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Version Control

Proper versioning of source code is an engineering fundamental regardless of development framework, but it is especially important for X++ development. X++ development environments are typically not shared, and production environments only allow compiled source, making version control essential for code management. The effort you invest in properly initializing version control for X++ development up-front will provide a growing value to your team as your project progresses.

Background

X++ developers write code in Visual Studio using a special Dynamics 365 dev tools extension. Most X++ developers work on pre-configured VMs because:

The primary organizational unit of X++ code is an org-specific container called a model. In the standard Dynamics 365 Finance product, the local source directory structure is organized by model at the highest level. This arrangement is commonly followed in X++ repositories. There are 100+ models in the standard product and usually one or more custom models on an organization's system. Custom models can be produced by Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), Microsoft implementation partners (Value-Added Resellers or VARs), or a customer's development team.

X++ version control has evolved over time. Initially, it was available through a local system integrated directly into the Dynamics AX IDE. Later, it shifted to Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC). Most recently, it has been managed through a Git repository in either Azure DevOps (AZDO) or GitHub.

Considerations

Given the unique factors of X++ development described above, there are several considerations to keep in mind as you begin to configure your X++ repository:

  • Setting up a local Git repository mapping presents a unique challenge when the pre-configured developer VM contains system-standard source code. The mapping expects an empty local directory initially, which creates a special situation that needs to be addressed.
  • The model-based X++ code structure requires a unique repository directory structure when compared to the standard solution structure in .NET languages.
  • The historical product group support for TFVC repository tools can cause confusion for X++ developers trying to manage X++ code using Git. Some Microsoft documentation still indicates that Git is not supported. However, Git has been successfully utilized to manage many X++ development projects.

Guidance

Instructions for the initial configuration of a Git repository for managing X++ development can be reviewed here.