Pull Request Build

The Pull Request Build workflow automatically validates changes in pull requests before they’re merged into your main branch. It ensures code quality and prevents breaking changes from entering your codebase.

Overview

This workflow runs automatically on:

Pull requests targeting the main branch
Merge queue events (when using GitHub merge queues)

The workflow builds and tests all affected projects, runs code analysis, and provides immediate feedback on the pull request.

Key Features

Fast Feedback

Provides quick validation results on pull requests without deploying to environments.

Concurrency Control

Automatically cancels in-progress runs when new commits are pushed to the PR.

Code Scanning

Uploads code analysis results directly to the pull request for inline review.

Short-lived Artifacts

Retains build artifacts for a shorter period to save storage costs.

Workflow Jobs

Pregate Check

Verifies pull request changes when coming from forked repositories.Security Check:

Validates that PRs from external forks don’t contain malicious changes
Uses the VerifyPRChanges action for security scanning
Only runs for cross-repository pull requests

This is a critical security step. Do not remove or bypass this check.

Initialization

Prepares the build environment and determines what to build.Actions Performed:

Checks out the PR merge commit
Initializes AL-Go workflow
Reads repository and project settings
Determines which projects need to be built
Calculates build order based on dependencies
Sets artifact retention period (shorter than CI/CD builds)

Build

Compiles all affected AL projects.Build Characteristics:

Builds on the PR merge commit (simulates merged state)
Runs in a matrix for multiple projects and build modes
Executes all tests
Performs code analysis
Does NOT sign artifacts (faster builds)
Uses artifact cache for performance
Validates against baseline from target branch

Artifacts are named with the PR number (e.g., MyProject-Default-Apps-PR123).

Code Analysis Upload

Processes and uploads code analysis results to GitHub.Features:

Downloads error logs from build artifacts
Converts AL compiler output to SARIF format
Uploads to GitHub Code Scanning
Shows inline annotations on the pull request

Code analysis results appear directly in the Files changed tab of your pull request.

Status Check

Validates the overall pull request status.This final job:

Checks if all required builds succeeded
Provides a single status check for branch protection rules
Posts workflow telemetry
Always runs, even if previous jobs fail

Concurrency Management

The workflow uses concurrency controls to optimize resource usage:

concurrency:
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event_name == 'merge_group' && github.run_id || github.event.pull_request.number }}
  cancel-in-progress: true

How it works:

Each PR has its own concurrency group
New commits automatically cancel in-progress builds
Saves runner time and provides faster feedback

When you push new commits to a PR, the old build is automatically cancelled and a new build starts.

Differences from CI/CD Workflow

The Pull Request Build workflow is optimized for speed and feedback:

Feature	Pull Request Build	CI/CD
Trigger	Pull requests	Push to main/release branches
Artifact Signing	No	Yes
Deployment	No	Yes (to configured environments)
Delivery	No	Yes (NuGet, Storage, etc.)
Artifact Retention	Short (e.g., 7 days)	Longer (e.g., 90 days)
Reference Docs	No	Yes (on main branch)
Concurrency	Cancel in-progress	Run all

Configuration

Artifact Retention

Control how long PR artifacts are kept: In .github/AL-Go-Settings.json:

{
  "shortLivedArtifactsRetentionDays": 7
}

Default is typically 7 days for PR artifacts vs. 90 days for CI/CD artifacts.

Code Analysis

Enable inline code analysis on pull requests:

{
  "trackALAlertsInGitHub": true
}

When enabled:

Compiler warnings appear as annotations on changed files
Code scanning alerts show in the Security tab
Reviewers can see issues directly in the PR

Build Matrix

The workflow automatically determines which projects to build based on:

Changed files in the pull request
Project dependencies
Workflow depth setting

Workflow Permissions

Required permissions for the workflow:

permissions:
  actions: read          # Read workflow artifacts
  contents: read         # Read repository content
  id-token: write        # OIDC token for authentication
  pull-requests: read    # Read PR information
  security-events: write # Upload code scanning results
  packages: read         # Access GitHub Packages

Do not reduce these permissions as they are required for proper workflow operation.

Using with Branch Protection

Integrate the Pull Request Build with GitHub branch protection:

Navigate to Branch Protection

Go to Settings → Branches → Branch protection rules

Add Rule for Main

Create or edit the rule for your main branch.

Require Status Checks

Enable Require status checks to pass before mergingSelect the status check:

Pull Request Status Check

Optional: Require Code Analysis

Enable Require code scanning results if using code analysis.

Code Analysis Results

When code analysis is enabled, you’ll see:

In Pull Request Files Tab

Inline annotations on changed lines with issues
Severity levels: Error, Warning, Info
Quick links to AL documentation for code cops

In Security Tab

All issues from the build (not just changed lines)
Historical trends across builds
Issue tracking and resolution status

Code analysis results are posted to the PR head commit, ensuring they align with the exact code being reviewed.

Build Artifacts

PR builds generate artifacts with special naming:

Format: {ProjectName}-{BuildMode}-{ArtifactType}-PR{PRNumber}
Example: MyApp-Default-Apps-PR42

Artifact Types:

Apps: Compiled application files
TestApps: Test application files
ErrorLogs: Compilation and test error logs
BuildOutput: Build logs and metadata

Artifacts are automatically cleaned up after the retention period expires.

Testing Pull Requests

Automated Testing

The workflow automatically:

Runs all test codeunits in test apps
Collects test results in JUnit XML format
Reports failures in the workflow summary
Uploads test results as artifacts

Manual Testing

To manually test PR artifacts:

Download Artifacts

Go to the workflow run and download the app artifacts.

Install in Test Environment

Use the artifacts to install in your local or test environment:

Publish-BcContainerApp -containerName mycontainer `
  -appFile "MyApp-Default-Apps-PR42.app" `
  -skipVerification

Validate Changes

Test the functionality manually in your environment.

Troubleshooting

Build Fails on PR but Not Locally

Ensure you’re testing the merge commit, not just your branch. The PR build tests the result of merging into the target branch.

Code Analysis Not Showing

Verify that trackALAlertsInGitHub is enabled and the workflow has security-events: write permission.

Cancelled Builds

This is normal behavior. Each new commit cancels the previous build to save resources.

Pregate Check Fails

The PR may contain unauthorized changes to critical files. Review the VerifyPRChanges action output for details.

Best Practices

Keep PRs Small

Smaller pull requests build faster and are easier to review. Aim for focused changes.

Wait for Builds

Always wait for the PR build to complete before merging. Don’t bypass status checks.

Review Code Analysis

Address code analysis warnings before merging. They help maintain code quality.

Test Locally First

Run builds and tests locally before pushing to reduce workflow runs.

Example Workflow

A typical pull request workflow:

Developer creates PR from feature branch to main
PR Build triggers automatically
Pregate check validates the PR (if from fork)
Projects are determined based on changed files
Build runs on the merge commit
Tests execute and results are reported
Code analysis uploads issues to PR
Status check reports overall result
Developer addresses any issues
Reviewer approves after build succeeds
PR is merged into main

The Pull Request Build typically completes faster than CI/CD builds since it skips signing, deployment, and delivery steps.

Getting Started

Setup & Configuration

Core Workflows

Development

Deployment

AppSource Publishing

Advanced Topics

Migration

Overview

Key Features

Fast Feedback

Concurrency Control

Code Scanning

Short-lived Artifacts

Workflow Jobs

Concurrency Management

Differences from CI/CD Workflow

Configuration

Artifact Retention

Code Analysis

Build Matrix

Workflow Permissions

Using with Branch Protection

Code Analysis Results

In Pull Request Files Tab

In Security Tab

Build Artifacts

Testing Pull Requests

Automated Testing

Manual Testing

Troubleshooting

Build Fails on PR but Not Locally

Code Analysis Not Showing

Cancelled Builds

Pregate Check Fails

Best Practices

Example Workflow

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Getting Started

Setup & Configuration

Core Workflows

Development

Deployment

AppSource Publishing

Advanced Topics

Migration

​Overview

​Key Features

Fast Feedback

Concurrency Control

Code Scanning

Short-lived Artifacts

​Workflow Jobs

​Concurrency Management

​Differences from CI/CD Workflow

​Configuration

​Artifact Retention

​Code Analysis

​Build Matrix

​Workflow Permissions

​Using with Branch Protection

​Code Analysis Results

​In Pull Request Files Tab

​In Security Tab

​Build Artifacts

​Testing Pull Requests

​Automated Testing

​Manual Testing

​Troubleshooting

Build Fails on PR but Not Locally

Code Analysis Not Showing

Cancelled Builds

Pregate Check Fails

​Best Practices

​Example Workflow

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Key Features

Workflow Jobs

Concurrency Management

Differences from CI/CD Workflow

Configuration

Artifact Retention

Code Analysis

Build Matrix

Workflow Permissions

Using with Branch Protection

Code Analysis Results

In Pull Request Files Tab

In Security Tab

Build Artifacts

Testing Pull Requests

Automated Testing

Manual Testing

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Example Workflow