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AL Bridge

AL Bridge - User guide

How to set up and use the app in Business Central.

1. Concepts in one minute

  • Business Central SaaS is sandboxed: it does not print to local printers, does not read or write folders, does not run local processes, and does not convert images, PDFs or digital signatures. AL Bridge closes that gap.
  • AL Bridge is a foundation, not a feature you use directly. Each capability ships as a separate module (print, print label, file system, PowerShell, SQL, barcode, shipping agents, UPS, DHL, and more) that plugs into it.
  • For on-premise work, modules queue an encrypted job; a local agent installed at the customer picks it up, runs it locally and writes the result back. Printing and file operations are driverless - nothing is installed on Business Central.
  • Some capabilities run as AppLibra cloud services (PDF rendering, GS1 GRF for Zebra labels, e-invoice signature and attachment handling). They run automatically when a module needs them.
  • Everything is orchestrated over the AL Message Passing bus, so modules and services compose without knowing about each other.

2. Prerequisites

  • Business Central 25.0 or higher (Cloud/SaaS).
  • The dependencies installed: AL License and Trial Management, AL Message Passing, AL Cryptography (all from AppLibra). AL Bridge is low-level infrastructure and does not depend on the Foundation App.
  • At least one connector module (for example AL Zebra Print Label, AL File Management, AL Direct Print, AL Shipping Agent): the modules are what you actually configure and use.
  • Permissions: assign the ALPBRPermission permission set. Most Bridge objects are internal infrastructure, so day-to-day access usually comes with the module you install.

You reach the app from Tell Me (search "Bridge Job Queue", "Webservice Setup", "File Management", "Bridge Job Queue Logs"), from the license card of each module (where the service status and license live), and from the AppLibra role center (Shift+F12 -> Explore other roles -> AppLibra) when the AppLibra platform is installed alongside the modules. AL Bridge has no activity group of its own - it is infrastructure.

3. Setup

3.1 Connect to the AppLibra cloud services

Open Webservice Setup (the record is created on first open). Fill in:

  • Web Service Url - the AppLibra cloud endpoint, preset to https://services.applibra.com.
  • Port - preset to 443.
  • Username and Password - the credentials for the cloud services. The password is masked and kept in Isolated Storage, never shown in clear text.

This connection powers the cloud-side capabilities (PDF from template, PNG to GRF, e-invoice signature and attachment handling). Leave the defaults unless AppLibra gives you different values.

3.2 License each module (trial first)

Every capability is licensed per module. When you install a connector module it registers a trial automatically, so you can start straight away. Open the module's license card (from AL License and Trial Management) to see its state:

  • Service Status tells you whether the local agent service for that module is installed. "The related service is installed!" means it is ready; otherwise the card asks you to install it.
  • Use Add License on the card to enter a purchased license when the trial ends.

3.3 Install the local agent

On-premise operations (printing, file system, local processes, carriers) need a local agent service running at the customer site. The agent is provided with the module that needs it and is installed by the customer once; from then on it collects the jobs Business Central queues, runs them locally and reports back. The single printers, folders and carrier accounts are configured inside each module, not in AL Bridge.

4. Daily use

Most days you do not open AL Bridge at all: you work in the modules, and Bridge carries the traffic underneath. The pages below are for setup, monitoring and troubleshooting.

4.1 Let a module do the work

When a module needs something the cloud cannot do - print a label, save a file, call a carrier - it queues a job on the Bridge and, if the capability is a cloud service, calls services.applibra.com. You trigger this from the module (print a label, post a shipment, export a document); the Bridge handles delivery and licensing behind the scenes.

4.2 Monitor the job queue

Open Bridge Job Queue to watch on-premise jobs flow through. Each row shows the Type (the module), a Description, Created At, the Job Status and, for file jobs, the File Action Type and the agent's IP Address. Job Status walks through:

  • None - queued, waiting for the agent.
  • Work in Progress - the local agent has picked it up and is running it.
  • Completed - done.
  • Error - it failed; see the logs.
  • Process Not Confirmed - the agent did not confirm the run.

Two factboxes let you inspect the payload: the PDF Viewer for print jobs and the Text Viewer for label, file, SQL and PowerShell jobs. Use Export Attached File to download a job's content.

4.3 Work with files

Open File Management to see the file-system jobs. Beyond the queue view it lets you move content in and out by hand: Import file brings a local file into a job, and Export file downloads a job's content. Each row carries the File Action Type (save, create or check a folder, move or copy a folder or its content, read a file, read a folder, delete, extract XML), whether the File Exists, the Job Status and a Status description with the outcome.

4.4 Use the cloud services (automatic)

The document services run on their own when a module asks for them: PNG to GRF for Zebra labels, PDF from a JSON template, PDF page count, e-invoice P7M signature decoding and attachment extraction. There is nothing to launch - just keep the Webservice Setup connection valid so the calls succeed.

4.5 Read the logs

Open Bridge Job Queue Logs for the history of what ran, with the Job ID, the Module and the timestamp. From a module's license card, Show Service Errors opens the logs filtered to that module, so you can go straight from a failing capability to its errors.

5. Where to find it

  • Tell Me: search "Bridge Job Queue", "Webservice Setup", "File Management" or "Bridge Job Queue Logs".
  • License card (per module): Service Status and Show Service Errors, plus Add License.
  • AppLibra hub: Shift+F12 -> Explore other roles -> AppLibra (present when the AppLibra platform is installed with the modules).
  • AL Bridge has no role-center activity group of its own: it is the shared infrastructure under the connector modules.

6. Tips and troubleshooting

  • A job never leaves "None" or stays "Work in Progress". The local agent is not running or cannot reach Business Central. Make sure the agent service for that module is installed and running; the Service Status on the module license card should read that the related service is installed.
  • "Please install the related service". The module has a license but no agent yet. Install the local agent that ships with the module, then reopen the license card.
  • A cloud service fails (labels not converted, PDF not built, P7M not decoded). Check Webservice Setup: the URL, the port and the credentials, and that the environment can reach services.applibra.com.
  • A job ends in Error. Open Bridge Job Queue Logs, or use Show Service Errors on the module license card to jump to that module's errors. The Status description on the job row often names the cause.
  • A capability refuses to run with a license message. Each capability is a separate licensed module. Check the trial or license on that module's license card; the Globe module is the exception and does not require a license check.
  • Nothing is configured in AL Bridge itself. Printers, folders and carrier accounts live in the modules. AL Bridge only carries the connection, the queue and the logs.

7. Support and resources