Some Client Add-ins will be created, packaged, and distributed by ISV Partners who specialize in an application area. When enhancing a system for a customer's specific application, we may decide to create a special purpose add-in.

As with any API, there is a defined approach that we must use to create a Client Add-in to interface with the NAV Windows RTC. So long as the code within the add-in is well-behaved .NET code, we have a great deal of flexibility in the structure of the code within the add-in. The control can be one we create, a standard WinForms control or one that we've acquired from a third party.

Once we have the .NET control we'll use for our application, we will need to build the add-in structure that envelopes the control. The most logical toolsets to build add-ins are current versions of Visual Studio or one of the free downloadable tools, such as Visual Studio Community for C#. When building an add-in, we must make sure that we are using a compatible version of .NET Framework. The Developer and IT Pro Help in NAV 2017 contains many Help sections covering a wide variety of topics relating to Client Add-ins. Here's a partial list of such sections:

• Binding a Windows Client Control Add-in to the Database
• Client Extensibility API Overview
• Developing Windows Client Control Add-ins
• Exposing Events and Calling Respective C/AL Triggers from a Windows Client Control Add-in
• Exposing Methods and Properties in a Windows Client Control Add-in
• Extending the Windows Client Using Control Add-ins
• How to Create a Window Client Control Add-in
• How to Determine the Public Key Token of the Windows Client Control Add-in
• How to Install a Windows Client Control Add-in Assembly
• How to Register a Windows Client Control Add-in
• Installing and Configuring Windows Client Control Add-ins on Pages
• Walkthrough: Creating and Using a Window Client Control Add-in
• Windows Client Control Add-in Overview