Continuous integration

AL Runner needs no Docker, no SQL Server and no license, so it runs on an ordinary hosted runner. Version 3 is an alpha. Use --allow-not-run so refused tests do not fail the job, and drop it when you want every test to run.

GitHub Actions

A minimal job for a repository that holds MyApp and MyApp.Test:

name: AL tests
on: [push, pull_request]
jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    env:
      ALRUNNER_CACHE: ${{ github.workspace }}/.alrunner-cache
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Install al-runner
        run: |
          curl -fsSL https://github.com/aldevtools/BusinessCentral.AL.Runner/releases/download/edge/install.sh | sh -s -- edge
          echo "$HOME/.local/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
      - uses: actions/cache@v4
        with:
          path: .alrunner-cache
          key: alrunner-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('**/app.json') }}
      - name: Run tests
        run: al-runner test ./MyApp ./MyApp.Test --junit test-results.xml --allow-not-run
      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        if: always()
        with:
          name: test-results
          path: test-results.xml

Advice

• Pin the version when the result must be repeatable. Replace edge with a tag such as v3.0.0-alpha.4.
• Cache the cache folder. Set ALRUNNER_CACHE to a folder inside the workspace and cache it. It holds the downloads, the demo backup and the compile cache. The first run builds it, which takes about 10 seconds of compile plus the downloads.
• Require the cache with --require-compile-cache when a missing cache should fail the job rather than silently take longer.
• Go offline with --no-download once the cache is warm and the feed is not needed.
• Report files. --junit FILE gives test results where each not-run test is <skipped> with its reason. --output-json FILE gives a machine-readable document. --coverage-out FILE gives Cobertura XML for coverage tools.
• Exit codes. See Reading results. Code 7 means some tests were refused, code 8 means the .NET helper was needed and missing.
• See why tests did not run. Add --top-refusals to the command.

Microsoft’s own test apps

al-runner test Tests-ERM.Source.zip --junit erm.xml --allow-not-run

See Test data for the recipe that matches Microsoft’s CI.

AL-Go

The AL-Go fork adds a Linux fast lane: pull request builds compile from source and run AL unit tests on Ubuntu, with no Windows container. See its repository for the settings.