Overview
The Object Inspector is a built-in browser for all Business Central objects in your environment. It gives you a centralized view of tables, pages, reports, and codeunits, along with their metadata, so you can explore the structure of your system without leaving Business Central or opening Visual Studio Code.
Whether you need to look up a table name, find a field ID, understand how a page is constructed, or discover what data items a report uses, the Object Inspector provides the answers in a few clicks.
What the Object Inspector Does
The Object Inspector reads from symbol metadata that has been downloaded into your environment. Once symbols are available, you can browse every object that exists in the base application, the system application, and any installed extensions. The inspector surfaces the key properties of each object type, and lets you drill down into the details through specialized sub-inspectors.
The main page for the Object Inspector is Object Inspector. This page presents a filterable list of all objects organized by type, and serves as your starting point for all inspection tasks.
Object Types You Can Inspect
The Object Inspector covers the four primary object types in Business Central:
| Object Type | What You Can See |
|---|---|
| Tables | Table ID, name, caption, fields, field data types, field classes, table relations |
| Pages | Page ID, name, page type, source table, controls, actions |
| Reports | Report ID, name, data items, data item links, keys |
| Codeunits | Codeunit ID, name, methods, parameters, return types |
Each object type has a dedicated inspector page that shows properties and metadata specific to that type. You can navigate from the main object list to any of these inspectors with a single action.
Where the Data Comes From
The Object Inspector does not query Business Central objects at runtime. Instead, it reads from symbol metadata tables that are populated when you download symbols. These tables include:
- Table Metadata -- Stores table-level information such as ID, name, and the extension each table belongs to.
- Field Metadata -- Stores field-level details including field ID, name, data type, and length.
- Page Metadata -- Stores page properties including type and source table.
- Report Metadata -- Stores report-level properties.
- Object Method Metadata -- Stores method signatures for codeunits and other objects.
Because the Object Inspector depends on symbol data, you must download symbols before the inspector can display any objects. If you open the Object Inspector and see an empty list, the most likely cause is that symbols have not been downloaded yet. See Symbols Overview for instructions on downloading and managing symbols.
The Object Inspector Main Page
When you open the Object Inspector page, you see a list of all objects with the following columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Object Type | The category of the object (Table, Page, Report, Codeunit) |
| Object ID | The unique numeric identifier for the object |
| Object Name | The name of the object as defined in its AL source |
| Extension | The extension (app) that the object belongs to |
Filtering by Object Type
You can filter the object list by type to narrow your view. For example, if you are only interested in tables, you can apply a filter on the Object Type column to show tables only. This is useful when you are exploring a specific area of the data model or looking for pages associated with a particular feature.
Searching by Name or ID
The Object Inspector supports quick search by name or ID. If you know part of an object name, you can type it into the search field to filter the list in real time. Similarly, if you know the numeric ID of an object, you can search for it directly. This makes the inspector efficient even in environments with thousands of objects.
Navigating to Specific Inspectors
From the main object list, you can drill down into any object to open its dedicated inspector. The Object Inspector routes you to the correct inspector based on the object type:
| Object Type | Inspector Page |
|---|---|
| Table | Table Inspector |
| Page | Page Inspector |
| Report | Report Inspector |
| Codeunit | Codeunit Inspector |
When you select an object and choose to inspect it, the toolbox opens the corresponding inspector page, pre-filtered to that specific object. You do not need to navigate to each inspector separately or manually enter object IDs.
The Inspector Management Codeunit
Behind the scenes, the Inspector Management codeunit coordinates the navigation and data retrieval for all inspector pages. This codeunit handles:
- Resolving which inspector to open based on object type.
- Loading the appropriate symbol metadata for the selected object.
- Managing the transition between the main object list and the detail inspectors.
- Coordinating between related inspectors (for example, navigating from a table inspector to the field inspector for a specific field).
You do not interact with the Inspector Management codeunit directly. It operates behind the scenes whenever you use the Object Inspector.
Common Use Cases
The Object Inspector serves several practical purposes for administrators, consultants, and developers working with Business Central.
Understanding the Data Model
When you need to work with a table you are unfamiliar with, the Object Inspector lets you quickly see its fields, data types, and relationships. This is especially valuable when working with third-party extensions where documentation may be limited.
Finding Table and Field Names
If you are writing an AL script in the ToolBox interactive code editor and need the exact name of a table or field, you can look it up in the Object Inspector without leaving Business Central. This eliminates guesswork and reduces errors in your scripts.
Exploring Page Structures
The Object Inspector shows you which controls and actions are defined on any page. This helps you understand the UI structure of Business Central, whether you are customizing pages, troubleshooting display issues, or building scripts that interact with specific page elements.
Looking Up Report Data Items
When you need to understand how a report is structured, the Object Inspector shows you the data items, their source tables, and the relationships between them. This is helpful for creating custom reports or understanding the data flow in existing reports.
Cross-Referencing Objects
You can use the Object Inspector to trace relationships between objects. For example, you can find a table, see which pages use it as a source table, and then inspect those pages to understand how the data is presented to users.
Quick Access from Other Features
The Object Inspector integrates with other parts of Erik's ToolBox. You can navigate to the Object Inspector from:
- The Data Inspector -- When you are viewing table data in the Data Inspector, you can navigate to the Object Inspector to see the table metadata and field definitions.
- The Interactive Code Editor -- When you are writing scripts, the same symbol data that powers the Object Inspector also powers IntelliSense. If you need more detail than IntelliSense provides, you can open the Object Inspector to browse the full object metadata.
Requirements
To use the Object Inspector, you need:
- Erik's ToolBox installed -- The Object Inspector is part of the ToolBox app.
- Symbols downloaded -- The inspector reads from symbol metadata tables. Without downloaded symbols, the object list will be empty.
- Appropriate access level -- Your ToolBox user configuration must allow access to the Object Inspector pages.
If you have not yet downloaded symbols, follow the instructions in Symbols Setup and Symbols Usage to configure and download symbol data for your environment.
Tips and Best Practices
- Download symbols before using the Object Inspector. The inspector cannot display objects without symbol data. If you see an empty list, check that symbols have been downloaded.
- Use type filters to narrow your search. With thousands of objects in a typical Business Central environment, filtering by object type makes the list manageable.
- Search by ID when you know it. If you have an object ID from an error message, a log entry, or documentation, searching by ID is the fastest way to find the object.
- Drill down for details. The main object list shows summary information. For full details, always navigate to the specific inspector for that object type.
- Refresh symbols when objects change. If extensions are installed, updated, or removed, the Object Inspector will show stale data until you refresh symbols. See Symbols Overview for guidance on when to refresh.
Next Steps
To learn about viewing and editing table data directly, see Data Inspector. For detailed documentation on each inspector type (Table, Page, Report, Codeunit), see Inspectors.