DvlprLife.com – Follow the life of a Dynamics 365 Business Central Enthusiast, one post at a time.

Jan 26 2026

Weekly Review: Business Central AL Development – January 18-24, 2026

By Dvlpr in Business Central
January 26, 2026

Highlighting posts and resources from the Business Central development community — January 18–24, 2026

Looking to stay current with Dynamics 365 Business Central AL development? Here’s a curated list of recent blog posts, tutorials, and community resources from the past week.

Community Resources

Official Resources

GitHub Repositories

microsoft/BCApps – Repository for collaboration on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central applications.
microsoft/BCTech – Business Central technology samples.
microsoft/ALAppExtensions – Repository for collaboration on Microsoft AL application add-on and localization extensions for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
microsoft/AL – Home of the Dynamics 365 Business Central AL Language extension for Visual Studio Code.
StefanMaron/MSDyn365BC.Code.History – Contains the Microsoft Business Central Code. Updated each month.

Follow on Social Media

Twitter/X Hashtags: #MSDyn365BC | #BusinessCentral

Stay Connected

The Business Central AL development community stays active with valuable content on AL development, upgrades, integrations, and tooling improvements. Following #MSDyn365BC and #BusinessCentral on Twitter/X is a great way to catch new posts as they’re published.

Note: This review is compiled from publicly available blog posts and community resources. Links to external blog posts are provided for your information only and do not constitute endorsement or validation of their content. Publication information and availability are subject to change. Always verify information against official documentation for production use.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.dvlprlife.com/2026/01/weekly-review-business-central-al-development-january-18-24-2026/

Jan 19 2026

January 2026 Cumulative Updates for Dynamics 365 Business Central

By Dvlpr in Business Central
January 19, 2026

The January updates for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central are now available.

Before applying the updates, you should confirm that your implementation is ready for the upgrade and ensure compatibility with your modifications. Work with a Microsoft Partner to determine if you are ready and what is needed for you to apply the update.

Please note that Online customers will automatically be upgraded to version 27.3 over the coming days/weeks and should receive an email notification when upgraded.

Direct links to the cumulative updates are listed here:

Dynamics 365 Business Central On-Premises 2025 Release Wave 2 – 27.3 (January 2026)

Dynamics 365 Business Central On-Premises 2025 Release Wave 1 – 26.9 (January 2026)

Dynamics 365 Business Central On-Premises 2024 Release Wave 2 – 25.15 (January 2026)

Dynamics 365 Business Central On-Premises 2024 Release Wave 1 – 24.18 (October 2025)

Dynamics 365 Business Central On-Premises 2023 Release Wave 2 – 23.18 (April 2025)

If you’re looking for information on older updates, review the list here.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.dvlprlife.com/2026/01/january-2026-cumulative-updates-for-dynamics-365-business-central/

Jan 18 2026

Weekly Review: Business Central AL Development – January 11-17, 2026

By Dvlpr in Business Central
January 18, 2026

Highlighting posts and resources from the Business Central development community — January 11–17, 2026

Looking to stay current with Dynamics 365 Business Central AL development? Here’s a curated list of recent blog posts, tutorials, and community resources from the past week.

Community Resources

Official Resources

GitHub Repositories

microsoft/BCApps – Repository for collaboration on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central applications.
microsoft/BCTech – Business Central technology samples.
microsoft/ALAppExtensions – Repository for collaboration on Microsoft AL application add-on and localization extensions for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
microsoft/AL – Home of the Dynamics 365 Business Central AL Language extension for Visual Studio Code.
StefanMaron/MSDyn365BC.Code.History – Contains the Microsoft Business Central Code. Updated each month.

Follow on Social Media

Twitter/X Hashtags: #MSDyn365BC | #BusinessCentral

Stay Connected

Permanent link to this article: https://www.dvlprlife.com/2026/01/weekly-review-business-central-al-development-january-11-17-2026/

Jan 17 2026

Quick Tips: Use the Outline View in VS Code

By Dvlpr in Technical
January 17, 2026

Welcome to Quick Tips — a fast, focused series designed to help you work smarter.

Each post will give you one practical insight you can apply immediately, whether you’re coding, configuring your tools, or improving your workflow.

Here’s today’s Quick Tip:

Outline View = A Map of Your File

VS Code’s Outline View shows a structured list of symbols in the active file (classes, methods, variables, regions, headings, etc.). Think of it as a mini “table of contents” that updates as you switch files.

It’s especially handy when you’re in a large file and want to jump to the right spot without scrolling or searching.

Even better: the Outline is powered by your language/extension support. So in Markdown you’ll see headings, and in code you’ll see real symbols (types, methods, fields, etc.).

How to Open the Outline View

Open Explorer (left sidebar) and find Outline below the file tree.
Command Palette: run View: Open View... and choose Outline.
Focus it quickly: run View: Command Palette: Explorer: Focus on Outline View.

How to Move Outline to the Secondary Sidebar

If you want to keep the file map visible while you work (and keep Explorer/Search open), move Outline to the secondary sidebar:

Display the secondary sidebar by clicking the icon on the far right of the sidebar or View > Appearance > Show Secondary Side Bar.
Drag the Outline view by its title and drop it into the secondary sidebar.

Now you can keep your primary sidebar for Explorer/Search and keep Outline visible on the other side.

How to Navigate Code with Outline

Click any symbol to jump to it instantly.
Expand/Collapse sections to reduce noise in big files.
Filter with the search box in Outline to quickly narrow to a method/class name.
Follow Cursor (from the Outline’s “…” menu) highlights where you are as you move through the file.

Customize the Outline View

Open Settings and search for outline. to tweak how the Outline looks and behaves (icons, following the cursor, sorting, and more).

For example, outline.collapseItems controls whether symbols are expanded or collapsed when the view first loads:

{
	"outline.collapseItems": "alwaysCollapse"
}

Additional settings values include:

outline.icons — Render Outline elements with icons.
outline.problems.enabled — Show errors and warnings on Outline elements.

Explore different values, use the Settings UI for Outline: Collapse Items and pick the option that matches your workflow.

Why it Helps

Faster navigation in large files without losing context.
Encourages working at the “structure” level (types/methods/sections), not just text search.
Pairs perfectly with the secondary sidebar so you can reference it constantly.

Learn more about the Outline View in VS Code.

Gotcha

The Outline View depends on your language support. If you don’t see useful symbols, you may need a better language extension. For AL specifically, the AZ AL Dev Tools/AL Code Outline extension can provide richer outlining.

Got a favorite shortcut or workflow tweak? Share it in the comments and subscribe to dvlprlife.com for more Quick Tips like this one!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.dvlprlife.com/2026/01/quick-tips-use-the-outline-view-in-vs-code/

Jan 16 2026

AboutTitle and AboutText: Better Teaching Tips in Business Central

By Dvlpr in Business Central, Development
January 16, 2026

Teaching tips are one of those tiny user experience touches that can save you a lot of training time. In Business Central, the AboutTitle and AboutText properties let you add those “What is this?” callouts directly on pages, fields, actions, and more.

I like these properties because they scale well: You can put a small hint on a single field or provide a higher-level explanation for an entire page—without writing any code.

What Are `AboutTitle` and `AboutText`?

AboutTitle is the large header shown in the teaching tip.
AboutText is the body text shown under the title.

They’re most commonly used to:

Explain what a page is for (especially list pages that new users land on)
Add context to “mystery fields” (settings, posting options, toggles)
Clarify what an action will do before a user clicks it

Why You Should Care

Reduces “What does this do?” interruptions
Helps new users learn workflows in context
Makes customizations feel more “native” and self-documenting
Lets you improve user experience for customizations and extensions

How It Works (And When It Doesn’t)

You can set these properties at different levels (and each one creates a different “type” of teaching tip):

Page-level: on the page or pageextension
Control-level: on fields, groups, parts, actions/action groups, etc.

A few rules of thumb that matter in real projects:

You must set both AboutTitle and AboutText or the teaching tip won’t appear.
Teaching tips are a Web client feature—if the current client isn’t the Web client, these properties are ignored at runtime.
Not every page type will show a page-level teaching tip (for example, Role Centers and certain dialog-like pages don’t display them).
If a page runs in lookup mode, the teaching tip may not show automatically (but it can still be reached from the page caption).
Visibility matters: If a control ends up Visible = false, its teaching tip won’t show.
For fields, teaching tips show most reliably for repeater fields or fields in the page content area (not cues).
For actions, teaching tips are most reliable in primary action areas.
Teaching tips will not appear if the user has disabled them in their settings.

Also, where you place the property affects whether users will actually see it:

For fields, teaching tips are most useful in the content area or repeaters.
For actions, teaching tips are most reliable when the action appears in the primary action areas users interact with (not every action surface renders them).
For embedded parts, the tip effectively becomes part of the hosting page’s tour.

Example: Add Teaching Tips with a Page Extension

This example adds:

A page-level teaching tip
A field-level teaching tip

namespace dvlprlife.abouttitle1.abouttitle;

using Microsoft.Sales.Customer;

pageextension 50150 "Customer Card Tips" extends "Customer Card"
{
    AboutText = 'Use this page to maintain **customer master data** and review key settings before posting documents.';
    AboutTitle = 'About the customer card';

    layout
    {
        modify(Name)
        {
            AboutText = 'This is the *display name* used on documents and reports. Keep it consistent with what your customers expect.';
            AboutTitle = 'Customer name';
        }
    }
}

A couple of small notes:

AboutText supports simple rich-text formatting (for example **bold** and *italic*).
Keep the copy short—one or two sentences is usually plenty.

Example: Change (or Hide) an Existing Teaching Tip

If the base application already has a teaching tip, you can still adjust it in an extension.

To change the content: Set AboutTitle/AboutText on the same page/control.
To hide it entirely: Set the About properties to an empty string.

pageextension 50101 "Customer Card Tip Overrides" extends "Customer Card"
{
    layout
    {
        modify("Phone No.")
        {
            AboutTitle = '';
            AboutText = '';
        }
    }
}

Example: Add Teaching Tips to a Page and an Action

You can also add teaching tips directly in a page object and its actions.

namespace dvlprlife.abouttitle1.sample;
page 50151 "DVLPR Sample Size Card"
{
    AboutText = 'Create and maintain **sample size** records. Use Code to uniquely identify the record, Description to explain it, and Size to store a numeric value.';
    AboutTitle = 'Sample sizes';
    ApplicationArea = All;
    Caption = 'Sample Size Card';
    PageType = Card;
    SourceTable = "DVLPR Sample Size";
    UsageCategory = None;

    layout
    {
        area(Content)
        {
            group(General)
            {
                Caption = 'General';

                field(Code; Rec.Code)
                {
                    AboutText = 'A unique identifier for this sample size record.';
                    AboutTitle = 'Size code';
                }
                field(Description; Rec.Description)
                {
                    AboutText = 'A short description that explains what this code represents.';
                    AboutTitle = 'Description';
                }
                field(Size; Rec.Size)
                {
                    AboutText = 'A numeric value representing the size.';
                    AboutTitle = 'Size value';
                }
            }
        }
    }

    actions
    {
        area(Processing)
        {
            action(SampleAction)
            {
                Caption = 'Sample Action';
                AboutText = 'This is a sample action that does nothing.';
                AboutTitle = 'Sample action';

                trigger OnAction()
                begin
                    // No operation
                end;
            }
        }
    }
}

Tips for Writing Good Teaching Tips

Write for the moment the user is in: “What is this used for?” beats long process documentation.
Avoid repeating captions: The title should add meaning, not restate the field name.
Be intentional about where you add tips—too many can feel noisy.
If you’re building something for multiple languages, plan ahead for localization (don’t bake assumptions into English-only wording).

Wrapping Up

AboutTitle and AboutText are a quick win when you want to make pages and controls easier to understand—especially for users who are new to a process or seeing custom fields for the first time.

My suggestion: Start with one page that generates the most questions, add a few high-impact teaching tips, and iterate based on feedback.

Learn more:

You can find the full code for the example on GitHub.

Note: The code and information discussed in this article are for informational and demonstration purposes only. Always test in a sandbox first. This content was written referencing runtime version 10.0+ of the AL Language.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.dvlprlife.com/2026/01/abouttitle-and-abouttext-better-teaching-tips-in-business-central/

Jan 12 2026

Quick Tips: Inlay Hints in Visual Studio Code

By Dvlpr in Business Central, Development, Quick Tip
January 12, 2026

Welcome to Quick Tips — a fast, focused series designed to help you work smarter.

Each post will give you one practical insight you can apply immediately, whether you’re coding, configuring your tools, or improving your workflow.

Here’s today’s Quick Tip:

Inlay Hints in VS Code

Inlay hints in Visual Studio Code are inline annotations that provide extra contextual information, such as parameter names or inferred types, directly in the editor. This feature enhances code readability and can be customized or toggled via settings for individual preferences and programming languages.

In the settings, you can also customize the appearance of inlay hints, including the font family, size, background color, and foreground color.

Enable (or Toggle) Inlay Hints

The main setting is editor.inlayHints.enabled. You can change it in Settings UI, or drop it into settings.json.

It supports these options:

on: Always show inlay hints.
off: Disable inlay hints.
onUnlessPressed: Show by default, hide while holding Ctrl+Alt (Ctrl+Option on macOS).
offUnlessPressed: Hide by default, show while holding Ctrl+Alt (Ctrl+Option on macOS).

Inlay Hints for AL (Business Central)

Starting with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 2023 release wave 2, the AL Language extension supports inlay hints for method parameter names and return types.

These settings control AL’s hints:

{
	"al.inlayhints.functionReturnTypes.enabled": true,
	"al.inlayhints.parameterNames.enabled": true
}

al.inlayhints.functionReturnTypes.enabled -Enable/disable inlay hints for implicit return types on function signatures. al.inlayhints.parameterNames.enabled – Enable/disable inlay hints for parameter names.

One easy gotcha: Even if AL’s inlay hints are enabled, VS Code still needs inlay hints enabled globally via editor.inlayHints.enabled.

Why It Helps

This is one of those “small” editor features that saves time all day:

Makes function calls easier to read (especially with many parameters)
Makes it easier to understand return types and variables at a glance
Reduces context switching (less hovering / less jumping around)
Helps you move faster in unfamiliar codebases

Learn more about Inlay Hints in AL Language.

Got a favorite shortcut or workflow tweak? Share it in the comments and subscribe to dvlprlife.com for more Quick Tips like this one!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.dvlprlife.com/2026/01/quick-tips-inlay-hints-in-visual-studio-code/

Jan 11 2026

Weekly Review: Business Central AL Development – January 4-10, 2026

By Dvlpr in Business Central
January 11, 2026

Highlighting posts and resources from the Business Central development community — January 4–10, 2026

Looking to stay current with Dynamics 365 Business Central AL development? Here’s a curated list of recent blog posts, tutorials, and community resources from the past week.

Community Resources

Official Resources

GitHub Repositories

microsoft/BCApps – Repository for collaboration on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central applications.
microsoft/BCTech – Business Central technology samples.
microsoft/ALAppExtensions – Repository for collaboration on Microsoft AL application add-on and localization extensions for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
microsoft/AL – Home of the Dynamics 365 Business Central AL Language extension for Visual Studio Code.
StefanMaron/MSDyn365BC.Code.History – Contains the Microsoft Business Central Code. Updated each month.

Follow on Social Media

Twitter/X Hashtags: #MSDyn365BC | #BusinessCentral

Stay Connected

Permanent link to this article: https://www.dvlprlife.com/2026/01/weekly-review-business-central-al-development-january-4-10-2026/

Jan 09 2026

Install Codeunits in Business Central: `SubType = Install`

By Dvlpr in Business Central, Development
January 9, 2026

There are a bunch of things you want to happen when an extension is installed in a tenant: Seed some setup, create default records, or run a process.

That’s what install codeunits are for.

This post is specifically about codeunits with SubType = Install; and how (and when) Business Central runs them.

What Is an Install Codeunit?

An install codeunit is a codeunit whose SubType is set to Install and includes AL methods for performing operations with the extension code itself:

When an extension is installed for the first time
When an uninstalled version is installed again (reinstall)

Install code is not part of an upgrade. If you publish a newer version and run a data upgrade, that’s upgrade codeunit territory.

Learn more about writing extension install code here.

The `SubType` Property (And What It Really Means)

The SubType property tells the platform what kind of codeunit you’re creating.

For install logic, the important bit is:

codeunit 50100 "DVLPR Install"
{
    SubType = Install;
}

Microsoft’s reference page for the property is here.

The Two Install Triggers: Per-Company vs. Per-Database

Install codeunits have two system triggers:

OnInstallAppPerCompany()
OnInstallAppPerDatabase()

The names are telling:

Per-company runs once for each company.
Per-database runs once for the whole tenant/database as part of the install.

A simple skeleton:

codeunit 50100 "DVLPR Install"
{
    SubType = Install;

    trigger OnInstallAppPerCompany()
    begin
        // Company-specific setup
    end;

    trigger OnInstallAppPerDatabase()
    begin
        // Tenant-wide setup
    end;
}

You Can Have More than One Install Codeunit (But Don’t Assume Order)

You can have multiple install codeunits in the same extension version.

But there’s an important catch from the docs: There’s no guaranteed execution order between different install codeunits.

So if you split install logic across multiple codeunits, design them so they can run independently (or at least safely if they run in any order).

Fresh Install vs. Reinstall: Use `ModuleInfo.DataVersion()`

A really practical pattern is to detect whether this is:

A true first-time install (no prior data)
A reinstall (data exists from a previous install)

The docs call out a convention: In install code, a DataVersion of 0.0.0.0 means “fresh/new install”.

You can access this using NavApp.GetCurrentModuleInfo and ModuleInfo:

codeunit 50100 "DVLPR Install"
{
    SubType = Install;

    trigger OnInstallAppPerDatabase()
    var
        CurrentModuleInfo: ModuleInfo;
    begin
        NavApp.GetCurrentModuleInfo(CurrentModuleInfo);

        if CurrentModuleInfo.DataVersion() = Version.Create(0, 0, 0, 0) then
            HandleFreshInstall()
        else
            HandleReinstall();
    end;

    local procedure HandleFreshInstall()
    begin
        // First install of this app in this tenant
        // e.g. create default setup, seed templates, etc.
    end;

    local procedure HandleReinstall()
    begin
        // App was installed before, removed, and installed again
        // e.g. validate/patch baseline records
    end;
}

If you want to go deeper into what you can read from ModuleInfo, the NavApp datatype docs are a good jumping-off point: Learn more about NavApp and ModuleInfo here.

What Belongs in Install Code?

My rule of thumb: Install code should be idempotent and fast.

Good candidates:

Create extension setup records if missing
Initialize default values (like templates, configurations, default dimensions)
Seed reference data that your app expects to exist
Register things that prevent “first upgrade surprises” (more on that below)

Less-than-ideal candidates:

Long-running data migrations (that’s upgrade code)
Anything that depends on user interaction (install runs in a system context)
Anything that can’t be safely retried

Install Code + Upgrade Tags (So Your First Upgrade Doesn’t Re-run Old Steps)

If you use upgrade tags to guard upgrade steps, a best practice is to register the tag(s) during install.

That way, when the customer upgrades later, your upgrade code doesn’t run a migration step just because the tag table is empty.

I covered upgrade tags (and version gating) in a separate post:

See: Upgrading Extensions in Business Central: Version Checks and Upgrade Tags

Wrapping Up

Install codeunits are one of those features you don’t think about much—until you need them.

Use them to make your extension feel polished on day one: Create the defaults, seed the data you know you’ll need, and put guard rails in place so later upgrades stay predictable.

Learn more:

Note: This content is for informational and demonstration purposes only. Always test installation logic in a sandbox and make sure it’s safe to run repeatedly.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.dvlprlife.com/2026/01/install-codeunits-in-business-central-subtype-install/

Jan 07 2026

How to install Pi-hole on your Synology NAS

By Dvlpr in Technical
January 7, 2026

Pi-hole is an open-source, network-wide ad-blocking software. It blocks advertisements, trackers, and unwanted content across your entire home network by intercepting and filtering DNS requests before they reach ad-serving domains.

Unlike browser extensions that work only on individual devices or browsers, Pi-hole operates at the network level, protecting all connected devices— without requiring any software installed on them.

How It Works

You set up Pi-hole on a device (typically a Raspberry Pi, but it can also run in Docker, a virtual machine, or other Linux systems).
Configure your router (or individual devices) to use Pi-hole as the DNS server.
When a device tries to load a webpage or app, it queries DNS for domain names (e.g., “ads.example.com”).
Pi-hole checks against blocklists (millions of known ad/tracker domains) and returns a “null” response for blocked ones, preventing ads from loading.
Legitimate requests pass through normally.

Key Benefits

Blocks ads in apps and places where traditional blockers can’t reach.
Improves privacy by stopping trackers.
Reduces bandwidth usage and speeds up browsing (fewer ads to load).
Provides a web dashboard for stats, query logs, and custom block/allow lists.
It can also serve as a DHCP server if needed.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Install the Container Manager on your Synology NAS. Developed by Docker and published by Synology.
Create a shared Docker folder for storing your Docker containers.
Inside the Docker folder, create a new folder and name it pihole.
Find the absolute path of the folder created in step 3 by viewing the properties of the folder.
In the pihole folder, created in step 3, create a new folder named etc-pinhole. (make the folder name lowercase)
In Container Manager, create a new project and name it pihole. Set the path to the pihole folder created in step 3, and select Create docker-compose.yaml as the source.

Enter the following configuration information into the source box. Replace the volume paths with the path from step 4. The sample configuration shows /volume4/docker/pihole/ as an example; replace this with your path.

# More info at https://github.com/pi-hole/docker-pi-hole/ and https://docs.pi-hole.net/
services:
  pihole:
    container_name: pihole
    hostname: pihole
    image: pihole/pihole:latest
    ports:
      # DNS Ports
      - "53:53/tcp"
      - "53:53/udp"
      # Default HTTP Port
      - "8082:80/tcp"
      # Default HTTPs Port. FTL will generate a self-signed certificate
      #- "443:443/tcp"
      # Uncomment the below if using Pi-hole as your DHCP Server
      #- "67:67/udp"
      # Uncomment the line below if you are using Pi-hole as your NTP server
      #- "123:123/udp"
    environment:
      # Set the appropriate timezone for your location from
      # https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones, e.g:
      TZ: 'America/New_York'
      # Set a password to access the web interface. Not setting one will result in a random password being assigned
      FTLCONF_webserver_api_password: '<your_password>'
      # If using Docker's default `bridge` network setting the dns listening mode should be set to 'ALL'
      FTLCONF_dns_listeningMode: 'ALL'
    # Volumes store your data between container upgrades
    volumes:
      # For persisting Pi-hole's databases and common configuration file
      - /volume4/docker/pihole/etc-pihole:/etc/pihole
      # Uncomment the below if you have custom dnsmasq config files that you want to persist. Not needed for most starting fresh with Pi-hole v6. If you're upgrading from v5 you and have used this directory before, you should keep it enabled for the first v6 container start to allow for a complete migration. It can be removed afterwards. Needs environment variable FTLCONF_misc_etc_dnsmasq_d: 'true'
      #- './etc-dnsmasq.d:/etc/dnsmasq.d'
    #cap_add:
      # See https://github.com/pi-hole/docker-pi-hole#note-on-capabilities
      # Required if you are using Pi-hole as your DHCP server, else not needed
      # - NET_ADMIN
      # Required if you are using Pi-hole as your NTP client to be able to set the host's system time
      # - SYS_TIME
      # Optional, if Pi-hole should get some more processing time
      # - SYS_NICE
    restart: unless-stopped

Click Next
Click Next
Click Done to start the installation.
Once installation is complete, access your Pi-hole installation through the host address of your Synology NAS, port 8082 (specified in the compose YAML).

Note: There are many configuration options that can be specified in the compose.yaml file. Refer to https://docs.pi-hole.net/docker/ for more information.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.dvlprlife.com/2026/01/how-to-install-pi-hole-on-your-synology-nas/

Jan 06 2026

Quick Tips: Pin Tabs in VS Code

By Dvlpr in Quick Tip
January 6, 2026

Welcome to Quick Tips — a fast, focused series designed to help you work smarter.

Each post will give you one practical insight you can apply immediately, whether you’re coding, configuring your tools, or improving your workflow.

Here’s today’s Quick Tip:

Pin Tab in VS Code

When you’re bouncing between files in Visual Studio Code, it’s easy for tabs to get replaced or closed as you navigate.

If there’s a file you want to keep open (and easy to find), VS Code has a simple feature for that: pinned tabs.

Pinned tabs always stay visible and won’t get “swept away” by common tab-closing actions. They’re perfect for:

A main file you reference often
A configuration file you don’t want to lose track of
A long-running script you’re actively editing

How to Pin a Tab

Right‑click the tab you want to keep open
Select Pin
Or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+K Shift+Enter on Windows or Cmd+K Shift+Enter on Mac on the opened tab

Pinned tabs shift to the left and display a small pin icon so you can spot them instantly.

How to Unpin a Tab

Right‑click the pinned tab
Select Unpin
Or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+K Shift+Enter on Windows or Cmd+K Shift+Enter on Mac on the opened tab

Why It Helps

This simple feature keeps your workspace organized and reduces the mental overhead of hunting for files you didn’t mean to close.

It’s one of those small productivity boosts that adds up over time.

Got a favorite shortcut or workflow tweak? Share it in the comments and subscribe to dvlprlife.com for more Quick Tips like this one!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.dvlprlife.com/2026/01/quick-tips-pin-tabs-in-vs-code/

Recent Posts (January 18–24, 2026)

➡️ 1. Building Custom External File Storage Connectors and New Ones for Business Central

➡️ 2. SaaS ERP Misconceptions: The “On-Premises Thinking Trap”

➡️ 3. GitHub Copilot Playbook: Chat Modes

➡️ 4. Mermaid Diagrams in Business Central: Dynamic Visual Intelligence

➡️ 5. BC Friday Tips #62: VS Code AL Themes

➡️ 6. Step-by-Step Guide to AI Campaigns in Business Central

Community Resources

Official Resources

GitHub Repositories

Follow on Social Media

Stay Connected

If you’re looking for information on older updates, review the list here.

Recent Posts (January 11–17, 2026)

➡️ 1. Streamline Your AL Development with Global NuGet Symbols

➡️ 2. Dynamics 365 Business Central: How to Get the Month Name/Text from a Date (Two Ways)

➡️ 3. Connect Any Agent to Business Central

➡️ 4. Do You Have Applications Connecting to an Azure Storage Account? Be Sure to Use TLS 1.2 or Later

➡️ 5. Do You Really Need Plan Mode If You Already Use Agents Well?

➡️ 6. Check AppSource App Update History

➡️ 7. SQL Support in Business Central, Yes, Also in the Cloud

Community Resources

Official Resources

GitHub Repositories

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Outline View = A Map of Your File

How to Open the Outline View

How to Move Outline to the Secondary Sidebar

How to Navigate Code with Outline

Customize the Outline View

Why it Helps

Gotcha

What Are AboutTitle and AboutText?

Why You Should Care

How It Works (And When It Doesn’t)

Example: Add Teaching Tips with a Page Extension

Example: Change (or Hide) an Existing Teaching Tip

Example: Add Teaching Tips to a Page and an Action

Tips for Writing Good Teaching Tips

Wrapping Up

Inlay Hints in VS Code

Enable (or Toggle) Inlay Hints

Inlay Hints for AL (Business Central)

Why It Helps

Recent Posts (January 4–10, 2026)

➡️ 1. Importing and Parsing an Email with Pure AL Code

➡️ 2. Debugging Business Event Subscriptions in Business Central

➡️ 3. Storage Account Configuration in Azure Functions: Impact, Best Practices, and Scalability

➡️ 4. How Do I: Create a Business Central Trial From Scratch

➡️ 5. Migrate bc2adls from PTE to AppSource Extension

➡️ 6. DataTransfer Type Causing Runtime Errors

➡️ 7. Dynamics 365 Business Central: Quickly Check the Current Filters Used on the Current Page Via Page Inspection

Community Resources

Official Resources

GitHub Repositories

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What Is an Install Codeunit?

The SubType Property (And What It Really Means)

The Two Install Triggers: Per-Company vs. Per-Database

You Can Have More than One Install Codeunit (But Don’t Assume Order)

Fresh Install vs. Reinstall: Use ModuleInfo.DataVersion()

What Belongs in Install Code?

Install Code + Upgrade Tags (So Your First Upgrade Doesn’t Re-run Old Steps)

Wrapping Up

How It Works

Key Benefits

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Pin Tab in VS Code

How to Pin a Tab

How to Unpin a Tab

Why It Helps

Recent Posts

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Archive

What Are `AboutTitle` and `AboutText`?

The `SubType` Property (And What It Really Means)

Fresh Install vs. Reinstall: Use `ModuleInfo.DataVersion()`