A Simple Guide to GitHub: Basic Concepts Many People Still Find Confusing

Author: Forrest Zhang

Recently, I noticed that many people do not fully understand GitHub, especially some less commonly used concepts such as fork, license, CLA, contributing, PR, and pull request. For people who are not professional software developers, GitHub can look confusing at first. There are many English terms, many buttons, and many workflows that seem technical. But the truth is simple: GitHub is mainly a platform for storing code, tracking changes, and letting people work together on software projects.

In this article, I will explain the most important GitHub concepts in plain English. The goal is not to turn you into an expert right away, but to help you understand what these words really mean and how they connect to each other in real projects.

Document Malware Scanning in Dynamics 365: What’s Covered by SharePoint vs Dataverse

Author: Forrest Zhang

When someone asks whether “Dynamics 365 supports virus scanning or document quarantining,” the correct answer is: it depends on where the document is stored. In Microsoft’s ecosystem, documents attached to Dynamics experiences typically live in one of two places:

• SharePoint / OneDrive (via Dynamics 365 “Document Management” integration)
• Dataverse (Notes/attachments, File columns, and other Dataverse-backed storage)

Both can provide malware protection, but the capabilities and the operational behavior differ.

How to Add a Custom Ribbon Button to the Global Command Bar in Dynamics 365 CRM

 The Global Command Bar is the toolbar at the top of every screen in your model-driven apps. This guide shows exactly how to add your own custom button to it using Ribbon Workbench.

What we will build: A “Create Case” button that opens a new Case form in a new browser tab — available everywhere in the app.

Document Governance for Audit-Ready Workflows: SharePoint + Dataverse Linking (Version-Proof Evidence)

Author: Forrest Zhang

Implementation Track: Post C (Audit-Ready Modernization)

Thumbnail Grid PCF: User Guidance

Author: Forrest Zhang  •  Version: 0.2.3

The Thumbnail Grid PCF turns a standard Dataverse subgrid into a clean, visual card layout with image, title, subtitle, and badges. It is useful when users need to quickly understand records by picture (files, products, assets, properties, listings, etc.) instead of scanning rows.

Dataverse + Cloudflare Integration Playbook

Author: Forrest Zhang

A privacy-safe reference architecture for secure, scalable self-service portals backed by Microsoft Dataverse—written as a reusable technical reference without any product or client branding.

Workflow Event Log in Dataverse: What to Capture (and What Not To) for Audit-Ready Traceability

Author: Forrest Zhang

Implementation Track: Post B (Audit-Ready Modernization)

Implementing Audit-Ready Status Transitions in Dataverse (Custom API + Guard Plugin Pattern)

Author: Forrest Zhang

Series: Audit-Ready Modernization – Implementation Track (Post A)

Designing Defensible Signature Experiences in Microsoft Power Pages

A risk-based blueprint for replacing PDF signatures in modern online intake portals

From One-Off Projects to Repeatable Platforms: Proving Impact with Metrics and Reusable Components

Author: Forrest Zhang

Series: Audit-Ready Modernization (Part 3 of 3)

RBAC That Scales: A Governance Model for Regulated Workflows (Role × Scope × Authority)

Author: Forrest Zhang

Series: Audit-Ready Modernization (Part 2 of 3)

Audit-Ready by Design: A Practical Framework for Modernizing Regulated Operations at Scale

Author: Forrest Zhang

Series: Audit-Ready Modernization (Part 1 of 3)

Dataverse Custom API vs. Classic Action

In Microsoft Dataverse / Dynamics 365 projects, we often need a clean way to implement “business operations” such as Submit, Approve, Reject, Close, Recalculate, or Validate. Two common options come up:

• Custom API (modern, contract-based)
• Classic Action (legacy process-based “Action”)

This article compares them in plain language, with real scenarios and governance considerations (security, auditability, and maintainability). It’s designed for solution architects, functional consultants, and makers who need to make the right platform choice, not just “get it working.”

How to Make Apps Reappear in macOS Applications After Moving Them

 

If you move apps to an external drive, they will disappear from the Applications folder. This is expected behavior. The fix is simple.

Do Dataverse Application Users Need API Permissions or Admin Consent?

 Short Answer: No.

When you use the Dataverse application user pattern, you do not need to:

• Add “Dynamics CRM” API permissions to your app registration, or

• Click “Grant admin consent” in Entra ID (Azure AD).

Everything is governed by the Dataverse application user + security roles, not by Entra “API permissions”.

Implementing Dynamic Subgrid Filtering in Power Apps Model-Driven Forms Introduction

 In the Rental Smart MVP project, we often need to display filtered data in subgrids on forms like the Property form. This helps property managers quickly view owner expenses without clutter. Here's a simple JavaScript function to dynamically filter the Owner Expense History subgrid for Bills that are historical (Paid or Void), linked to the property owner, and not unit-specific. It uses setFilterXml for UCI compatibility and assumes the subgrid is set up as a related entity grid for Charges.

Dataverse Date & Time columns: a practical guide

The two settings that matter

• Format: Date only or Date and time.

• Behavior: User Local, Date Only, or Time zone independent.

These decide storage, conversion, and what users see.

Deploying a Custom PCF Control from GitHub to Dynamics 365 as an Unmanaged Solution

 Introduction:

This tutorial guides you through building and deploying a Power Apps Component Framework (PCF) control from GitHub source code (already saved to a local folder like C:\PCF\RepoName) into a Dynamics 365 (Dataverse) DEV environment. We'll use an unmanaged solution for easy edits or deletion. This method uses production builds to avoid issues like the 'eval()' security flag in the Solution Checker.

How to Register Service Endpoint in the Dataverse Plugin Registration Tool?

 Follow the below steps to Register the Service Endpoint in the Dataverse Plugin Registration Tool.

Counting specific-user changes in Dataverse with Audit History

 Goal

Show how to count distinct records whose tracked columns were changed by a specific user (e.g., a Power Pages account), using Audit History only.

Optimizing Form Performance in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations: Four Essential Tips

 

In Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365 F&O), forms are the frontline of user interaction, but poor performance can turn them into bottlenecks—slow loads, UI freezes, and database contention frustrate users and tank productivity. Based on standard Microsoft practices and real-world developer discussions, this article breaks down four key optimization tips: judicious use of select forupdate, query indexing, minimizing client-side loops, and deferring non-essential data asynchronously. These aren't optional niceties; ignore them, and your forms will drag, especially in high-volume environments. We'll explain each with examples, assuming the latest online D365 F&O—no outdated hacks here.

Understanding Table Methods and Transactions in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations

 In Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365 F&O), working with table methods and transactions is fundamental for ensuring data integrity and extending system behavior without overwriting base code. This article dives into Chain of Command (CoC) extensions, the Transaction Tracking System (TTS), key table methods like insert/update/delete and their variants, and the nuances between validation methods such as validateField and reactive ones like modifiedField. Based on real-world discussions and standard Microsoft practices, we'll cover the essentials with examples. Assume the latest online D365 F&O version unless specified otherwise— no outdated workarounds here.

Dynamics 365 F&O developer bootcamp

 If your goal is to be job-ready as a Dynamics 365 F&O developer, here’s the list of areas that hiring managers expect you to cover. I’ve grouped them by skill area, and flagged the minimum core vs advanced/bonus:

Dynamics 365 CE(CRM) ↔ F&O: Comparison Cheat Sheet

Audience: CE developers moving into F&O or working across both. 

Goal: map concepts, components, and patterns one-to-one with concise examples.

Dynamics 365 → Clio Integration with Azure Service Bus & Durable Functions

From Zero to Working Demo: Power Automate → Azure Service Bus → Azure Durable Functions → Clio API

This guide walks a junior developer from a blank Azure subscription to a running integration that accepts a message, runs a Durable Function, and creates a contact in Clio via OAuth. It includes the Azure setup, the required environment variables, the project structure, and the end-to-end flow.

Quickstart: Create a C# Durable Functions app

 Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-functions/durable/durable-functions-isolated-create-first-csharp?pivots=code-editor-visualstudio

Showing Terms & Conditions (or Privacy Notice) in a Power Pages site that uses Azure AD B2C

 Why this matters

When you off‑load sign‑in to Azure AD B2C, the portal’s native login screen is bypassed. That can make it look as if the Authentication/Registration/TermsAgreementEnabled switch no longer works. It does—there are just a few extra pieces you need to wire up.

localStorage vs. Cookies — When to Use Each for Front-End State

Both localStorage and cookies let you remember things in the browser. They solve overlapping problems, but each one shines in a different scenario. Here’s a concise guide, plus a real example from an “on-boarding” tooltip that only shows the first time you visit a page.

Conditional BPF Switching in Dynamics 365 with JavaScript

Need different Business-Process-Flows (BPFs) for the same entity record depending on a field value?  The article below shows how to switch flows dynamically whenever the Appeal Type option-set changes—without hard-coding GUIDs. Drop this into your Blogger post and publish.

Assigning (or Un-assigning) a Contact’s Web Role with a Classic D365 Workflow

 

Portal web-roles drive what a portal user (contact) can see and do. If you only need a straightforward set-it-and-forget-it rule—no complex branching or API calls—a classic background workflow is still the quickest tool in the box.