Business Central now allows developers to define the ToolTip and ToolTipML properties directly on page objects.
When a navigation action uses RunObject = page X and does not specify its own tooltip, the action can inherit the tooltip defined on the target page.
What changed in Business Central?
ToolTip and ToolTipML are now available at the page object level in AL.
Previously, tooltip information for navigation scenarios could be defined on the action itself. With this change, developers can also place the tooltip definition directly on the page.
For example:
page 50100 MyPage
{
ToolTip = 'Opens the My Page page.';
// ...
}This gives the page its own descriptive tooltip metadata.
How does page-level ToolTip inheritance work?
Consider a navigation action that opens the page:
RunObject = page MyPage;If that action does not have an explicitly defined tooltip, Business Central can inherit the tooltip from MyPage.
In other words, the page becomes the source of the tooltip information when the action does not provide its own value.
This follows the existing behavior used for reports and provides a more consistent approach to tooltip handling across Business Central objects.
Why is this useful for AL developers?
The change is relatively small, but it can simplify how tooltip information is maintained.
1. Define tooltip information at the page level
A page can now describe itself through its own tooltip. This can make the intent of the page clearer and keep related metadata close to the page definition.
2. Reduce duplicated tooltip definitions
If multiple navigation actions open the same page and should display the same tooltip, developers don't necessarily need to repeat the same text on each action.
Instead, the tooltip can be defined on the page and inherited by actions where appropriate.
3. Maintain consistent user guidance
Centralizing tooltip information can help keep descriptions consistent across different navigation paths into the same page.
This is especially useful in larger Business Central solutions where the same page may be referenced from multiple locations.
4. Align page behavior with reports
Microsoft already supports similar tooltip inheritance behavior for reports. Making ToolTip and ToolTipML available on pages brings the two object types closer together from a developer experience perspective.
What happens when an action has its own ToolTip?
The page-level tooltip is not intended to remove the developer's ability to customize an individual action.
When an action explicitly specifies its own tooltip, that action-level value can be used instead of relying on the page's inherited tooltip.
This gives developers a useful hierarchy:
Define a general tooltip on the page.
Let navigation actions inherit it when appropriate.
Override it on a specific action when a different description is needed.
A simple AL example
A page can define its tooltip like this:
page 50100 MyPage
{
PageType = Card;
ApplicationArea = All;
SourceTable = Customer;
ToolTip = 'Opens the My Page page.';
layout
{
area(Content)
{
group(General)
{
field(Name; Rec.Name)
{
ApplicationArea = All;
}
}
}
}
}A navigation action can then target the page:
action(OpenMyPage)
{
ApplicationArea = All;
Caption = 'Open My Page';
RunObject = page MyPage;
}Because the action does not define its own tooltip, the page-level tooltip can provide the descriptive text for the navigation action.
If a different tooltip is required for this particular action, the action can explicitly define one.
What is ToolTipML?
ToolTipML is the multilingual version of the tooltip property. It allows tooltip text to be represented for multiple languages.
With both ToolTip and ToolTipML available on page objects, developers have the same broader capability for page-level tooltip metadata while supporting localized applications.
For applications deployed across multiple languages, this can be important for providing appropriate user guidance.
When should you use a page-level tooltip?
A page-level tooltip makes the most sense when the description is fundamentally about the page itself and can be reused by navigation scenarios.
For example, a page that represents a particular business process or entity can have a concise description explaining what users can expect when opening it.
An action-level tooltip is still useful when the action performs something more specific than simply opening the target page, or when the action needs wording that differs from the page's general description.
The key is to use the level that best represents the meaning of the tooltip.
What should Business Central developers take away?
The important point is not simply that another AL property is available. The more useful change is the ability to define reusable page-level tooltip information and have navigation actions inherit it when they don't specify their own tooltip.
For developers, this can mean:
Less duplicated tooltip text.
More consistent user guidance.
Cleaner metadata management.
Better alignment between page and report behavior.
More flexibility when building reusable Business Central solutions.
FAQ
Can ToolTip now be defined directly on a Business Central page?
Yes. The ToolTip property can now be set at the page object level.
Can ToolTipML also be defined on pages?
Yes. ToolTipML is also available at the page object level.
When does an action inherit a page's tooltip?
When a navigation action uses RunObject = page X and does not explicitly specify its own tooltip, it can inherit the tooltip from the target page.
Can an action still have its own tooltip?
Yes. An explicitly specified action tooltip can override the inherited page tooltip.
Is this similar to report tooltip behavior?
Yes. The page-level behavior mirrors the existing tooltip inheritance pattern for reports.
Final takeaway
Page-level ToolTip and ToolTipML properties provide Business Central developers with a cleaner way to describe pages and reuse that information through navigation actions.
For simple scenarios, the change may only require adding a ToolTip property to the page. For larger applications, the ability to centralize reusable tooltip information can help reduce duplication and improve consistency across the user experience.
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