Requesting Events and External Functions

Since the first release of Continia Document Capture for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, the only way for you to customize the functionality of Document Capture has been to use event publishers or invoke external functions in the Continia codebase. The vast majority of Document Capture functions are internal, so in order for you to be able to invoke them, they must be made external first. This article describes how to request both external functionality and any new events that you feel are currently lacking.

A number of events and functions have already been added and made external, but you're always welcome to request additional events or external functions if you're missing certain features. If you'd like to have a new event added or a function made external, please follow the guidelines given below for either events or functions before you submit your request.

If your request is accepted, Continia will add the requested event publisher or external function to the next service pack that is to be released. This may take up to two months.

Background information on functions

From the outset, Continia made all existing Document Capture functions internal, only to gradually unlock more functionality by accepting partner requests. The reason for this approach was that it makes it easier for Continia to update apps in the cloud.

Because of the architecture of Microsoft's technical setup, Business Central online is very sensitive to breaking changes. Any Continia modification of function signatures might result in breaking changes in dependent products which, in turn, could then lead to clients being unable to install a new cumulative upgrade. As opposed to this, internal functions can only be used within Continia products, meaning that there are virtually no limits to the number and extent of software alterations that can be made by Continia, resulting in better and faster app updates.

Guidelines to follow for events

Before contacting the Continia support team about new events, please check if the list of published events already includes an event that meets your needs. If so, there's no need to get in touch – simpy use the existing event instead.

If, on the other hand, the event you're looking for is not yet on the list, feel free to reach out. In order for us to understand and evaluate your request, you must provide the following details:

  • The name of the event
  • The purpose of the event
  • The location in the code where the event should be raised, preferably in the form of a screen dump or a copy of the code showing the event and the parameters used
  • All relevant event-publisher parameters
  • A description of the parameters

For any new event publisher created and added to Document Capture, Continia will use the same naming structure as the one used by Microsoft.

Guidelines to follow for external functions

Before requesting that a certain function is made external, please download the latest service pack for your version of Document Capture to determine if the function you want to invoke is in fact internal and unavailable. You do this by compiling your Document Capture extension against the downloaded service pack, or by checking if the relevant function is external in the source code. If the function is indeed unavailable, your installation won't work with the service pack, and you're then very welcome to request that the function is made external and thereby available for you to invoke.

To request that one or more functions are made external, please ask your partner to create a Zendesk ticket containing the following information:

  • The name of the function
  • The type and number of the object containing the function
  • The reason for making the function external

We'll then consider your request, and if it's accepted, your requested function will be made external in an upcoming Document Capture service pack.

See also

Overview of Event Publishers
Resources for Help and Support
Accessing the Source Code
Implementing Service Packs