Home page

The Home page of the Control Panel is where you open a workspace, reopen a recent one, set how the next workspace loads, and check your version and license.

Opening it

Start Prism for AL; the Control Panel opens on the Home page.
Select Home in the rail of the Control Panel.

The Home page with a few recent workspaces.

#	Name	Description
1	Open buttons	Open a new workspace. See Open buttons.
2	Version	Your installed version and whether an update is available. See Version.
3	License	The installed license and its status. See License.
4	Open recent	The workspaces you opened recently, with a search box. See Recent workspaces.
5	Options	How the next workspace loads. See Options.
6	Features	How much of Prism for AL you have explored. See Features.
7	Release notes button	Opens the release notes in your default browser. It shows once Prism has checked for updates.

Once you choose a file, folder or service, the Loading window opens, and the workspace then opens in its own Workspace window.

Open buttons

The four buttons at the top of the page each open one kind of workspace. The same commands are under File › Open in the File menu.

The open buttons.

#	Name	Description
1	Open workspace file…	Opens a Visual Studio Code workspace file (`*.code-workspace`) and the AL projects it lists.
2	Open from BC…	Opens a solution from a running Business Central service. Enter the connection details of the service and a download folder; Prism downloads the solution's symbol packages into the folder and opens it as a workspace. The folder starts from the Default download path setting. See also Open from BC window and Full Solution Download.
3	Open folder…	Opens a folder that holds AL files (`.al`), Visual Studio Code projects (`app.json`) or packages (`.app`), in its subfolders too. The list below the table says what each kind opens as.
4	Open package…	Opens a single package file (`.app`). Prism adds an artificial `app.json` that depends on the package. The package's own dependencies are not included; to include them, open the folder that holds them with Open folder…*.

A folder you open with Open folder… can be:

A Visual Studio Code project folder: a folder with an app.json file and, usually, .al files.
A folder of project folders: subfolders, at any depth, that are Visual Studio Code projects. Prism opens them together, as a workspace file would:
- Projects
  - app-A
    - .alpackages
    - app.json
    - DoThis.Codeunit.al
  - app-B
    - .alpackages
    - app.json
    - DoThat.Codeunit.al
A folder of packages: .app files and no app.json file in any subfolder. Prism creates an artificial module in memory that depends on every distinct package in the folder. Use it to browse on-premises installation media: open its Applications folder. Some packages cannot be read; see Packages ignored when opening folder.

Which open button fits the files you have, and what Prism builds from them.

Version

The version block with an update available.

#	Name	Description
1	Status glyph	The result of the last version check.
2	Version	The installed version.
3	Update available	Opens the download page.

The version block shows a status glyph, the installed version, followed by Preview on a preview build, and a status label. The version pulses while Prism checks for updates. Prism checks when it starts and every 24 hours after that. Hover the status for the release date and what selecting it does.

State	Shows	Selecting the label
Checking	No glyph and no label; the tooltip reads Checking for updates…	No label to select.
Couldn't check	An info glyph and no label; the tooltip gives the reason.	No label to select.
Up to date	A green check and no label; the tooltip reads You have the latest version.	No label to select.
Update available	Update available, with the new version in the tooltip.	Opens the download page.
Preview update available	Update available, naming a newer preview.	Opens the download page.
Latest preview	Latest preview, in green: you run the newest preview.	Opens its release notes.
Pre-release	Pre-release and a beaker glyph: this version has not been released yet.	Opens the release notes of the latest release.

When you run the latest stable version and a newer preview exists, a quiet link reads Preview … available. Select it to read the preview's release notes. A preview replaces your installed version; to return to stable, install the next stable release or reinstall the current one.

License

The license block of a valid license.

#	Name	Description
1	Licensed to	The licensed user and company.
2	Status	How long the license is valid; hover for details.
3	Activate…	Opens the Activate license window.

The license block shows, in order: Trial license for a trial, the licensed user, the company, and the status with a colored glyph. Hover the status for a sentence that explains it and what to do. The glyph is green while the license is valid, amber in the last 32 days before it ends, and red on its last day, once it has expired, when it is not valid, and when no license is installed.

Status	Meaning
No license installed	Prism runs with limited features. Activate a license key to use all of them.
Valid until `date`	The license is valid until that date.
Up for renewal	Your subscription is soon up for renewal; the key stays valid until the date in the tooltip.
Expires `when`	The subscription has ended and the key runs a little longer. The tooltip says what to do, such as paying the renewal invoice.
Trial expires `when`	Your trial ends today, tomorrow or in the days shown.
Trial expired `date`	Your trial has ended. Buy a subscription on stati-cal.com.
Expired `date`	Your license has expired.
Not valid on this machine	A trial license works only on the machine you requested it from.
Invalid, Invalid trial license	The key is not valid; the tooltip gives the reason. See Invalid license.

Activate… opens the Activate license window.
Start trial… opens the Trial license window. It shows only when no license is installed, the license is not valid, or your trial has expired.

Without a license, Prism for AL runs with limited features. Subscribe or get a trial license to use all of them. The block updates by itself when the license changes while Prism runs.

Recent workspaces

The recent list, grouped by when you opened each workspace.

#	Name	Description
1	Search recent	Filters the list by name, path or service URL as you type.
2	Group heading	Collapses or expands the group. It shows how many workspaces the group holds.
3	Recent workspace	Opens the workspace. Shows its kind as an icon, its name, when you opened it, and its path.

The list under Open recent holds the workspaces you opened, newest first, grouped by Today, Yesterday, Past week, Past month and Older.

Select a row to open the workspace. If it is already open, the workspace window comes to the front. A workspace you opened from Business Central opens as the Re-open from BC behavior setting says: Prism asks whether to download the symbols again, always downloads them, or opens the workspace as it is.
Press Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+9 to open the first to ninth workspace; the row's tooltip shows its key.
Hover a row to see its details: kind (Code workspace file, Folder, Package file or Service workspace), path, when it was opened, modified and created, and for a service workspace its application URL. Currently open marks a workspace that is open now.

Right-click a row for these commands. Which items show depends on how the workspace was opened:

Re-download and open Workspace: Downloads the symbol files from the service again, then opens the workspace. Only for a workspace that Prism downloaded with Open from BC…. See Re-download symbol files.
Re-download symbols with Visual Studio Code: Opens the folder in Visual Studio Code to download the symbol files again. Only for a workspace whose symbols Visual Studio Code downloaded. It uses the Path to code.cmd setting.
Open Workspace: Opens the workspace. For a workspace Prism downloaded, it opens without downloading the symbols again.
Open Business Central: Opens the Business Central web client of the service in your default browser. Only when Prism knows its address.
Reveal in File Explorer: Shows the workspace file or folder in File Explorer.
Remove recent item: Removes the workspace from the list. The files stay on disk.
Remove all recent items: Clears the list after you confirm Clear recent items.

A workspace that has been moved or deleted stays in the list, with a badge on its icon; its tooltip says so. When you open it, Prism says Workspace no longer exists and removes it from the list.

With an empty list, the page shows No recent workspaces yet and an Open a workspace file… button. When the search matches nothing, it shows No matching workspaces.

Options

The Options panel.

#	Option	Values	Default	Effect
1	Auto-build graph	On, off	On	Builds the Code graph and starts the graph server when a workspace loads. Off, you build it from the workspace window when you need it.
2	Search package cache	On, off	Off	When a module is not found in a package file in the workspace, Prism looks in the package cache too. While it is on, a caution glyph shows beside it: the module found there may be much older or newer than the package the workspace expects.
3	Search depth	None, Direct, Propagated, All	Propagated	How deep package resolution follows dependencies. See Search depth stops.
4	Graph detail	Procedural, Full	Procedural	Procedural loads a Procedural flow graph: inter-procedural calls only, smaller and faster to load. Full loads a Full graph, which adds expression- and statement-level flows and is slower to load.

Search package cache and Search depth are the package resolution options: they decide which packages Prism loads with the workspace's modules. All four options apply when you open a workspace, a recent one included. They start from the Autobuild graph, Search package cache, Default search depth and Full graph settings, and a change you make here lasts until Prism restarts or you save the settings.

How much of the workspace Prism keeps in memory while you browse is the Memcache setting on the Settings page, not an option here.

Search depth stops

Search depth is a slider with four stops; each stop loads the modules of the stop before it and more. Select a stop's label, or drag the slider. Hover a label for its name, a diagram and its description. The diagrams below are the ones the tooltips draw: app.json is the workspace module, each .app a package, and the dashed curves are dependencies a package propagates to the workspace. What a stop loads is lit.

Stop	Loads	Diagram
None	Workspace: the workspace modules (`app.json`) only. No packages.
Direct	Workspace & Direct Dependencies: the workspace modules and their direct package dependencies (`*.app`).
Propagated	Workspace & Direct/Propagated Dependencies: the workspace modules, their direct package dependencies and the dependencies those propagate. This is how Visual Studio Code resolves packages.
All	Workspace & Transitive Dependencies: the workspace modules and all their dependencies, recursively. Use it with care: AL: Download symbols in Visual Studio Code downloads only the direct, application, platform and propagated dependencies, so the further modules this stop adds come from `.app` files that nothing updates and may be outdated.

Help shape the code graph

While Graph detail is Full, an info button beside it asks why you use the full graph. The full graph takes much longer to build than the procedural graph, and Statical is considering phasing it out in favor of a richer procedural graph.

The question about the full graph.

#	Name	Description
1	Info button	Opens the popup. Shown while Full is selected and you have not answered.
2	Text box	Type what you would miss without the full graph.
3	Not now	Closes the popup; the button stays, so you can answer later.
4	Send feedback	Sends your text to Statical.

When the feedback is sent, Prism says Feedback sent, and a quiet icon that thanks you takes the button's place, so the question is asked only once. If sending fails, your text stays in the box so you can try again, or send it to feedback@stati-cal.com.

Features

The Features panel after an update.

#	Name	Description
1	Percentage completed	How much of Prism for AL's main features you have explored.
2	Counts	The features you have explored, have left, have dismissed, and that are new or updated in this release.
3	Release notes…	Opens the release notes in your default browser.

The Features panel lists how many features you have explored (used or dismissed), how many are more to go, how many you dismissed, and after an update how many are new in this release and updated in this release. Each line shows only when its count is not zero. Release notes… shows when the release updated features. To see the features themselves, select Features in the rail; see Features page.

Select Options or Features to collapse or expand the panel.