VS Code --- Replacement for AL XML Documentation Extension?

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Posted on by Greg Kujawa

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For years I've used this helpful extension. So that I can generate MD files based on the XML comments in my AL source code. Looking at this VS Code extension I see a warning --- "This extension is deprecated. Use the AL Language extension for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central extension instead."

Wondering how this same functionality is used in the AL Language extension for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central extension. Can anyone provide a working example? I've searched around, but most search results just point me to the deprecated ALDOC extension...

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Dynamics 365 Business Central

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Greg Kujawa 793 on at

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One of the reasons why I'm asking (aside from this extension being deprecated), is the GitHub project for it has been archived. And I've run into the logged issue where AL code files that include namespaces aren't properly being parsed.

GitHub Issue

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Greg Kujawa 793 on at

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For a test I tried utilizing the GitHub Copilot VS Code extension. The requested action created MD files for most of the AL files, skipping the Codeunit AL files for some reason. The MD files were placed in a .\generated subdirectory under the .\doc directory (where the MD files usually reside). There wasn't an index.md file created either.

So currently still wondering how to replicate the functionality of ALDOC. :)

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YUN ZHU 100,364 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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I haven't heard that AL Docs has been deprecated.
There's an update on this in the latest change log.

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items/ms-dynamics-smb.al/changelog

Thanks.

ZHU

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Sahan Hasitha 2,683 on at

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hi

The old ALDOC VS Code extension is deprecated, but its functionality is now included in the AL Language extension through the built-in ALDoc tool. You still use XML comments (/// <summary>…</summary>) in your AL source, but instead of exporting directly from VS Code, you now run the aldoc.exe CLI that comes with the AL Language extension. The process is: build your .app file → run aldoc init to set up docs → run aldoc build to generate Markdown files (with your XML comments included) → optionally use DocFx to publish them as a website. This way you get the same (and more structured) documentation output as before, but directly supported by Microsoft.

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Nimsara Jayathilaka. 5,047 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi

The old ALDOC extension is deprecated, and its functionality has been absorbed into the official AL Language extension for Business Central. You can still generate documentation from XML comments, but now it’s done through the built-in compiler and tools rather than a separate extension. In practice, you add XML comments (///) to your AL objects and methods, then run the AL: Package or use the compiler with the doc settings enabled in your app.json. This produces Markdown (.md) documentation files in the .alpackages output folder. In short: AL Language now handles doc generation natively — no extra extension is required, just enable documentation output and build your project.

Thanks

Nimsara

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Greg Kujawa 793 on at

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I tried following Sahan's recommendation, but from the VS Code terminal prompt it appears that the aldoc executable isn't found. I'll provide a screen shot below. I definitely have the base AL Language extension for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central installed.

Any suggestion?

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Greg Kujawa 793 on at

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Went through some tutorials, and ensured that the current .NET SDK and NetFx packages were both installed in my macOS environment. Still ran into the error regarding aldoc not being found. I ran across this third party VS Code extension that appears to be currently supported, called NAB AL Tools.

This alternative seems to work, but there are some differences in default behavior. For example, there is no top-level index.md file created, as there was with the deprecated extension. There's just a TOC YAML file. Also, the documentation files are built in a ./docs folder. Whereas the deprecated extension built in a ./doc folder.

The trick is that I have configured an Azure DevOps project Wiki, based on code. And the deprecated extension's output automatically refreshes the Wiki when I push a commit to the Azure DevOps repo. Regardless, looks like I have some work to do to get my house in order!

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Greg Kujawa 793 on at

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I found the documentation for configuring NAB AL Tools for the XML documentation to build what was required to align with my current Azure DevOps project Wiki. It works, and is a lot more straightforward than getting the base Microsoft .NET aldoc tool to be available. Will just stick with this third party VS Code extension moving forward.

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