Getting started

This tutorial takes you from installing Prism for C/AL to finding where a field of your own NAV solution is used. It takes about fifteen minutes. You need a Windows PC and access to the C/SIDE development environment of a NAV database.

Install Prism for C/AL

Open the Prism for C/AL download page and download Prism for C/AL.
Open the downloaded file and select Install. Windows installs the package and starts Prism for C/AL.

Prism for C/AL opens its main window on the Home page. You need nothing else: the package brings its own .NET runtime.

Prism for C/AL main window on the Home page, with no license installed and no recent object stores — The Home page the first time Prism for C/AL starts.

#	Name	Description
1	Open file…	Opens an object text file exported from C/SIDE.
2	Open mirror…	Opens a mirror of a NAV database.
3	Open folder…	Opens a folder of object text files, one object per file.
4	Open Prism folder…	Opens a folder in Prism's own layout, such as `table\18.txt`.
5	Activate…	Opens the Activate license window, where you paste a license key.
6	Start trial…	Opens the Trial license window, where you request a trial key by email.
7	Open a file store…	Shown while Recent is empty. Opens an object text file, as Open file… does.

Activate a license

Prism needs a license key for all its features; without one it runs with limited features. A trial license gives you all features for a limited time. If you already have a key, start at step 4.

On the Home page, select Start trial…. The Trial license window opens.
Type your name, email address and company, and select Send request. Prism confirms that the key has been emailed to you.
Open the email and copy the whole key.
On the Home page, select Activate…. The Activate license window opens.
Paste the key into New license key. The window checks the key and shows the license it installs.
Select Activate. The Home page shows whom the license is for and until when it is valid.

A pasted trial key, ready to activate.

#	Name	Description
1	New license key	Where you paste the key (step 5).
2	Preview	The license the key installs.
3	Activate	Installs the key (step 6).

For the details of each window, see Trial license window and Activate license window.

Open your first object store

Prism for C/AL reads C/AL objects exported as text. Whatever it reads is an object store; the simplest is a single text file with all your objects.

In the C/SIDE development environment, select all objects of your solution and export them in text format to one .txt file.
In Prism for C/AL, on the Home page, select Open file….
Select the exported file and open it. A loading window counts the objects as they are Scanned, Parsed and Indexed.

#	Name	Description
1	Counts	The objects Scanned, Parsed and Indexed so far, and any that Failed.
2	Cancel	Stops opening the store.

When loading finishes, the object store opens in a workspace window of its own, on the Objects page. The Home page now lists the store under Recent, so you can open it again with one selection.

Find where a field is used

Every NAV database has table 18 Customer. Use it to find where a field is used:

In the workspace window, press Ctrl+T. Universal Search opens.
Type t18 and press Enter. The object view shows table 18 Customer: its properties, fields, keys and code, with its outline on the right.

Prism for C/AL workspace window on the Objects page with table 18 Customer open — Table 18 Customer on the Objects page.

#	Name	Description
1	Search	Opens Universal Search, as `Ctrl`+`T` does.
2	Object index	The objects of the store, grouped by type. Select one to open it.
3	Object view	The open object: its properties, declarations and code.
4	Outline	The object's declarations as a tree. Select one to go to it in the object view.
5	Tabs	Prism shows the object view, Dependencies the objects it uses and is used by, and Source the object's text.

In the object view, right-click the field Name and select Find Usages. A window lists every place the field is used, grouped by object.
Select one of the code lines in the list. The workspace window shows that line in its object.
Press Alt+Left. Prism goes back to table 18 Customer.

Prism for C/AL usages window listing where the Name field of table 18 Customer is used, grouped by object — The usages of the field Name in table 18 Customer.

#	Name	Description
1	Search box	Narrows the list as you type.
2	Usages	The objects that use the field, each with its code lines. Select a line to go to it (step 4).

Next steps

Mirrors: let Prism export the objects of a NAV database for you and keep them in sync.
Opening an object store: every kind of object store, including folders under version control.
Universal Search: find objects, fields, procedures and commands by name.
Using Prism for C/AL: keyboard shortcuts, filter syntax and copying code.
MCP server: let an AI agent search and read your objects.

For questions, select Help › Feedback… in Prism for C/AL, or email feedback@stati-cal.com.