Yes, you can definitely achieve this by bypassing the standard read-only behavior for specific custom fields on the Active Quote form for your users. Here's a breakdown of the approach and the steps involved:
Understanding the Limitation:
You are correct. By default, once a Quote transitions to an "Active" state, most of its fields become read-only due to the Microsoft.Dynamics.Sales.Plugins.PreOperationQuoteUpdate plugin. This is intended to maintain data integrity and prevent accidental modifications to finalized quotes.
How to Unlock Specific Custom Fields:
The most common and recommended way to achieve this is by implementing custom JavaScript on the Quote form. You can write JavaScript code that executes on form load and conditionally unlocks your specific custom fields based on the Quote's status.
Steps:
- Identify the Custom Fields: Note down the exact schema names of the custom fields you want to make editable on the Active Quote form.
- Create a JavaScript Web Resource:
- Go to Settings > Customizations > Customize the System > Web Resources.
- Click New.
- Give it a meaningful name (e.g.,
quote_unlock_custom_fields.js).
- Set the Type to "Script (JScript)".
- Click Text Editor and paste the JavaScript code (provided below).
- Save and Publish the Web Resource.
- Add the Web Resource to the Quote Form:
- Go to Settings > Customizations > Customize the System > Entities > Quote > Forms.
- Open the main Quote form you want to modify.
- Go to the Insert tab on the form editor.
- Click Web Resource.
- In the "Add Web Resource" dialog:
- In the "Web resource" lookup, find and select the JavaScript Web Resource you just created.
- Give it a meaningful name (e.g.,
unlockCustomFieldsScript).
- Uncheck the "Visible" option (so the web resource container itself isn't displayed).
- Click OK.
- Configure an OnLoad Event Handler:
- With the Web Resource selected on the form, go to the Events tab in the form editor.
- In the "Form Libraries" section, you should see your added Web Resource.
- In the "Event Handlers" section, click Add.
- Set the Event to "OnLoad".
- In the "Handler" section:
- Select your Web Resource from the "Library" dropdown.
- Enter the name of the JavaScript function you'll define in the Web Resource (e.g.,
unlockActiveQuoteFields).
- Uncheck "Pass execution context as first parameter".
- Click OK.
- Save and Publish the Quote form.
JavaScript Code Example (quote_unlock_custom_fields.js):
function unlockActiveQuoteFields(executionContext) {
var formContext = executionContext.getFormContext();
var stateCode = formContext.getAttribute("statecode").getValue(); // Get the Quote's State (Active = 1)
// Array of the schema names of your custom fields to unlock
var customFieldsToUnlock = ["new_customfield1", "new_customfield2", "tcg_anothercustomfield"]; // Replace with your actual schema names
if (stateCode === 1) { // If the Quote is Active
customFieldsToUnlock.forEach(function(fieldName) {
var control = formContext.getControl(fieldName);
if (control) {
control.setDisabled(false); // Enable the control (unlock the field)
}
});
}
}
Explanation of the JavaScript Code:
unlockActiveQuoteFields(executionContext): This is the function that will execute when the Quote form loads.
var formContext = executionContext.getFormContext();: Gets the form context.
var stateCode = formContext.getAttribute("statecode").getValue();: Retrieves the current state code of the Quote. The value 1 typically represents the "Active" state. Verify the actual state code value for "Active" in your system.
customFieldsToUnlock: This array holds the schema names of the custom fields you want to unlock. Replace the placeholder schema names with the actual schema names of your custom fields.
if (stateCode === 1): This condition checks if the Quote's state is "Active".
customFieldsToUnlock.forEach(...): This loop iterates through each custom field name in the array.
var control = formContext.getControl(fieldName);: Gets the control object for the current custom field.
if (control): Checks if the control exists on the form.
control.setDisabled(false);: This line unlocks the field, making it editable.
Important Considerations:
- State Code Value: Ensure that the value
1 in the JavaScript code correctly represents the "Active" state of your Quote entity. You can verify this by looking at the state code options for the Quote entity in the customization area.
- Schema Names: Double-check and ensure you are using the correct schema names (the internal, programmatic names) of your custom fields, not their display names.
- User Training: Inform your users about which fields they can now edit on Active Quotes.
- Data Integrity: Carefully consider the implications of allowing edits to Active Quotes. Ensure that these specific custom fields are appropriate for modification after activation and won't negatively impact reporting or downstream processes.
- Alternative Approaches (Less Recommended for This Scenario):
- Modifying the Plugin (Unsupported): Directly altering the behavior of the
Microsoft.Dynamics.Sales.Plugins.PreOperationQuoteUpdate plugin is highly discouraged as it's an unsupported customization and can break during updates.
- Custom Workflow/Plugin on Update: While you could potentially create a workflow or plugin that runs on the update of the Quote and unlocks fields, client-side JavaScript provides a more immediate user experience.
By implementing the JavaScript approach outlined above, you can selectively unlock your custom fields on the Active Quote form, allowing your users to make necessary modifications without having to revert the Quote to a draft state. Remember to test thoroughly after implementing these changes.
