BC25 - Lookup page allowing users to apply custom filters

Business Central/NAV Developers Forum
1

We are currently migrating from NAV V14 to BC V25 wave 2

I’ve noticed that when we open an Item Lookup for the user to choose which Item to place on the sales line they cannot apply custom filters to the lookup, for fields I have not chosen to add to the list view?
Am I missing something??? Or is this a flaw, or they just chose to remove decent functionality

procedure LookupItem(var Text: Text): Boolean
var
lcodItemNo: Code[20];
lfrmItemList: Page “Item List”;
lrecItem: Record Item;
begin
lfrmItemList.LookupMode(true);
if not (lfrmItemList.RunModal = ACTION::LookupOK) then begin
exit(false);
end else begin
lfrmItemList.GetRecord(lrecItem);
Text := lrecItem.“No.”;
end;
end;

1 Like
2

Hello! That is a very common point of frustration when migrating from NAV (C/SIDE) to Business Central (AL/Web Client).

You are not missing anything. In modern BC, the Item Lookup used in a RunModal context is generally restricted to filtering only on fields that are visible (i.e., defined as columns) in the list page’s layout. It’s an architectural change, not a flaw.

Here is the quick fix:

The BC Solution in AL

  1. Page Extension is Required: If users need to filter on non-visible fields, you must create a Page Extension for the Item List (Page 31) and explicitly add every field they need to filter on into the Content Area of that page.

  2. Rethink the Lookup: For a smoother BC experience, consider removing your custom LookupItem procedure and relying on the standard OnLookup trigger on the Item No. field.

Migrations like this often hide small behavioral differences that impact workflow. If you are hitting other roadblocks or need a detailed look at your transition, we would be happy to offer a free audit session. We can quickly analyze this and other code issues, help you resolve them, and define the scope for a seamless BC V25 migration.

Feel free to email me directly at hardik.gupta@allgrowtech.com if we can help further!