Dynamics 365 Business Central: Understanding Labels in AL

When we build extensions in Business Central, we often use captions, tooltips, messages, and various text elements across pages, reports, and dialogs. These texts should be consistent, easy to manage, and translatable for different languages.
This is exactly where labels help us.

Labels provide a structured way to define UI text once and reuse it wherever needed, without scattering hardcoded strings throughout AL code.

Let’s break down what labels are, why they matter, and the different ways we can use them.

What Exactly Are Labels?

A label is simply a text constant used in the UI — something like a caption, a message, or a short description.
Instead of writing plain text directly inside your code, you define a label, and Business Central takes care of translation, formatting, and consistency.

In short:

• You write the text once

• You can translate it into multiple languages

• You can reuse it across pages, reports, and code

• You avoid repeating the same string everywhere

This makes your extension cleaner and far easier to maintain.

Where Do We Use Labels?

Labels can be used in several places across Business Central:

1. Page and Report Properties

Labels can be applied directly in properties such as:

·         Caption

·         ToolTip

·         InstructionalText

·         OptionCaption

·         AdditionalSearchTerms

·         PromotedActionCategories

·         RequestFilterHeading

2. Label Variables

You can define a label as a variable and use it in your AL code, mostly for messages, warnings, and confirmations.

3. Report Labels

Reports use labels for headings, field captions, printed text, and titles.

4. Page Labels

These are plain text blocks displayed directly on a page — often used in setup guides or wizard pages.

Why Do We Use Labels?

• To avoid hardcoded text in AL

• To support multi-language translations

• To maintain consistency across pages and reports

• To make UI text easier to manage and update

• To create a more professional and scalable extension

In the next part of this series, we will dive deeper into Labels Use cases. Stay tuned for the detailed guide in the next blog.

Thanks For Reading...!!

Regard,

Khushbu Rajvi