I supposed most of us if not all keep a list of tasks to be performed. This list keeps us connected to our goals. It shows us steps to achieve our objectives. Some call this list the to-do list. Others call this the task list or even action items.
Task list is commonly used in solution development process as well. Solution development is about achieving goals in compliance with the principles of the software engineering discipline. The steps required could be complicated. Having a medium to keep everyone on track makes a different.
Dynamics Ax TODO
Microsoft Dynamics Ax has the to-do list built into its compiler. You write your to-do tasks in the code itself. Dynamics Ax will pick them up when it compiles the code. The list will be shown in the Compiler output window.
You add to-do by writing a single line comment or remark starting with the word TODO in uppercase. The following code segment shows the sample code for adding a task list entry. Please note that the word TODO has to be in uppercase. Removing this line of code will remove the entry from the task list.
void click()
{
//TODO Make yourself happy.
}
The following figure shows an output of Dynamics Ax built in To-do list. Note that it is grouped by Application object and Method/Property. You may sort the list by such information. Double clicking on the entry will bring you to the exact location of that task. You will be presented with the code opened in the X++ Code Editor.
Rationale
What are the common actions you perform on a to-do list? Basically, you add new tasks to the list and remove items that are completed from the list. You may also sort and categorize items to make it more organized.
The to-do list in Dynamics Ax makes us add the reminder at the location most relevant. Categorization is automatically done base on the location of the note. Once we have completed the task, we are most likely at the exact location to remove the entry.
Possibilities
The following are three ways Dynamics Ax associate believes this feature could help in projects.
1. Extension to Project Task Tracking.
Dynamics Ax to-do list would be a great extension to your project task tracking. I believe most of the projects define development tasks to the level of feature description. It is tough to go more detail with external tools.
Tracking steps to construct a feature could be easily done with this tool. The activities and the to-do list are entirely integrated. You should not have the bottleneck that would occur when tracked to such level of detail externally.
2. Reminder for busy Developer
Dynamics Ax engineers could use this TODO as a reminder. It is common for developers to left something in the middle to attend to presumably more important tasks. You could easily leave a reminder with Dynamics Ax To-do.
3. Project Team Communication
The to-do list in Dynamics Ax is visible to everyone connecting to the same instance of Dynamics Ax. Project team members would be able to leave note of pending tasks for the rest to take note or follow up. It can also be used by senior team members to communicate guidelines to new team members. The guidelines could be embedded at the appropriate location inside the code itself.
I am sure there are more possibilities with some creativity. Those that have experience using this feature or with ideas are welcome to share with our fellow associates.
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