Enhance customALGoFiles feature by OleWunschmann · Pull Request #2273 · microsoft/AL-Go

OleWunschmann · 2026-06-03T15:24:31Z

❔What, Why & How

New file removal feature:

Added a new filesToRemove field to the customALGoFiles section in both the in-memory settings and the JSON schema, allowing users to specify files that should always be removed from the repository during updates, regardless of their presence in the template. (Actions/.Modules/ReadSettings.psm1, Actions/.Modules/settings.schema.json) [1] [2]

Update logic improvements:

Refactored the logic in GetFilesToUpdate and related helper functions to merge filesToInclude, filesToExclude, and filesToRemove from both repository and template settings, propagate removals from upstream templates, and correctly resolve file paths for removal operations. (Actions/CheckForUpdates/CheckForUpdates.HelperFunctions.ps1) [1] [2] [3]
Added the ResolveFilePathsInDestinationFolder function to accurately identify files for removal in the target repository, supporting per-project and destination-relative path resolution. (Actions/CheckForUpdates/CheckForUpdates.HelperFunctions.ps1)

Telemetry and settings handling:

Enhanced telemetry to track usage of filesToInclude, filesToExclude, and filesToRemove for both repository and template settings, providing better insights into feature adoption. (Actions/CheckForUpdates/CheckForUpdates.HelperFunctions.ps1)
Updated the call to ReadSettings to include the -trigger parameter, ensuring settings are read with the correct context. (Actions/CheckForUpdates/CheckForUpdates.ps1)
Prepared for template settings merging by initializing $templateRepoSettings and adjusting template download logic. (Actions/CheckForUpdates/CheckForUpdates.ps1)

Related to discussion: #2227

✅ Checklist

Add tests (E2E, unit tests)
Update RELEASENOTES.md
Update documentation (e.g. for new settings or scenarios)
Add telemetry

Copilot

Pull request overview

Note

Copilot was unable to run its full agentic suite in this review.

This PR enhances the customALGoFiles behavior during “Update AL-Go System Files”, adding support for unconditional removals (filesToRemove) and improving custom-template behavior by merging template settings directly and resolving files from the original AL-Go template where applicable.

Changes:

Add customALGoFiles.filesToRemove support end-to-end (schema, defaults, resolution logic, docs, and release notes).
Update CheckForUpdates to read template repo settings via ReadSettings and merge template settings during file resolution.
Expand automated coverage (unit + e2e) for include/exclude/remove resolution and custom-template propagation.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 9 out of 9 changed files in this pull request and generated 7 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
e2eTests/scenarios/CustomTemplate/runtest.ps1	Extends e2e scenario to validate custom-template file include/exclude/remove propagation and workflow presence.
Tests/CheckForUpdates.Action.Test.ps1	Adds unit tests for destination-folder resolution and expanded `GetFilesToUpdate` behaviors (including `filesToRemove`).
Actions/CheckForUpdates/CheckForUpdates.ps1	Updates settings reading (incl. `trigger`) and wires template settings + `filesToRemove` into update/removal flow.
Actions/CheckForUpdates/CheckForUpdates.HelperFunctions.ps1	Implements `ResolveFilePathsInDestinationFolder` and extends `GetFilesToUpdate` to produce include/exclude/remove lists.
Actions/.Modules/settings.schema.json	Extends settings schema with `customALGoFiles.filesToRemove` and clarifying descriptions.
Actions/.Modules/ReadSettings.psm1	Adds default `filesToRemove` array under `customALGoFiles`.
Scenarios/settings.md	Documents `customALGoFiles.filesToRemove` in settings reference.
Scenarios/CustomizingALGoForGitHub.md	Adds conceptual docs + examples for original-template resolution and `filesToRemove`.
RELEASENOTES.md	Documents enhanced `customALGoFiles` behavior and new `filesToRemove`.

Copilot

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 9 out of 9 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

OleWunschmann · 2026-06-09T16:28:58Z

+                            "sourceFolder": {
+                                "type": "string",
+                                "description": "The source folder from which to remove files, relative to the template repository root."
+                            },
+                            "filter": {
+                                "type": "string",
+                                "description": "A filter string to select which files to remove. It can contain '*' and '?' wildcards."
+                            },
+                            "destinationFolder": {
+                                "type": "string",
+                                "description": "The destination folder where the files should be removed, relative to the repository root."
+                            },
+                            "perProject": {
+                                "type": "boolean",
+                                "description": "Indicates whether the removal should be applied per project. In that case, destinationFolder is relative to each project folder."
+                            }
+                        }


I added the support for destinationName based on the same property of filesToInclude, which is also not documented or defined in the schema.

@mazhelez What do you think about adding the property for filesToInclude and filesToRemove in the documentation and schema?

I extended the schema and documentation for property destinationName

OleWunschmann · 2026-06-09T16:31:13Z

@mazhelez The failing PS5 tests should be fixed now.

…es-feature

mazhelez · 2026-07-15T21:31:28Z

                    }
+                },
+                "filesToRemove": {
+                    "description": "An array of file specifications to unconditionally remove from the repository during 'Update AL-Go System Files', regardless of whether the files exist in the template. Useful for cleaning up files that have been removed from the template but may still exist in repositories.",


... regardless of whether the files exist in the template

That's the part that made us leave out filesToRemove from the initial implementation of "custom AL-Go files".

If the files are not in the template, they are not considered AL-Go files, so why would AL-Go clean them up?

Right now a custom template (and AL-Go) cannot remove/rename a file, because these changes in the template are not propagated to repos that use it.
The current workaround is to keep the file in the template and add it to "filesToExclude". This works, but it’s messy and pollutes the template repository.

With filesToRemove a custom template could remove files in the final repositories without the need to keep them.

Copilot

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 9 out of 9 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

Comments suppressed due to low confidence (1)

Actions/CheckForUpdates/CheckForUpdates.HelperFunctions.ps1:1205

Removal destinations are not constrained to $baseFolder. A filesToRemove entry with a matching template file and destinationFolder = '..' produces a destinationFullPath outside the repository; CheckForUpdates.ps1 later converts it to a relative path and passes it to Remove-Item. Normalize every removal destination and reject paths that are not descendants of the repository root before returning this list.

        $filesToRemove += @(ResolveFilePaths -sourceFolder $originalTemplateFolder -destinationFolder $baseFolder -files $filesToRemoveUnresolved -projects $projects)
    }
    $filesToRemove += @(ResolveFilePaths -sourceFolder $templateFolder -originalSourceFolder $originalTemplateFolder -destinationFolder $baseFolder -files $filesToRemoveUnresolved -projects $projects)
    $filesToRemove += @(ResolveFilePathsInDestinationFolder -destinationFolder $baseFolder -files $filesToRemoveUnresolved -projects $projects)

+    if ($null -ne $templateSettings) {
+        $filesToIncludeUnresolved += $templateSettings.customALGoFiles.filesToInclude
+    }
+    $filesToIncludeUnresolved += $settings.customALGoFiles.filesToInclude


OleWunschmann · 2026-07-21T18:43:00Z

+$removeFiles = @($filesToExclude) + @($filesToRemove) | Where-Object { $_ -and (Test-Path -Path $_.destinationFullPath -PathType Leaf) } | ForEach-Object {
    $relativePath = Resolve-Path -Path $_.destinationFullPath -Relative


These issues are already in the codebase and worked fine until now.

+| Yes | No | Yes | File from **original template** is propagated |
+| No | Yes | Yes | File from **custom template** is propagated |
+| Yes | Yes | Yes | File from **custom template** is used (takes precedence) |


Copilot

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 9 out of 9 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

Comments suppressed due to low confidence (1)

Actions/CheckForUpdates/CheckForUpdates.HelperFunctions.ps1:1205

The source-path boundary check does not validate the generated destination. A spec can match a legitimate template file while setting destinationFolder to ../..., producing a filesToRemove entry outside $baseFolder; CheckForUpdates.ps1 later converts that to a relative traversal path and passes it to Remove-Item. Normalize each destinationFullPath and reject entries outside the repository root before returning this removal list.

        $filesToRemove += @(ResolveFilePaths -sourceFolder $originalTemplateFolder -destinationFolder $baseFolder -files $filesToRemoveUnresolved -projects $projects)
    }
    $filesToRemove += @(ResolveFilePaths -sourceFolder $templateFolder -originalSourceFolder $originalTemplateFolder -destinationFolder $baseFolder -files $filesToRemoveUnresolved -projects $projects)
    $filesToRemove += @(ResolveFilePathsInDestinationFolder -destinationFolder $baseFolder -files $filesToRemoveUnresolved -projects $projects)

+    # Determine files to include
+    $filesToIncludeUnresolved = GetDefaultFilesToInclude -includeCustomTemplateFiles:$hasOriginalTemplate
+    if ($null -ne $templateSettings) {
+        $filesToIncludeUnresolved += $templateSettings.customALGoFiles.filesToInclude
+    }
+    $filesToIncludeUnresolved += $settings.customALGoFiles.filesToInclude
+    $filesToInclude = @()
+    if ($hasOriginalTemplate) {
+        $filesToInclude += @(ResolveFilePaths -sourceFolder $originalTemplateFolder -destinationFolder $baseFolder -files $filesToIncludeUnresolved -projects $projects)
+    }
+    $filesToInclude += @(ResolveFilePaths -sourceFolder $templateFolder -originalSourceFolder $originalTemplateFolder -destinationFolder $baseFolder -files $filesToIncludeUnresolved -projects $projects)
+    # Remove duplicates based on destinationFullPath, keeping the last one (setting > template settings > defaults; template folder > original template folder)
+    $filesToInclude = @($filesToInclude | Group-Object { $_.destinationFullPath } | Sort-Object -Property Name | ForEach-Object { $_.Group[-1] })


+    # Determine files to exclude
+    $filesToExcludeUnresolved = GetDefaultFilesToExclude -settings $settings
+    if ($null -ne $templateSettings) {
+        $filesToExcludeUnresolved += $templateSettings.customALGoFiles.filesToExclude
+    }
+    $filesToExcludeUnresolved += $settings.customALGoFiles.filesToExclude
+    $filesToExclude = @()
+    if ($hasOriginalTemplate) {
+        $filesToExclude += @(ResolveFilePaths -sourceFolder $originalTemplateFolder -destinationFolder $baseFolder -files $filesToExcludeUnresolved -projects $projects)
+    }
+    $filesToExclude += @(ResolveFilePaths -sourceFolder $templateFolder -originalSourceFolder $originalTemplateFolder -destinationFolder $baseFolder -files $filesToExcludeUnresolved -projects $projects)
+    # Remove duplicates based on destinationFullPath, keeping the last one (setting > template settings > defaults; template folder > original template folder)
+    $filesToExclude = @($filesToExclude | Group-Object { $_.destinationFullPath } | Sort-Object -Property Name | ForEach-Object { $_.Group[-1] })


+(Join-Path (Get-Location) $defaultCustomFileName) | Should -Not -Exist
+# Check that optional custom file is NOT present in final repository
+(Join-Path (Get-Location) $optionalCustomFileName) | Should -Not -Exist
+# Check that legacy workflow file is present in final repository


Co-authored-by: Copilot Autofix powered by AI <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 9 out of 9 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

Comments suppressed due to low confidence (3)

Actions/CheckForUpdates/CheckForUpdates.HelperFunctions.ps1:1178

The stated precedence is not applied within a source folder. ResolveFilePaths suppresses duplicate destinationFullPath values as it iterates, and this unresolved list is ordered defaults → template settings → repository settings, so the first/default or template entry wins before this grouping can keep the last entry. A repository include targeting the same destination as a template include is therefore silently ignored. Resolve all candidates before deduplicating, or process the specifications in precedence order.

    # Remove duplicates based on destinationFullPath, keeping the last one (setting > template settings > defaults; template folder > original template folder)
    $filesToInclude = @($filesToInclude | Group-Object { $_.destinationFullPath } | Sort-Object -Property Name | ForEach-Object { $_.Group[-1] })

Actions/CheckForUpdates/CheckForUpdates.HelperFunctions.ps1:1205

Template-resolved removals can produce a destinationFullPath outside $baseFolder: for example, an entry with destinationFolder = '..' is resolved from a valid template source and retained here, even though destination-folder resolution rejects the escaped target. The caller later converts this path to ../... and passes it to Remove-Item in the cloned workspace, enabling deletion attempts outside the repository or causing the update to fail. Normalize each destination with GetFullPath and reject paths that are not strictly within $baseFolder before returning removal entries.

    $filesToRemove += @(ResolveFilePaths -sourceFolder $templateFolder -originalSourceFolder $originalTemplateFolder -destinationFolder $baseFolder -files $filesToRemoveUnresolved -projects $projects)
    $filesToRemove += @(ResolveFilePathsInDestinationFolder -destinationFolder $baseFolder -files $filesToRemoveUnresolved -projects $projects)

e2eTests/scenarios/CustomTemplate/runtest.ps1:364

This assertion checks a custom text file, not a workflow file; the comment is misleading.

# Check that legacy workflow file is present in final repository

 $projects = @(GetProjectsFromRepository -baseFolder $baseFolder -projectsFromSettings $repoSettings.projects)

-$filesToInclude, $filesToExclude = GetFilesToUpdate -settings $repoSettings -projects $projects -baseFolder $baseFolder -templateFolder $templateFolder -originalTemplateFolder $originalTemplateFolder
+$filesToInclude, $filesToExclude, $filesToRemove = GetFilesToUpdate -settings $repoSettings -projects $projects -baseFolder $baseFolder -templateFolder $templateFolder -templateSettings $templateRepoSettings -originalTemplateFolder $originalTemplateFolder


    }

+    It 'ResolveFilePaths skips files in folder whose name starts with source folder name' {
+        # Create a external file in folder whose name starts with the same prefix as sourceFolder


+
+        $filesToInclude, $filesToExclude, $filesToRemove = GetFilesToUpdate -settings $settings -baseFolder $baseFolder -templateFolder $templateFolder
+
+        # filesToRemove should one entry resolved from the base folder


+(Join-Path (Get-Location) $customWorkflowfileRelativePath) | Should -Exist
+Get-ContentLF -Path (Join-Path (Get-Location) $customWorkflowfileRelativePath) | Should -Be $finalRepoCustomWorkflowContent.Replace("`r", "").TrimEnd("`n")
+
+# Check that default custom file is NOT present (in repos's filesToExclude and template's filesToInclude)


Enhance customALGoFiles feature (#3)

0d9e05e

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings June 3, 2026 15:24

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OleWunschmann added 2 commits June 3, 2026 17:35

fixed typo

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fixed function description

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OleWunschmann and others added 2 commits June 9, 2026 18:17

Fixed tests for ps5 and string-prefix check for folder traversal

50ad11c

Merge branch 'main' into enhance-customALGoFiles-feature

7aa8766

OleWunschmann and others added 5 commits June 12, 2026 11:12

Merge branch 'main' into enhance-customALGoFiles-feature

f7496cc

Merge branch 'main' into enhance-customALGoFiles-feature

11e2efc

Merge branch 'main' into enhance-customALGoFiles-feature

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Merge branch 'main' into enhance-customALGoFiles-feature

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Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into enhance-customALGoFil…

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…es-feature

spetersenms reviewed Jul 7, 2026

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Comment thread RELEASENOTES.md

spetersenms reviewed Jul 7, 2026

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Comment thread RELEASENOTES.md

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into enhance-customALGoFil…

2d24972

…es-feature

OleWunschmann requested a review from spetersenms July 9, 2026 17:11

OleWunschmann added 2 commits July 14, 2026 18:27

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into enhance-customALGoFil…

5976abe

…es-feature

Extended settings schema and documentation for "destinationName"

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OleWunschmann added 2 commits July 20, 2026 16:13

Merge branch 'main' into enhance-customALGoFiles-feature

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Merge branch 'main' into enhance-customALGoFiles-feature

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Merge branch 'main' into enhance-customALGoFiles-feature

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Potential fix for pull request finding

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Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings July 23, 2026 09:52

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		$removeFiles = @($filesToExclude) + @($filesToRemove) \| Where-Object { $_ -and (Test-Path -Path $_.destinationFullPath -PathType Leaf) } \| ForEach-Object {
		$relativePath = Resolve-Path -Path $_.destinationFullPath -Relative


		$filesToInclude, $filesToExclude, $filesToRemove = GetFilesToUpdate -settings $settings -baseFolder $baseFolder -templateFolder $templateFolder

		# filesToRemove should one entry resolved from the base folder

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OleWunschmann commented Jun 3, 2026

❔What, Why & How

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OleWunschmann commented Jun 9, 2026

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