ALBuild

ALBuild is an open-source tool for building AL applications in both pipeline and non-pipeline environments. It maintains a database of translations.

ALBuild supports the following types of operations:

• GIT operations
• File Copy operations
• Deploy app to Docker container with Basic authentication
• Deploy app to Business Central SaaS with service 2 service OAuth authentication
• Download Symbols from Docker container
• Download Symbols from SaaS sandbox
• PowerShell operations
• App Signing (using signtool.exe)
• Run test codeunits on Docker container with Basic authentication
• Run test codeunits on Business Central SaaS with OAuth authentication
• Translate XLF using Azure Cognitive Services
• Update version in app.json

The list of operations is defined in a .json file that describes the series of operations.

ALBuild Translation Administration

The admin tool enables you to perform maintenance operations on the translation database, such as:

• Edit specific entries
• Bulk import from XLF files
• Ripper for BC artifacts - To reuse translations from Microsoft

Standalone Translation Tool

The standalone translation tool enables you to add translations to an AL app (working in the /Translation folder)

Configuration

Each app has a .config file where you configure:

• AzureKey for Azure Cognitive Services (translation)
• "App Name" for specifying in XLF where translation comes from
• Location of local translation database
• List of languages supported
• Storage Account and key for Azure Table Storage

<configuration>
  <appSettings>
    <add key="AzureKey" value="<Azure Translation Cognitive Servivce key>" />
    <add key="Name" value="translate" />
    <add key="Database" value="<Path and Name of translation.db>"/>
    <add key="Languages" value="en-AU,de-AT,nl-BE,fr-BE,en-CA,fr-CA,da-DK,de-DE,fi-FI,fr-FR,is-IS,it-IT,es-MX,nl-NL,en-NZ,nb-NO,es-ES_tradnl,sv-SE,fr-CH,de-CH,it-CH,en-GB,en-US,et-EE,zh-HK,ja-JP,pl-PL,en-ZA,ko-KR,zh-TW,cs-CZ,ru-RU"/>

    <add key="storageaccount" value="<Azure Storage Account>"/>
    <add key="storageaccountkey" value="<Azure Storage Account Access Key>"/>
  </appSettings>
</configuration>

Build File

The following is an example of a build json file:

  "Project": "Demo",
  "Report" : "Email",
  "ReportDestination" : "[email protected],
  "Tasks": [
    {
      "Type": "DeployBasicDocker",
      "Settings": {
        "AppFile": "c:\\projects\\albuild\\testrunner\\Hougaard_ALBuild TestRunner_1.0.0.0.app",
        "BaseURL": "http://bc20:7049/BC/",
        "User": "demo",
        "Password": "demo",
        "SchemaUpdateMode": "forcesync"
      }
    },
    {
      "Type": "Git",
      "Settings": {
        "Path": "c:\\projects\\youtube\\point of sale",
        "Command": "pull"
      }
    },
    {
      "Type": "UpdateVersion",
      "Settings": {
        "AppPath": "c:\\projects\\youtube\\point of sale",
        "VersionPartToIncrement": 4,
        "Increment": 1,
	      "DateInVersionPartNo":3
      }
    },
    {
      "Type": "Remember",
      "Settings": {
        "AppPath": "c:\\projects\\youtube\\point of sale"
      }
    },
    {
	"Type": "DownloadSymbolsDocker",
	"Settings": {
        "AppPath": "%APPPATH%",
        "BaseURL": "http://bc20:7049/BC/",
        "User": "demo",
        "Password": "demo"  	
	}
    },
    {
      "Type": "Compile",
      "Settings": {
        "AppPath": "%APPPATH%"
      }
    },
    {
      "Type": "Translate",
      "Settings": {
        "XLFPath": "%APPPATH%\\Translations\\%NAME%.g.xlf",
        "ProductName": "%NAME%"
      }
    },
    {
      "Type": "Compile",
      "Settings": {
        "AppPath": "%APPPATH%"
      }
    },
    {
      "Type": "Copy",
      "Settings": {
        "From": "%APPPATH%\\%PUBLISHER%_%NAME%_%VERSION%.app",
        "To": "C:\\Projects\\youtube\\ALbuild\\Release\\%PUBLISHER%_%NAME%_%VERSION%.app"
      }
    },
    {
      "Type": "Git",
      "Settings": {
        "Path": "%APPPATH%",
        "Command": "add *"
      }
    },
    {
      "Type": "Git",
      "Settings": {
        "Path": "%APPPATH%",
        "Command": "commit -a -m \"ALBuild Version %VERSION%\""
      }
    },
    {
      "Type": "Git",
      "Settings": {
        "Path": "%APPPATH%",
        "Command": "push"
      }
    }
  ]
}