Can I code in .NET/C# for Microsoft Dynamics AX?

Question

I am a C# developer and want to start learning Dynamics AX. Please guide me can I use my .net/C# skills (knowledge of API) in Dynamics AX ?

I know AX is developed in X++ but some one tell me it is possible.

Kindly guide me does AX have a web interface or just it is a desktop application.

Stuffy

Answer 1

X++ is an object-oriented language with similarities to C#. X++ is part of the MorphX development platform that you use to construct accounting and business management systems.

A quick look at MSDN Doc. will reveal similarities and how it is used.

The syntax is much similar to C# so there won't be a steep learning curve for going with this language.

• You can integrate it with other applications by using Business Connector.

• You can also call managed code like C# in your X++ app by using CLR Interop. However its not possible opposite way. CLR interop works only in the direction where X++ code calls CLR managed assemblies. It does not support calling X++ classes from a CLR managed assembly.

Charity

Shehkhar Business Connector, and CLR Interop are freely avaialble or something requiring a seprate licance to purchase ? plz guide. – Stuffy

Answer 2

In August 2011, Dynamics AX 2012 was released.
It supports .NET now, so you can develop in Visual Studio and any .NET language now.

Read this blog post from the Dynamics AX team for an introduction:
Welcome to Visual Studio and .NET developer community

Here is a code example from MSDN:
Walkthrough: Integrate an Application with Microsoft Dynamics AX Using .NET Business Connector [AX 2012]

You can find a lot more information at the Dynamics AX Developer Center.

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They started working on the .NET integration already years ago. Here is a Channel 9 video from 2009 about it:
Peter Villadsen and Gustavo Plancarte: X++ to MSIL

Quote from the link:

The new feature Peter and team have developed is a tool to generate managed code from the X++ intermediate language produced by the X++ compiler. This will have profound impact on the performance of the business applications written in X++, and it very clearly points to where they'll be going in the next few releases of Dynamics Ax.

Minicam

The question is tagged with dynamics-ax-2009, so this is not a very helpful answer. It can be done with ax2009, so it is also unnecessary to suggest moving to ax2012 for this. – Nazi

Of course it's tagged with dynamics-ax-2009, ax2012 was not yet available at the time the question was asked! Even if integration in ax 2009 was already possible, it seems they have improved a lot in ax2012. So for someone just starting with it, it's useful to know that programming with .NET is easier in ax2012 compared to ax2009. – Minicam

@Christion so true. This info was very helpfull. With ax2012 I do not have to learn X++ :P – Johnette