Client

NAV 2018 Web Client Improvements

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With new Dynamics 2018, there is a lot of improvement in a Web Client. One of the first improvements is availability of Print Preview for non-Internet Explorer browsers (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari). In these cases, the Preview button didn’t appear on the request pages of reports. Now it exists.

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We have possibilities to change size of previewed document, use “select text” or “pan the document”, as well as download document or print it from preview.

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On the other side, now we can use Web Client as tool for user personalization. Of course, when we change something, it can be viewed in Windows Client as well, but place for configuration is Web Client.

I think that Web Client is good enough and it can be used as the main client (as we have in Dynamics 365 ‘Tenerife’); of course, some of the features are still better in Windows Client, but this client can be used in regular daily business (I know some of my colleagues will not agree with me, but I think this is more related with our habits). But I expect more and more new features in Web Client (we already saw future UX on Directions).

In some features, I more prefer Web Client in comparison with Windows Client (example is Ribbon on documents, where we have all actions for lines in the main ribbon).

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OK, there is a still some limitations and you can find them on the following links for both, NAV 2018 and NAV 2017.

Browser Limitations with the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Client:

·        Dynamics NAV 2018

·        Dynamics NAV 2017

Feature Limitations of the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Client:

·        Dynamics NAV 2018

·        Dynamics NAV 2017

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NAV 2016 Web/Tablet Client – Freeze Pane

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In Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016 Web and Tablet Client, we can use Freeze Pane. We cannot configure it in Web Client, but we can use it here. If you want to configure Freeze Pane, you have to do it in Windows Client.

webfreeze

If you do not specify Freeze Pane, system will froze the first columns by default in Web and Tablet Client. Web Client is not so clear as Windows Client and this small feature is the important to make Web Client more used.

NAV 2016 System Requirements

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Since begin of August, I’ve tried to research what are the minimum system requirements for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016. First I’ve published one post about it, but I’ve deleted it. It wasn’t completed. Now, I have the freshest tested information and I hope everything will be fine in the production, as well.

In this process I’ve checked only NAV and Web Server and Windows Client requirements. You can find all my conclusions in following text. But you must to know, there are not officially requirements; these requirements are based only on my testing.

Supported Operating Systems (Server and Windows Client)

First, NAV Sever works only on 64-bit edition of operating systems. I’ve concluded that these OS are completely qualified as base for NAV and Web Server:

  • Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Windows Server 2012
  • Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Windows Server 2016 (Technical Preview 3)
  • Windows 7
  • Windows 8
  • Windows 8.1
  • Windows 10

You can see I’ve also checked installation on next Windows Server release – Windows Server 2016 (Technical Preview 3) and everything was working fine.

Older OS as Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 also require some additional software as Windows PowerShell 3.0. You can download Windows PowerShell 3.0 as part of Windows Management Framework 3.0.

Also, all these operating systems require enabled Windows Search. If this is not enabled on your server, you can do it adding new Windows Search role in Server Manager.

If you want to run Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016 Windows Client, you can do it on the same operating systems, but you can do it on both of them, 64-bit or 32-bit editions. If you install Windows Client on some of the 64-bit edition OS’s, you will get two Windows Clients (32-bit and 64-bit); 64-bit will be by default, but you can change default client as well. But if you install on 32-bit OS edition, you will get only 32-bit Windows Client. I will explain more about it in new post.

SQL Servers

The same situation is as for OS, SQL Servers also require 64-bit editions only. You can use NAV 2016 on following SQL Servers:

  • Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 (SQL Server 2008 R2 is out of mainstream support, but I’ve tested NAV 2016 and in my tests everything was fine; but I think we have to make more tests in any case)
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2012
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2014
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2016 CTP2.2
  • Azure SQL Server

You can see that I also check installation on next SQL release – Microsoft SQL Server 2016 CTP2.2 and everything was working fine. This will be helpful in the future with information about new Windows Server.

About using NAV 2016 on Azure SQL, I have to say much more. It is a really good news and I will write a new post only about it.

Hardware sizing

All of these configuration I’ve checked, have worked with minimum 1,75GB RAM.

REMARK:

As I already said, these are not officially Microsoft system requirements. These are information based on my personal testing and they will maybe be different in officially release.

Using ClickOnce to create Windows Client for NAV2015 Image on Microsoft Azure

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The last time when I wrote about new NAV 2015 image on Microsoft Azure, I showed you how to create VM and how to change credential to NavUserPassword for really cloud using. After running the Initialize the Virtual Machine, you got possibility to run all NAV clients from VM and Web Client from your computer. Of course, for this you had to add new Endpoint on Microsoft Azure Portal: HTTPS, with 443 as port numbers. But, I suppose you want to use NAV with Windows Client from your PC. For this usage, we again got an excellent tool on Welcome screen. You need to click on Install Click Once deployment of the Windows Client link and you will find PowerShell script in DEMO folder. You need to run your PowerShell ISE as Administrator and open this script install.ps1. Now, you only need to run this PS script. After few minutes, system will show you all links, and on the end link for ClickOnce. ClickOnce1

Now, you have to add new Endpoints on your Microsoft Azure Portal:

  • HTTP, with 80 as port numbers for ClickOnce install (this port is configured in previous script)
  • Windows Client, with 7046 for NAV Window Client running

ClickOnce0

When you finish with Endpoints, you have to use your ClickOnce link from URLs file on your Internet Explorer. System will open ClickOnce Online Installation page. You need to run Install and wait. ClickOnce2

After installation is finished, you only need to fill your credentials and run your Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 Windows Client on Microsoft Azure.

ClickOnce3

That’s all about easy using script for ClickOnce Windows Client installation. But, I will show you something more about it few daysd

Changing Credential Type at NAV2015 Image on Microsoft Azure

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Now, I have to continue my previous article about new Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 image in Gallery Image on Microsoft Azure. I said that system is configured with Windows credential type. Now, I want to describe, how you can change it very easy with prepared scripts in DEMO folder.

On ‘Welcome to Microsoft Dynamics NAV on Microsoft Azure’ page, you can find Initialize the Virtual Machine link and with it, you can open DEMO\Initialize folder with PowerShell scripts.

azure1

When you open and run install.ps1 script, you will configure Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 with NavUserPassword credential type with all necessary configurations. Script is pretty smart and when you run it, it will ask you all necessary configuration questions:

  • NAV language
  • NAV administrator username
  • NAV administrator password
  • Your Cloud-Service name
  • Certificate Pfx File

System always give you possibility to choose default values or to change with your own. For Certificate Pfx File, system ask you to fill your certificate file or choose self-signed certificate. When script finish all necessary tasks, you will get as result all information (URLs and credentials).

ađazure2

Also, you will get all shortcuts (Windows, Web and Tablet Client, Development Environment, Administration and Development Shells…) on your desktop.

…

Thanks to Microsoft. I really like this script, because everything is so easy. I will continue with other features on this Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 Gallery Image in few following days.

Mandatory Fields in NAV 2015

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I suppose that all of you who are already developers, have requirements to mark fields that specify whether users must enter a value. Now, with new ShowMandatory property on page fields, we can do it easily. This is small, but very useful thing in NAV 2015.

When we set value in field as mandatory, the field will be marked on the page with a red asterisk and does not enforce any validation. Once the field is filled, the red asterisk disappears. When we configure this property, this red asterisk will appear on all Microsoft Dynamics NAV clients – Windows, Web and Tablet Clients. In Windows Client, the red asterisk is inside the mandatory field, but in Web and Tablet Clients, the asterisk is in front the field. Everything works the same in all clients. The ShowMandatory property can be specified as true, false, or as an expression.

ShowMand

As remark, the ShowMandatory property controls marking the page field with a red asterisk independently of the NotBlank Property. The ShowMandatory property can be used to mark all page fields, but does not enforce any validation of the field. This means that the user will be able to close a page without entering data.

Tablet Client in NAV 2015

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As I already wrote, Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 introduce a new user interface called Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet Client. While the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows and Web Clients are designed for mouse and keyboard interaction, the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet Client allows users to get access to the data they need from the touch device they prefer, but only on devices in screen sizes range, longer than 7 inches and with screen resolution 960 × 510.

One important thing, we can use new Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet Client on devices, regardless of their operating system. It means that we can use it on Windows tablets, but also on iPad or Android tablets.

For testing purpose, you can open Tablet Client in your browser, but for your really usage, you need to use Apps. Using of SSL is mandatory because of security issues. you can download Apps from different sites, according your platform:

tc1

You can also run Tablet Client using browser (IE11 and Chrome 36.0 for Windows are prefered), but if you run Tablet Client from browsers on iPad or Android tablets, you will not be able to download files from client and you will maybe have some other limitations. You can do it from Windows tablets, but if you want other tablets and download files, you have to run this Client from Apps. Microsoft made possibility for Tablet Client using from browser only for developing and testing purpose.

Tablet Client is multilanguage client. As on Web Client, we need to configure Tablet Client on the same way for this purpose. The language that is set for the Client comes from the Web Server Instances and you can specify it on your web.config file. That means that for one Web Server Instance, we have one language. If we want to provide multiple languages, than we have to provide multiple Web Server Instances.

In following posts, I will bring you user experience using Tablet Client.

You can find here system requirements for Tablet Client on browser and Tablet Client Apps on MSDN.