var
        StatusStyleExpr: Text;
        DetailsVisible: Boolean;

    trigger OnAfterGetRecord()
    begin
        StatusStyleExpr := GetStatusStyle();
        DetailsVisible := Rec.Status <> Rec.Status::Open;
    end;

    local procedure GetStatusStyle(): Text
    begin
        case Rec.Status of
            Rec.Status::Open:
                exit('Standard');
            Rec.Status::Released:
                exit('Favorable');
            Rec.Status::Closed:
                exit('Subordinate');
        end;
    end;
}
Pattern 2: List Page

Multi-record display with filters and navigation:

al
page 50101 "Contoso Project List"
{
    PageType = List;
    SourceTable = "Contoso Project";
    Caption = 'Projects';
    UsageCategory = Lists;
    ApplicationArea = All;
    CardPageId = "Contoso Project Card";
    Editable = false;

    layout
    {
        area(Content)
        {
            repeater(Group)
            {
                field("No."; Rec."No.") { ApplicationArea = All; }
                field(Description; Rec.Description) { ApplicationArea = All; }
                field(Status; Rec.Status)
                {
                    ApplicationArea = All;
                    StyleExpr = StatusStyleExpr;
                }
                field("Starting Date"; Rec."Starting Date") { ApplicationArea = All; }
                // Limit FlowFields on list pages — max 3-4 for performance
                field("Total Budget"; Rec."Total Budget") { ApplicationArea = All; }
            }
        }
    }

    var
        StatusStyleExpr: Text;

    trigger OnAfterGetRecord()
    begin
        StatusStyleExpr := GetStatusStyle();
    end;
}

List page rules:

  • Set Editable = false — use Card for editing
  • Set CardPageId for drill-down navigation
  • Limit FlowFields to 3-4 maximum (each triggers a query per row)
  • Use UsageCategory = Lists for search/Tell Me discoverability
Pattern 3: Document Page (Header + Lines)
al
page 50102 "Contoso Sales Document"
{
    PageType = Document;
    SourceTable = "Contoso Document Header";
    Caption = 'Sales Document';

    layout
    {
        area(Content)
        {
            group(General)
            {
                Caption = 'General';
                field("No."; Rec."No.") { ApplicationArea = All; }
                field("Customer No."; Rec."Customer No.")
                {
                    ApplicationArea = All;
                    Importance = Promoted;

                    trigger OnValidate()
                    begin
                        CurrPage.Update();      // refresh lines after customer change
                    end;
                }
                field("Document Date"; Rec."Document Date") { ApplicationArea = All; }
            }
            part(Lines; "Contoso Document Subpage")
            {
                ApplicationArea = All;
                SubPageLink = "Document No." = field("No.");
                UpdatePropagation = Both;       // sync header ↔ lines
            }
        }
    }
}
al
// Lines subpage
page 50103 "Contoso Document Subpage"
{
    PageType = ListPart;
    SourceTable = "Contoso Document Line";
    Caption = 'Lines';
    AutoSplitKey = true;            // auto-increment Line No.

    layout
    {
        area(Content)
        {
            repeater(Lines)
            {
                field(Type; Rec.Type) { ApplicationArea = All; }
                field("No."; Rec."No.") { ApplicationArea = All; }
                field(Description; Rec.Description) { ApplicationArea = All; }
                field(Quantity; Rec.Quantity) { ApplicationArea = All; }
                field("Unit Price"; Rec."Unit Price") { ApplicationArea = All; }
                field("Line Amount"; Rec."Line Amount")
                {
                    ApplicationArea = All;
                    Editable = false;
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
Pattern 4: Page Extension

Extend standard BC pages without modifying them:

al
pageextension 50100 "Customer Card Ext" extends "Customer Card"
{
    layout
    {
        addafter(General)
        {
            group(ContosoInfo)
            {
                Caption = 'Contoso Information';

                field("Contoso Loyalty Points"; Rec."Contoso Loyalty Points")
                {
                    ApplicationArea = All;
                    ToolTip = 'Total loyalty points for this customer.';
                }
            }
        }
        modify(Name)
        {
            // Change properties of existing fields
            StyleExpr = NameStyleExpr;
        }
        moveafter("Post Code"; City)        // reorder fields
    }

    actions
    {
        addlast(Processing)
        {
            action(ContosoCalculatePoints)
            {
                ApplicationArea = All;
                Caption = 'Recalculate Points';
                Image = Calculate;
                Promoted = true;
                PromotedCategory = Process;

                trigger OnAction()
                var
                    LoyaltyMgt: Codeunit "Contoso Loyalty Management";
                begin
                    LoyaltyMgt.RecalculatePoints(Rec."No.");
                    CurrPage.Update(false);
                end;
            }
        }
    }

    var
        NameStyleExpr: Text;

    trigger OnAfterGetRecord()
    begin
        NameStyleExpr := GetNameStyle();
    end;
}

Extension placement keywords:

  • addafter(AnchorField) / addbefore(AnchorField) — position relative to existing field
  • addlast(GroupName) / addfirst(GroupName) — at end/start of group
  • modify(FieldName) — change properties of existing field
  • moveafter(Target; FieldToMove) / movebefore(Target; FieldToMove) — reorder
Pattern 5: Field Importance and Promoted Actions

Control visibility and prominence:

al
// Field importance — controls FastTab collapsed behavior
field(CriticalField; Rec.CriticalField)
{
    ApplicationArea = All;
    Importance = Promoted;         // always visible (even when FastTab collapsed)
}
field(StandardField; Rec.StandardField)
{
    ApplicationArea = All;
    Importance = Standard;         // visible when FastTab expanded (default)
}
field(RareField; Rec.RareField)
{
    ApplicationArea = All;
    Importance = Additional;       // hidden unless "Show more" clicked
}
al
// Promoted actions — modern actionref syntax (BC 22+)
actions
{
    area(Processing)
    {
        action(Post) { Caption = 'Post'; Image = Post; }
        action(Release) { Caption = 'Release'; Image = ReleaseDoc; }
    }
    area(Promoted)
    {
        group(Category_Process)
        {
            Caption = 'Process';
            actionref(Post_Promoted; Post) { }
            actionref(Release_Promoted; Release) { }
        }
    }
}

Workflow

Step 1: Determine Page Type
NeedPageTypeKey Properties
Single record editingCardUsageCategory = None, has Card groups
Multi-record browsingListCardPageId, Editable = false, FlowField limits
Header + lines editingDocumentpart() with ListPart subpage, UpdatePropagation
Batch data entryWorksheetEditable repeater, no Card drill-down
Dashboard/home pageRoleCenterpart() with cues, activities, headlines
Embed in another pageListPart/CardPartUsed inside part() only
Step 2: Design Layout
  1. Group related fields into FastTabs (group())
  2. Set Importance — Promoted for key fields, Additional for rare ones
  3. Add FactBoxes (area(FactBoxes)) for contextual info
  4. Add Notes and Links system parts
  5. For Document pages, create the ListPart subpage with AutoSplitKey
Show full SKILL.md (175 more words)Show less
Step 3: Add Actions and Navigation
  1. Define actions in area(Processing) and area(Navigation)
  2. Promote key actions using area(Promoted) with actionref (BC 22+)
  3. Set appropriate Image identifiers
  4. Add RunObject / RunPageLink for navigation actions
Step 4: Implement Dynamic UI
  1. Visible / Editable expressions — control field/group visibility based on state
  2. StyleExpr — conditional formatting (Favorable, Unfavorable, Attention, Subordinate, Strong)
  3. Enabled — disable actions based on record state
  4. Update expressions in OnAfterGetRecord trigger
Step 5: Build and Test
  1. Build: al_build
  2. Publish: al_publish (incremental)
  3. Verify layout, navigation, and field behavior
  4. Test dynamic visibility and styling with different record states

References

Constraints

  • This skill covers page design, layout, extensions, and dynamic UI patterns
  • Do NOT modify standard BC pages directly — use pageextension objects only
  • Do NOT place more than 3-4 FlowFields on List pages (performance impact)
  • Do NOT skip ApplicationArea on any field or action
  • API page design → skill-api.md | Performance (FlowFields, SetLoadFields) → skill-performance.md | Page testing → skill-testing.md

© javiarmesto, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/skill-pages of javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 4f99d7d

Compare with similar skills

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Categories

Questions about Skill Pages

What does Skill Pages do?

AL page design patterns for Business Central. An agent skill from javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection. Skill Pages is an agent skill from javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection. AL page design patterns for Business Central.

When should I use Skill Pages?

Skill Pages fits situations like: implementing page extensions; designing UX layouts.

How do I install Skill Pages in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection --skill skill-pages -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/skill-pages in javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection) into .claude/skills/skill-pages in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Skill Pages in Codex?

Run `npx skills add javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection --skill skill-pages -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/skill-pages in javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection) into .agents/skills/skill-pages in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Skill Pages in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection --skill skill-pages -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/skill-pages, .gemini/skills/skill-pages, .github/skills/skill-pages and .opencode/skills/skill-pages in your project.

What does Skill Pages need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Skill Pages is instructions for the agent only.

Does Skill Pages access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. As links in the text: learn.microsoft.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Skill Pages safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Skill Pages use?

Skill Pages is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Skill Pages use?

About 3.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 13k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Skill Pages?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Skill Pages: Vercel Composition Patterns (supabase/supabase, 111k stars), Swiftui View Refactor (Dimillian/Skills, 4k stars), RTK Rust Design Patterns (rtk-ai/rtk, 83k stars) and Effect Client Wrapper (UsefulSoftwareCo/executor, 4.1k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Skill Pages?

javiarmesto (a GitHub user) maintains it in javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection, which has 109 GitHub stars. The repository holds 14 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.

Source: javiarmesto/ALDC-AL-Development-Collection on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.