Dialog Pages

In Microsoft Dynamics NAV, dialog pages are used for two specific purposes:

  • Asking the user for input or confirmation with regard to routine tasks.

  • Informing the user about an unexpected or exceptional situation, and, if needed, asking for input in relation to resolving the situation.

Dialog pages can be constructed at design-time by building dedicated page objects or at run-time by writing code that calls the C/AL dialog functions.

Dialog page characteristics

The overall characteristics of a dialog page are:

  • Appears to the user in a modal manner, which means the user must make a choice that dismisses the dialog before proceeding.

  • Includes instructional text as needed to let the user understand the purpose of the dialog box.

  • Presents as little information as possible while still serving its purpose.

  • Has prominent dismiss buttons with captions that unambiguously communicates to the user what each button does.

You use the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Development Environment to develop and customize pages for your solution’s needs. The UX guidelines for designing dialog pages are organized into page templates. Each page template represents a recommended way to design pages for a particular type of user task.

We recommend designing pages according to the suggested templates, and following the associated guidelines. Design a custom style of page only when your application has special requirements that are not met by the standard page templates.

Dialog page templates

Standard page template Usage characteristics Page object contents/properties

Message Dialog

A modal dialog that tells the user about an unexpected or exceptional situation, and when relevant is giving the option to divert action.

A page object of type ConfirmationDialog. Programmatically, message dialog boxes can be created by using the C/AL dialog functions: MESSAGE, ERROR, and CONFIRM.

Task Dialog

A modal dialog that helps the user start, progress, or complete a routine task.

A page object of type StandardDialog. Programmatically, task dialog boxes can be created by using the C/AL dialog function: STRMENU.

Lookup Dialog

A particular type of task dialog optimized for letting the user view and select one or more values, usually in the form of rows in a list.

A page object of type List with a Repeater group that has fields representing the columns in the grid.

Wizard Dialog

A particular type of task dialog for guiding the user through a series of steps that start, progress, or complete a task.

A page object of type NavigatePage.

See Also

Concepts

Navigation Pages
Entity-oriented Task Pages
Collection-oriented Task Pages