Advanced Portal Designer Documentation
Index

Key Features

Advanced Portal Designer offers a comprehensive set of features designed to help you build professional web portals connected to Business Central.

Template Engine

Dynamic Tag System

APD includes over 50 template tags that let you embed Business Central data directly into HTML:

<!-- Display a customer's name -->
<h1><?field(Customer,Name)?></h1>

<!-- Loop through sales orders -->
<?loop("Sales Header",'-')?>
    <tr>
        <td><?field("Sales Header","No.")?></td>
        <td><?field("Sales Header","Order Date")?></td>
    </tr>
<?endloop("Sales Header")?>

Multi-Language Support

Create templates for multiple languages with automatic language detection:

  • Define supported languages in setup
  • Create language-specific template variations
  • User language preferences are respected automatically

Template Compilation

Templates are pre-compiled for optimal performance:

  • Syntax validation at compile time
  • Efficient runtime execution
  • Automatic recompilation on changes (configurable)

Action Types

File Actions

Serve HTML templates with dynamic Business Central data. Perfect for:

  • Customer-facing web pages
  • Data entry forms
  • Reports and dashboards

Codeunit Actions

Execute AL codeunits for complex business logic:

  • Full access to Business Central APIs
  • Complex calculations and validations
  • Integration with external systems

Data Actions

Provide RESTful API access to Business Central tables:

  • GET, POST, PATCH, DELETE operations
  • JSON data format
  • Configurable field exposure

Script Actions

Write AL scripts directly without creating codeunits:

  • Quick prototyping
  • Simple data transformations
  • Custom output generation

Report Actions

Generate and serve Business Central reports:

  • Multiple output formats (PDF, Excel, Word, XML, HTML)
  • Custom layouts support
  • Download or inline display

Blob Actions

Serve binary data from Business Central:

  • Images from Media fields
  • Documents from BLOB fields
  • Configurable MIME types

Security Framework

User Management

Comprehensive user management capabilities:

Feature Description
User Registration Create and manage portal users
Password Policies Minimum length, expiration, failed attempts
User Blocking Automatic blocking after failed logins
BC Entity Mapping Link users to customers, vendors, contacts

Security Profiles

Role-based access control through security profiles:

  • Create custom security profiles
  • Assign profiles to users (filter-based)
  • Restrict actions by profile
  • Control table access per profile

Security Filters

Table-level data filtering:

  • Automatic record filtering based on user
  • Support for complex filter expressions
  • Profile-specific filter rules

External Authentication

Integration with identity providers:

  • Auth0 integration
  • Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) support
  • Automatic user provisioning

AJAX Support

Real-time data operations without page reload:

Validate Operations

Validate and save field changes instantly:

APD_validate(this, tableNo, fieldNo);

Find Operations

Navigate through records:

APD_Find(tableNo, step, view, inputForm, outputForm);

Insert/Modify Operations

Create and update records:

APD_Insert(form, tableNo);
APD_Modify(form, tableNo);

Content Management

Markdown Support

Write content in Markdown format:

  • Easy-to-read source format
  • Automatic HTML conversion
  • Support for standard Markdown syntax

Content Types

Organize content with custom types:

  • Create categories for your content
  • Filter content by type
  • Apply consistent styling

Security on Content

Restrict content access:

  • Assign security profiles to content
  • Language-specific content versions
  • Host action association

Integration Features

GitHub Integration

Sync templates with GitHub repositories:

  • Push templates to GitHub
  • Pull templates from GitHub
  • Version control for templates

Stripe Integration

Accept payments through Stripe:

  • Payment processing support
  • Bank account mapping
  • Transaction tracking

MCP Tool Exposure

Expose actions as Model Context Protocol tools:

  • AI-ready action definitions
  • Input schema generation
  • Tool discovery endpoint

Developer Tools

Built-in Editors

Professional editing experience:

  • HTML/Template editor with syntax highlighting
  • Script editor with AL support
  • Markdown editor for content

Intellisense

Auto-completion for:

  • Template tags
  • Table and field names
  • Content references

Debugging

Development and debugging aids:

  • Expanded error information option
  • Template compilation diagnostics
  • Session inspection

Performance Features

Caching

Optimize response times:

  • Cacheable resource marking
  • Pre-compiled templates
  • Quick buffer for small templates

Session Management

Efficient session handling:

  • Session memory storage
  • Automatic session cleanup
  • File upload support