How event hooks are called in CU80 in NAV2016 - is this a bug in standard NAV?

Hi all,

We discovered something in CU80 in NAV2016. Like all previous versions of NAV, a local copy of the passed REC is assigned to a global variable, and then that variable has updates made to it. For example, The code starts on line 21 where "SalesHeader := Rec". Then, on line 42, function SetShipInvoiceReceiveFlags is called, passing SalesHeader as a parameter. That function updates certain fields in SalesHeader. So after that function is called, the values in REC are different than SalesHeader:

21		SalesHeader := Rec;  //Rec gets copied to SalesHeader here
22		TempServiceItem2.DELETEALL;
23		TempServiceItemComp2.DELETEALL;
24		WITH SalesHeader DO BEGIN
25		  TESTFIELD("On Hold",'');
26		  CheckMandatoryHeaderFields(Rec);
27		  GLSetup.GET;
28		  IF GLSetup."PAC Environment" <> GLSetup."PAC Environment"::Disabled THEN
29		    TESTFIELD("Payment Method Code");
30		
31		  IF GenJnlCheckLine.DateNotAllowed("Posting Date") THEN
32		    FIELDERROR("Posting Date",Text045);
33		
34		  IF "Tax Area Code" = '' THEN
35		    SalesTaxCountry := SalesTaxCountry::NoTax
36		  ELSE BEGIN
37		    TaxArea.GET("Tax Area Code");
38		    SalesTaxCountry := TaxArea."Country/Region";
39		    UseExternalTaxEngine := TaxArea."Use External Tax Engine";
40		  END;
41		
42		  SetShipInvoiceReceiveFlags(SalesHeader);
43		
44		  IF NOT (Ship OR Invoice OR Receive) THEN
45		    ERROR(
46		      Text020,
47		      FIELDCAPTION(Ship),FIELDCAPTION(Invoice),FIELDCAPTION(Receive));

Between lines 47 and 1353, a number of other functions are called that modify SalesHeader.
..subsequently, down on line 1354, REC is then assigned the updated value of SalesHeader.

There are numerous other function calls that update SalesHeader before REC gets the fully-updated values. A couple of examples:
SendICDocument on line 228
ServItemMgt.CreateServItemOnSalesInvoice(SalesHeader) on line 254

Now, here's the problem as we see it. On Line 174, an Event Hook is called - but with REC instead of SalesHeader:

174          OnBeforePostCommitSalesDoc(Rec,GenJnlPostLine,PreviewMode,ModifyHeader);

So, if we create event code that is called by this hook that modifies REC, then those changes will be overwritten with the values of SalesHeader down on line 1354.

Let’s take a very simple example. Let’s say that our event hook code modifies the field "Salesperson Code".
At line 32, let’s say that Salesperson Code is currently “ROBERT”:

SalesHeader := Rec;  // now SalesHeader.”Salesperson Code” = “ROBERT"

Then the OnBeforePostCommitSalesDoc hook is called at Line 174. If the Hook is called with REC, and the event code changes the Salesperson code to “JOHN”, then after the hook is called:

Salesperson.”SalesPerson Code” = “ROBERT” but REC.”Salesperson Code” = “JOHN”

Then, in line 1366:

Rec := SalesHeader;

So, after that line:
Salesperson.”SalesPerson Code” = “ROBERT” and REC.”Salesperson Code” = “ROBERT”

..so the results of the event code update have been overwritten.

We submitted this issue to Microsoft, and their current position is that this is not a bug.
I'm wondering what the NAV community thinks - are we in the wrong here?
We of course worked around it by changing the call the to the OnBeforePostCommitSalesDoc hook to pass SalesHeader instead of REC:

174          OnBeforePostCommitSalesDoc(SalesHeader,GenJnlPostLine,PreviewMode,ModifyHeader);

Currently, this is the only current Integration Event hook in CU80 that has this problem - there are only 3 event hooks in CU80 in this version of NAV, but I believe that additional hooks are planned in future versions (I haven't looked at NAV2017 yet). But the same/similar problem exists in CU90, and I would expect that there are other standard event hooks that do/will have this same issue.

I would be interested in other opinions out there.
Thanks
Ron Saritzky