Release version: 7.1

Release date: 17th February 2025

Notes

The following documentation and files are available:

• Release notes for Lasernet FO Connector 7.1

• New features, fixes, and enhancements for Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 (part I)

• Software installation files

New Features – Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 (part II)

Workspace – Lower Half

List/Thumbnails

Reports within the workspace can be displayed either as a list or as thumbnails.

In the following image, the reports are shown as thumbnails, but you can switch to a list view using the List feature:

And vice-versa:

The List view enables multi-selection, enabling users to manage multiple reports at once.

Delete

The Delete button is used to delete the selected report(s). A warning appears before the operation is completed.

Deactivate

The Deactivate button is used to deactivate any active report(s).

Edit

The following section describes the options available within the Edit dropdown menu, which is available in both the Preview and the workspace.

The Edit dropdown menu can be disabled from the Lasernet parameters page.

The Add field option opens a dialog in which you must first select the required table and then the field.

Selecting Query wizard will open a wizard for the Query, where you can add the required tables and fields.

You can also sort the fields and add the necessary ranges.

The Query wizard is simplified in Lasernet Professional and contains the following steps (click Next to continue):

1. Tables

It is possible to link related tables or establish relationships between them by clicking Add related tables.

Language labels can be defined at the data sources level, incorporating existing language texts for the report.

Click +New to add a new label or translation.

Then, click the Text ID dropdown.

2. Select fields

After selecting the required fields, it is possible to move them Up and Down within the Query wizard.

3. Sort fields

4. Range

5. Create report

Images can be added from the workspace as well as through a report’s Preview.

Only users with Lasernet Administrator or System Administrator roles can add images via Preview and the workspace. Users lacking these roles will not be able to view any of the extra options.

It is possible to configure attachments directly from the Attachment form in standard Dynamics 365 FO or by using the Attachments option within a report’s Preview or the workspace.

The Attachments feature can be used to add directly to the report the tables for which the attachment is needed and to define Restriction, Type, and Document type.

Attachments can also be configured directly and automatically from the Attachment form.

The following screen appears:

Choose the required report and ensure the table used for the attachment is included in the report from the Query wizard. Then click OK.

The configured settings will be displayed in the following form:

The following message appears if no additional report can be configured for the attachment(s), such as if all reports that include the required table have already been configured.

Pay attention to the source (table) mentioned in the message. The Query wizard requires this for the report to be part of the lookup.

The Destinations option is only available from the workspace and not from the reports’ Preview. It provides the option to configure some predefined destinations for the report.

Destinations can be defined for Printer, Email, and Screen.

Afterward, the predefined destinations are used via the Lasernet Predefined option within the printer dialog. It is also possible to define a Fallback destination, which is used if no destinations are found via the predefined destinations.

Both Lasernet and standard destinations are shown if a user has one of the following roles:

• System Administrator

• Lasernet Administrator

• Lasernet Advanced User

Destinations configured for Lasernet are only shown if a user has the Lasernet User role.

The Resend feature is useful for regenerating an output, such as if additional data has been added. It always uses the single entry for the report within the Lasernet Archive as its source.

Resending a report will ensure additional tables, fields, images, and attachments are added even when the report’s Preview is already open or when working within the workspace.

Resend from the workspace:

Resend from the report’s Preview:

The option to resend is not available for Proforma reports or within the workspace if no single entry for the report exists within the Lasernet Archive.

Additionally, the Print option is disabled for Proforma reports. This feature is available only for non-proforma versions.

All Edit options, apart from Destinations, are available in both the report’s Preview and the workspace (Destinations are only accessible from the workspace within the Edit dropdown).

You can access these options from the Preview unless they have been disabled within the Lasernet parameters page.

Backup

• Export

When exporting a report, the required information in Dynamics as well as the report design(s) are included in the export.

Mark both the original SSRS report and the replacement report to be included in the export.

The export of a single report will include the Report name, Company, User, Current Date & Time: Backup_SalesPackingSlipReplacement_usmf_Kim.Agerholm_09-03-2024_11-53-49.zip

Whereas exports of multiple reports will not include the Report name: Backup_usmf_Kim.Agerholm_09-03-2024_11-58-8.zip

• Import

To import a report, select the file from your machine and then re-select the required file with the configuration that needs to be imported. The file extension is always .zip, and it is possible to import either a single report or multiple reports.

Deactivating one of the other reports will allow the report to be activated.

Archive

After clicking the Archive button, you are taken to the Lasernet Archive section of the report you have selected.

In this scenario, the report is the SalesConfirmationReplacement:

Links

At the bottom of the Lasernet Professional workspace is the Links FastTab, which contains four shortcuts to four frequently used pages.

• Reports

• Archive

• Administration

  • Environments

  • Connections

• Image gallery

• Setup Parameters

• Cloud Print Connector Setup

  • Parameters

  • User setup

Auto Update

When using Add field, Query wizard, Images, or Attachments, the system will present the following prompt if the selected report is not a Proforma without any Archive records.

If a Proforma report is selected, the following warning will be shown:

The Reset feature is used to reset the current selections. If Do not tell me again was selected, the prompt will not be shown.

Licensing

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 supports the following licensing levels:

• Essentials

• Professional

• Advanced/Enterprise

The License code must be entered in Lasernet > Setup > Parameters. The Level and License type will indicate which version the License code is for:

Licensing information has been extended to include the Installed product version, Platform update name, and Platform build number.

Connection Type

A new Connection type has been introduced, which is advantageous because it makes it possible to use both the Embedded Lasernet engine with the included Form Editor and a Lasernet Server at the same time – a hybrid setup.

It is also possible to use another Azure Storage, SharePoint, Autoform DM, or Filesystem (OnPrem) for archiving purposes when using the Embedded Lasernet engine.  

The following Connection type has been introduced to support the Embedded Lasernet engine:

Once created, the configured connection for the Embedded Lasernet engine is used within the Lasernet server.

It is sufficient to use Integrated (Embedded) for the Outgoing connection type, as the Azure Storage provided with standard Dynamics 365 FO will be used for PDF and/or XML files.

Bug Fixes and Enhancements - Lasernet FO Connector 7.1

444806@LAC365FO – Resend without force resend should not bundle different archives into one

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 supports the option to resend a report that was originally sent without Force rerun, which was not previously possible.

446336@LAC365FO – Lasernet storage operations

Storage operations have been redesigned to improve functionality, readability, and performance.

Read more about this here in the External Azure Storage section.

446386@LAC365FO – If a license code for Advanced/Enterprise is provided, a brand new report can be created in the workspace

The report creation process (SSRS, Query, Replacement, and class/CE reports) has been enhanced with a new dialog.

The Create and Create and open buttons will become available once either the New report name or SSRS report name fields have been filled.

446336@LAC365FO – Temporary Storage Synchronization

The Temporary Storage parameter has been introduced for the Lasernet server. This is used by the Lasernet server to place files that are required to be the internal Dynamics 365 FO storage. The Temporary storage synchronization job was introduced to set up and maintain a periodic batch job that migrates files from Temporary Storage to Dynamics 365 FO.

The review form allows users to track the progress of the storage operations, with an Auto refresh option available and a log per file/record.

Temporary storage synchronization is executed in parallel threads, in batch mode, using the same approach as other Lasernet storage operations.

The synchronization can be maintained from Lasernet > Setup > Administration > Temporary storage synchronization.

In previous versions, it was possible to add tables within the form ranges by using tables that had not even been selected.

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 does not allow this approach. A table added as part of the range should be replaced by a relation and a range/filter for the table/data source.

Similarly, within Form links and when adding a range.

446176@LAC365FO – The report’s latest state is not reflected in Print in batch

In previous versions, a Query’s changed property or added table was not always reflected in the report batch run.

This issue was caused by the caching of the table and the batch storing this cache across all processes. When the report was updated, the new version was not loaded in batch, which caused the differences.

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 selects the report directly instead of loading via the cached instance.

440045@LAC365FO – The Associated payment attachment does not work after upgrading to version 6.21 or when using a solution from another ISV

In previous versions, using the Associated payment caused an error when used in combination with another ISV.

A workaround has been introduced in Lasernet FO Connector 7.1.

Email Support

Lasernet Advanced supports various senders’ email addresses as long as a single domain is used. For example, one sender's email address is in company A (From: companyA@Formpipe.com), and another is in company B (From: companyB@Formpipe.com).

A Lasernet server can be added, and Lasernet Enterprise can be used in scenarios requiring multiple domains. Such as, company A (From: companyA@firstDomain) and company B (From: companyB@secondDomain)

The domain part of the email address is the portion that appears after the "@" symbol.

437278@LAC365FO – An issue with empty records was identified when using the context method LACExplodeTmp_ByInventTable() to explode a BOM

In previous versions, using the context method LACExplodeTmp_ByInventTable() provided out of the box with Lasernet FO Connector could, in some cases, produce an empty output.

This context method provides the option to explode a BOM (Bill Of Materials).

Using the context method LACExplodeTmp_ByInventTable():

436151@LAC365FO – Issues with creating Predefined selections

In previous versions, when changing data sources/tables within the Predefined table selection, changes were not saved when using the Save button located in the Action pane.

The workaround was using Save within the Predefined table selection (lower grid).

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 solves this issue.

Predefined selection for the backup is located in Lasernet > Setup > Backup parameters > Setup Predefined Selections:

452698@LAC365FO – Demo mode has been removed from the Lasernet parameters page

Demo mode has been removed from Lasernet FO Connector 7.1.

This is to ensure better security and lower the number of configurations and potential issues.

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 supports a similar option by enabling the parsing of a Shared Access Signature (SAS/SAS Token) via the Azure Service Bus Queue when Microsoft-managed environments (Service Fabric) are used.

Security is maintained at an exceptionally high level when using the option to pass a SAS/SAS Token.

452433@LAC365FO – An issue was identified regarding the inability to import Lasernet Form Objects from Lasernet Developer with a Keywords set

In previous versions, importing a Lasernet form was not possible if a Keywords set had been defined in the form:

Importing the form resulted in the inability to map the form design within Lasernet FO Connector.

The following warning appeared:

This has now been fixed.

451082@LAC365FO – The auto-complete feature in the Expression editor is not working correctly for Alert links

In previous versions, the ranges’ auto-complete feature did not function as intended when used within Alert links.

In Lasernet FO Connector, it is possible to trigger a report from an Alert via the Alert links.

Alerts are useful for tracking events during the workday and for informing parties both inside and outside the organization.

It is possible to specify ranges for Alerts.

The auto-completion feature used to block lookups:

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 supports the auto-completion feature when Context is used as part of the Expression:

450638@LAC365FO – An error occurs when illegal characters are used within a field

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 will produce an error message if any illegal characters are used.

Illegal characters are often added from external systems, such as MS Teams, when copying information into FinOps.

Identifying those characters can often be a time-consuming task. This enhancement to detect illegal characters will help determine which fields contain them more quickly.

An error message will be displayed, indicating both the field containing the invalid character and the illegal character, such as the following, where the field is IdentificationNumber and the invalid character hexadecimal 0x003:

If this happens, locate and check the field.

Then, remove any illegal characters.

450315@LAC365FO – Licenses that fail due to user count limitations should not result in a downgraded level

In previous versions, using a license for too few users in Lasernet Enterprise used to launch Lasernet Essentials instead of enabling the Enterprise version and adding a 10-second pause.

In the following example, the license code was given to 60 Enterprise users, but 70 users were required:

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 maintains the Enterprise level active, even with insufficient users in the license code.

450221@LAC365FO – deliveryAddress() fields for WHSShipmentTable are removed from the table when Reset modification is set to Yes

In previous versions, methods added from a class method, such as deliveryAddress() in WHSShipmentTable, were removed when Reset modifications was enabled in the final step of the Query wizard:

Before finishing the Query wizard:

Upon completing the Query wizard and subsequently reopening it:

This issue has been fixed.

445001@LAC365FO – An option has been added to include/exclude Predefined destinations as part of Export/Import

The export of Predefined destinations is now included in Lasernet Essentials and is available when using Backup from the workspace in Lasernet Professional and Lasernet Advanced/Enterprise:

449655@LAC365FO – Imported Lasernet server (Active/Inactive) with connections pointing to other environments causes an error

In previous versions, importing a server setup into an environment with connections pointing to other environments that were not defined for the imported connections did not enable adjustments for the imported server setup.

A similar issue could arise when adding a new environment without adding connections using this environment/environment Id.

Lasernet FO Connector will keep generating warnings and errors, but it enables editing and saving the record.

448468@LAC365FO – Using the Sum Aggregate function in conjunction with an Expression that uses a custom field results in NaN output

In certain situations, using a Sum Aggregate function resulted in a NaN output. This issue occurred when the Type of the used field was changed from String to Real.

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 ensures that fields designated as numbers are correctly treated as numbers within the aggregation process.

445574@LAC365FO – Mobile device - The value selected in the Print to field is not saved

In previous versions, when a report was not configured for Lasernet, it was not possible to specify the number of copies for a standard destination, resulting in an error.

This has now been fixed.

443619@LAC365FO – Warehouse Management app - The value selected in the Print to field is not saved

In previous versions, selecting a printer for a warehouse label specified for a worker would change the printer back to Default printer once work was completed within the warehouse app.

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 ensures the selected printer is maintained even when the work is completed.

The Lasernet printer Local Zebra is selected as default:

However, selecting another printer within the Warehousing app would reverse back to the Default printer ZEBRA once the work was completed.

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 ensures that any changes made to the Default printer are maintained once the work is completed.

The Default printer is specified either for the worker in Finops or within the Warehousing app.

Warehouse management > Setup > Worker:

Warehousing app:

412331@LAC365FO – Standardization of the CompanyId

Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations uses a mix of upper and lower case for the CompanyId (dataAreaId).

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 ensures that the output for the CompanyId (dataAreaId) is kept in lowercase for any newly created reports (XML).

This applies to the following situations:

• When using Calculated.CompanyId() within the Structure/Elements:

• When using CompanyId within the JobInfo section:

• When using the Filemask (filepath) within Lasernet FO Connector:

453855@LAC365FO – An issue arises with the Email editor in 10.0.43

In previous versions, the following error occurred when using Finance and Operations 10.0.43 (Update67) and any earlier versions of Lasernet FO Connector:

The error occurred:

• When opening a printer dialog for a report that was configured for Lasernet. No errors were detected when trying to open the printer dialog until the previous dialog was closed.

• When accessing the Lasernet parameters page.

This issue has been fixed.

453803@LAC365FO – An error occurs when importing a report: "Could not load parameters from the compressed archive"

This issue has been resolved by using the Maximum setting for the quotas.

453650@LAC365FO – It is now possible to use range Expressions with the same Query data sources in the Query wizard

In Lasernet FO Connector 7.0, the use of tables for ranges in a Query through an Expression was restricted.

Optimal practice and best performance are achieved by using relations between tables, which reduce the number of Queries and, therefore, decrease the load on the SQL server.

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 enables the use of tables for a range through an Expression in the following circumstances:

• The table used in the Expression is not part of the same Query branch.

• When using a table from another Query branch, only the first record is used for the range.

• It is possible to utilize any tables within an Expression for a range when employing a sub-query.

Examples

Permitted use of tables within an Expression for a specified range:

The data source CustInvoiceJour is part of the Query branch that has SalesInvoiceHeaderFooterTmp as its data source.

The data source TaxTrans is added at the root level and within its own Query branch:

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 enables the use of SalesInvoiceHeaderFooterTmp and CustInvoiceJour for the range specified in the Expression for TaxTrans.

The first record from CustInvoiceJour sets the ranges for TaxTrans.

Non-permitted use of tables within an Expression for a specified range:

It is not possible to use any table for the ranges if, for instance, the data source TaxTrans is part of the same Query branch as SalesInvoiceHeaderFooterTmp > CustInvoiceJour.

It is not possible to select the data sources SalesInvoiceHeaderFooterTmp and CustInvoiceJour as they are within the same Query branch (related tables).

Validation indicates whether a data source or table has been moved into the same Query branch. For instance, the data source TaxTrans has been moved into the same Query branch as the tables that were previously used within the Expression for the range.

A validation warning will be shown:

453119@LAC365FO – Access to Cloud Print Connector (CPC) Setup is enabled, which may be needed as a workaround for the Azure deprecation

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 enables access to Connections and Cloud Print Connector Setup from the Finance and Operations workspace.

This will be useful when Microsoft restricts access to Internal Azure storage, which is managed by FinOps/Microsoft, through a connection string.

Ensure Cloud Print Connector can be used with an External Azure storage.

Lasernet Essentials:

Lasernet Professional:

Lasernet Enterprise:

452678@LAC365FO – The warning issued when using AOT Query LACWHSPrintLabels for Warehouse labels has been removed

In previous versions, the AOT Query LACWHSPrintLabels (used when printing labels from the Warehousing app) issued a warning within the Query wizard, although everything functioned correctly.

This warning has been removed in Lasernet FO Connector 7.1.

448889@LAC365FO – An issue arises when trying to add Print buttons to certain forms, such as CustCollectionLetterJournal and CustCollectionLetterNote

In previous versions, it was not possible to dynamically add additional Print buttons to certain forms if their structure and design did not align with those used in journals, such as CustInvoice and Packing slip.

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 enables adding Print buttons if the report is configured for Lasernet and it uses Lasernet as the anchor for the button(s). This ensures the correct destination is used, and it optimizes the printing process by eliminating the need to adjust printer settings.

To add a Print button, navigate to Print buttons > Direct printout destinations.

In previous versions, Print buttons could not be added through Form adjustment unless the form's structure matched the standard structure used for journal forms.

Lasernet FO Connector 7.1 includes the option to adjust and add Print buttons to forms that do not have the same structure as the standard FinOps journal forms.

To do so, navigate to Print buttons > Common > Form adjustment.

Navigate to Print buttons > Common > Direct printout destinations and choose either Journal or Both in the Show button dropdown:

The form now shows the desired Print buttons:

You can also add Print buttons in the following configuration:

To do so, specify a Control name for the location where the Print buttons should be positioned:

452358@LAC365FO – An issue arises when trying to control the Review before sending function from code

In previous versions, controlling the Review before sending function using code was only possible if the feature Allow choose review before sending was enabled for the report:

Code:

Following this approach, the Review before sending option appeared within the printer dialog for the report.

In Lasernet FO Connector 7.1, a class called LACDestinationSettingsManager_DispContext has been included to help preserve values throughout the printing process. This class enables users to specify which values should be "read-only" during the process and not re-initialized from the report.

449256@LAC365FO – A correlation has been established between the SELECTED REPORTS and SELECTED TABLES sections

In Lasernet FO Connector 7.1, clearing the Reports selection in the SELECTED TABLES of the Export Lasernet backup dialog removes any selected reports.

Selecting Reports selects all reports.

In previous versions, no established correlation existed between SELECTED REPORTS and SELECTED TABLES.

A similar approach is used with Predefined selection.

453802@LAC365FO – Images cannot be retrieved from CE

Previous versions of Lasernet FO Connector did not support the retrieval of images from CE.

Version 7.1 supports the retrieval of thumbnails for the images.

452816@LAC365FO – The Lasernet parameters page now includes the Environment Id

The LCS Environment Id parameter is now included in the Lasernet parameters page (Lasernet > Setup > Parameters).

Provide Microsoft with the Environment ID if adjustments to Flight modes are needed for an environment.

ESC Flight Mode activates or deactivates features in FinOps, which are managed exclusively by Microsoft within their hosted environment. Lasernet FO Connector shows configuration values for the environment, not just the fields from the database.

For example, Microsoft can enable or disable the following ESC Flight modes and provide access through a connection string and/or Shared Access Signature (SAS):

• EnableSharingOfValidStorageConnectionString

• EnableRegisterOfAzureStorageInterceptors

Test and Performance Suite

441081@LAC365FO – The Background print Bundling requires redesigning

In previous versions, it was not possible to specify ranges for child-data sources when using Top picking or Batch bundling.

The Test and Performance Suite 7.1 supports this and the use of dialog fields created for the report.

Using dialog fields and specifying ranges for the child-data sources is useful to optimize performance when executing large amounts of records.

In the following example, a report is created with a dialog field where a range can be specified for the sales orders and is added for the records that should be included:

Dialog fields are only used to execute the report and cannot be used to select the scope of records because there is no correlation between the report and the filter used.

The scope of the records is the records for which the report will be executed.

The following defines the scope:

Whereas the following defines the range(s) for the report(s):

451685@LAC365FO – An option has been added to add multiple documents to a Test checkpoint/flow

The Test and Performance Suite 7.1, included in Lasernet FO Connector 7.1, supports adding multiple entries from the Archive into a Test checkpoint.

This offers a quicker and easier way to incorporate Archive entries into Test checkpoints.

Test checkpoints enable comparisons of XML/PDF files before and after Dynamics upgrades, Lasenret FO Connector updates, customizations, and other ISV solutions.

A new dialog enables users to toggle options when adding entries from the Lasernet Archive into Checkpoints.

• Id and Description

• Compare PDF, Force rerun, Skip JobInfo, Destinations, and Add to flow (the latter enables users to add into existing or new flow-created Checkpoints)

The following icon has been added to indicate whether the Checkpoint archive was a valid reference record for Force rerun (Reference record, Resend menu, and others):

450524@LAC365FO – Always skip Record Ids (RecIds) when using Checkpoints

Record Id (RecId) comparisons are always omitted in Checkpoints within Test and Performance Suite 7.1.

RecIds are typically not beneficial for comparisons as they tend to be dynamic and frequently change.

In previous versions, they were included in the comparison of XML files:

And often would cause issues when comparing two files:

RecordIds are always omitted in T&P 7.1, and no differences in relation to RecIds will, therefore, be shown:

450521@LAC365FO – An option has been added to add an attribute/property in the XML to identify whether Checkpoints are being used

The JobInfo section now includes details on whether the report was prepared via Test checkpoints, Test flows, or executed via the Run Test.

This can be useful to prevent the distribution of documents used for testing purposes.

This information can later serve as a condition or criterion in Lasernet to avoid the distribution of the report(s).

The LACTestCheckpointRun is added when running a Test checkpoint for a single report:

The information is incorporated when generating reports from Test checkpoints, Test flows, or through the Run Test feature.

Additionally, if executed via Test flow, the report will include details about the flow used in LACTestFlowRun.

451004@LAC365FO – The option to filter on skip testing has been introduced

In previous versions of the Test and Performance Suite, the Skip testing field could not be filtered. Version 7.1 now supports this function.

This enhancement ensures a better user experience and that nothing is overlooked, especially when dealing with numerous fields, some of which may be designated to be skipped during testing.

449545@LAC365FO – Test and Performance Suite 7.1 requires a new license code created specifically for 7.1

The Test and Performance Suite 7.1 requires a new license code.

An error message such as the following will appear if an older license code is used:

Licenses for T&P are located in Lasernet > Test and performance suite > Parameters > License terms.

453099@LAC365FO – The following error occurred during PDF comparison: “[Error] @LACTest:CheckpointPDFCompareNoResult”

In previous versions, when Compare PDF was disabled at the Checkpoint level but enabled at the Test flow level, the test result failed and provided an incorrect label ID:

The Compare PDF function was toggled to No at the Checkpoint level:

Compare PDF was toggled to Yes at the Test flow level:

451685@LAC365FO – An option has been introduced to add multiple reports to the Checkpoints/Test flows

The Test and Performance Suite 7.1 supports adding multiple entries from the Lasernet Archive to Checkpoints and Test flows.

Checkpoints and Test flows are useful for automating testing reports after upgrading FinOps, Lasernet FO Connector, ISV solutions, or other customizations.

The ability to add multiple reports from the Archive simplifies and streamlines the process of adding Checkpoints to various reports.