codebase-reconnaissance

name: codebase-reconnaissance description: 'Discover existing objects, baseline errors, and extension points before writing or designing code. Use when: starting any AL implementation, designing solutions, reviewing code context. Replaces ad-hoc symbol/diagnostic discovery steps.'

Codebase Reconnaissance

Standardized procedure to understand what exists before acting. Returns a structured context block.

When to Use

• Before implementing a new feature (ALCoder step 1.5)
• Before writing a design document (SolutionDesigner step 3F)
• Before reviewing code for context (CodeReviewer step 1)
• Before any refactoring that touches multiple objects

Procedure

Step 1: Ensure Symbols Are Current

Run: ms-dynamics-smb.al/al_downloadsymbols

Ensures all dependency symbols are available for accurate search results.

Step 2: Discover Existing Objects

Run: ms-dynamics-smb.al/al_symbolsearch
Query: keywords from the feature/task (object names, table names, field names, procedure names)

Search broadly — use multiple queries if needed:

• The primary object(s) being modified/created
• Related objects that may be affected
• Extension objects that may already exist for the target

Record:

• Objects that already exist (potential conflicts)
• Objects that can be extended
• Patterns used in similar existing code

Step 3: Baseline Diagnostics

Run: ms-dynamics-smb.al/al_getdiagnostics
Scope: files you will touch or design around

Record:

• Pre-existing errors — do not compound them; flag critical ones to the user
• Warnings — note but don't necessarily fix
• Clean files — safe to modify without inheriting blame

Step 4: Identify Extension Points

From Step 2 results, identify:

• Tables/pages marked Extensible = true
• Published events in codeunits you'll subscribe to
• Interfaces available for implementation
• Enums that can be extended (check extensibility property)

Output Format

Return a structured summary to the calling agent:

## Reconnaissance Report

### Existing Objects Found
- [list with Type + ID + Name]

### Baseline Errors (pre-existing)
- [count] errors in [files] — [critical ones flagged]

### Available Extension Points
- [events, extensible objects, interfaces]

### Conflicts / Risks
- [name clashes, objects that don't exist but were expected, etc.]

Failure Handling

• If al_downloadsymbols fails: proceed with stale symbols but warn the user
• If al_symbolsearch returns nothing: try alternative keywords, broader queries
• If al_getdiagnostics shows project-wide build failure: flag to user before proceeding — designing/coding on a broken baseline is risky