AxAssist - An Assistant for your X++ Editor

Anyone who works in the X++ editor knows that it is not what you might call full-featured – especially if you’re used to working in Visual Studio. You might say that it has a quaint austerity, or perhaps a zen-like simplicity.

I recently came across a new tool called AxAssist that could really up your productivity if spend you much time in the MorphX editor. AxAssist is actually a collection of various editor enhancements including things like: hotkeys, an AOT toolbar, code reformatter and suggestions which are somewhat similar to IntelliSense where you type in some letters and a list of suggested variable (or table or class) names pops up.

AxAssist supports Microsoft Dynamics AX versions 2009 and 4.0 as well as Axapta 3.0. This is a plus, because I know from talking with customers that there are plenty of companies still on versions prior to 2009.

I installed the trial version on an AX 2009 system. The installation process itself is a little cumbersome. After you run the standard EXE install, you still need to import an XPO and edit a class. Then you have to run a form, and do some manual configuration if you want it to run automatically on startup.

For my view, the comment/uncomment buttons and suggestions alone are worth the price of admission. Now, I don’t use this tool day in and day out, so your mileage may vary. But overall, I thought it had some pretty nifty features that an X++ developer could quickly get used to.

From what I read on their website, there are a variety of difference licensing options and prices. You can download a fully-functional trial version for 30 days. You haven’t got much to lose and certainly a lot of time to gain.