Now you can try every feature of the Simple Object Designer in a sandbox

When we released the first version of the Simple Object Designer, the main feature was to add new fields, so we decided to limit the trial version to a single field. Now that the feature list has grown long, we have opened up for you to try out the complete suite of features for as long as you wish to make sure the Simple Object Designer meets the need of your company.

In this video, Erik announces a significant change to the trial version of the Simple Object Designer for Business Central. Previously, the trial only allowed you to add a single field — but now you can try every feature of the product, as long as you’re working in a sandbox environment.

From One Field to Full Feature Access

When the Simple Object Designer was first released, its core functionality was adding new fields to existing tables and pages. To let people try it out, the trial version allowed you to add exactly one field. Over time, however, the product grew substantially — you can now create tables, APIs, role centers, and entire solutions. The one-field limitation no longer made sense because it didn’t give users the opportunity to experience everything the tool can do.

What’s Changed in the Latest Release

The new trial rules are straightforward:

  • You can do everything in a sandbox — create new fields, add existing fields to pages and reports, expose data as APIs, create new tables of different types, build role centers, and combine all of these into a complete solution.
  • You cannot deploy anything to a production environment — not even a single field.
  • You cannot download app files — the compiled .app output is not available in the trial.
  • You cannot download the source code — exporting AL source, importing apps, and other advanced export features remain exclusive to the paid version.

This is actually a shift from the previous model. Before, you could deploy one field to production. Now the trade-off is reversed: full feature access, but sandbox only.

Demo: Creating an API in the Sandbox

Erik walks through a quick demonstration. He already has two new fields added, and then creates an API endpoint to expose customer data. He selects the Customer table and chooses to expose several fields: Number, Name, Address, and Balance. Because he’s working in a sandbox environment, the publish button works immediately — the API is deployed to the sandbox without any issues.

However, he’s unable to download the resulting app file or navigate to setup to download the source code. Those options are reserved for licensed users.

Understanding the Source Code Output

When the Simple Object Designer generates extensions, it produces standard AL code. Here’s an example of a page extension that rearranges fields on the Customer List page:

pageextension 50101 PageExtension50101 extends "Customer List"
{
    layout
    {
        moveafter(Name;"Phone No.")
    }
}

And a report extension that extends the “Customer – Top 10 List” report with additional triggers and variables:

reportextension 50100 "test" extends "Customer - Top 10 List"
{
    dataset
    {
        modify(Customer)
        {
            trigger OnAfterPreDataItem()
            begin

            end;

            trigger OnBeforePreDataItem()
            begin

            end;
        }
    }
    var
        ACS: Codeunit "Sales-Post";
}

These extensions are packaged into a standard Business Central app, as defined by the app.json manifest:

{
  "id": "5cf03cc2-18f0-4fc4-b826-122d09ef994a",
  "name": "UsingTheDesigner",
  "publisher": "Default publisher",
  "version": "1.0.0.0",
  "platform": "1.0.0.0",
  "application": "19.0.0.0",
  "idRanges": [
    {
      "from": 50100,
      "to": 50149
    }
  ],
  "resourceExposurePolicy": {
    "allowDebugging": true,
    "allowDownloadingSource": false,
    "includeSourceInSymbolFile": false
  },
  "runtime": "8.0"
}

Note the resourceExposurePolicy settings — downloading source and including source in symbol files are both set to false, which aligns with how the Simple Object Designer manages its output. The ID range of 50100–50149 is used for the generated objects.

Upgrading from Trial to Licensed

If you like what you see in the sandbox, the upgrade path is simple. You purchase a license, enter the license code in the setup page, and everything you’ve already built in the sandbox becomes fully unlocked. At that point you can download app files, export source code, and deploy your extensions to production environments.

Summary

This is a welcome change for anyone evaluating the Simple Object Designer. Instead of being limited to a single field, you can now explore the full range of capabilities — field creation, page modifications, report extensions, API generation, table creation, and role center building — all within a sandbox. The only restrictions are on production deployment and file downloads, which unlock once you purchase a license.

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