AdvancedInfor LNLN Studio / Session Designer

How to create a custom session in Infor LN Studio

Question

how to create a custom session in infor ln studio

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Short answer

Infor LN Studio's session designer generates a new maintenance, overview or detail session from a table definition, then lets you arrange fields, attach DAL2 validation, and wire menu access, all inside a custom package so the session survives upgrades. Building on a custom table gives the lowest upgrade risk; extending a standard table needs more care and re-testing after every release.

Applies to: Infor LN Enterprise Edition, Infor LN Studio (Eclipse-based IDE)

Build and deploy a custom session in LN Studio

1Launch Infor LN Studio and open, or create, a custom development package linked to your VRC.
2If the session needs a new custom table, define it first: fields, keys and indices, inside the custom package.
3Use the session designer to generate a new session against the table, choosing the session type: maintain, overview, detail or specific.
4Arrange the generated form: group fields, set tab order, add choice fields, and attach any DAL2 business logic handlers needed for validation.
5Set session properties: title, authorization group, help text, and whether the session is a maintenance or read-only overview.
6Compile the package and correct any generation or reference errors reported by LN Studio.
7Add the session to a menu entry so users can reach it, and assign the correct authorization group.
8Deploy to a test VRC, log in as a test user, and run the session end to end: create, change and delete where applicable.
9Promote through acceptance to production following your standard change control, and log the session in your customization register.

What LN Studio actually generates

LN Studio produces a session's form definition and default data-handling logic straight from the table metadata, which saves you from hand-coding the UI layer field by field. You then customize the layout, attach DAL2 handlers for anything beyond basic create, change, delete and query behavior, and connect the session to a menu.

This model-driven approach is why LN Studio sessions stay consistent with the look and behavior of standard LN sessions: the generator applies the same form patterns Infor's own sessions use.

Custom tables vs extending standard tables

Building a session on a brand-new custom table is the lowest-risk path: nothing about it depends on how Infor structures its own tables, so upgrades rarely touch it.

A session that surfaces a standard table with extra custom fields needs the field added through a table extension in your custom package, then referenced from the session. This carries more upgrade risk, because a base table's structure, field names or positions can change between releases, so re-test that session every upgrade rather than assuming it still compiles cleanly.

Authorization and menu placement

Assign a proper authorization group to every custom session; skipping this leaves a maintenance session reachable by anyone with generic access. Put the new entry under a custom menu rather than a standard one where possible, since standard menus can be reorganized by Infor on the next upgrade, which quietly breaks navigation paths users had bookmarked or memorized.

Testing before promotion

Test the session against data volumes closer to production than a handful of sample records, since a missing index or an inefficient query in the generated overview session often only shows up under real row counts.

Confirm any DAL2 validation attached to the session actually fires for every relevant path, including edge cases like deleting a record that has dependent data, before promoting the package beyond your test VRC.

Common pitfalls

!Building the custom session directly inside a standard Infor package instead of your own custom package.
!Skipping authorization group assignment, leaving a sensitive maintenance session open to any user with generic access.
!Testing only with a handful of sample records, so a slow query or missing index only surfaces after go-live.
!Placing the new session under a standard menu that gets reorganized on the next LN upgrade, breaking navigation.
!Referencing standard table fields without planning to re-test the session on every future upgrade.
!Not documenting the custom session in the customization register, so nobody remembers why it exists two upgrades later.

How an ERP-grounded AI assistant handles this

Once a custom LN Studio session and its table are described to a grounded AI agent, it can answer support questions about what the session does without a separate document being written, and it can flag when a proposed new field name collides with an existing standard table column before you generate the session, catching the conflict at design time instead of at compile time.

See ERPray

Frequently asked questions

Does LN Studio require Eclipse?

Yes. Infor LN Studio is delivered as a set of plugins on the Eclipse IDE, so you develop DAL2 logic, table definitions and sessions inside that Eclipse-based workspace connected to your LN Enterprise Edition environment.

Can I build a custom session without writing any DAL2 code?

Yes, for simple maintain or overview sessions on a custom table, since LN Studio generates standard create, change, delete and query logic automatically. You only need DAL2 code for validation, defaulting or calculated fields beyond that generated baseline.

Will a custom session survive an Infor LN upgrade?

A session built in its own custom package on a custom table usually survives cleanly. A session that references standard table fields needs re-testing every upgrade, because Infor can change those fields' names, types or positions.

How is a custom session different from personalizing a standard one?

Personalization changes how an existing standard session looks or behaves for a user or role, using the session's own runtime personalization tools. Building a custom session in LN Studio creates a brand-new session backed by its own logic and, usually, its own table.

Advanced

How to extend business logic in Infor LN with DAL2

DAL2 lets you add custom validation, defaulting and calculation logic to Infor LN Enterprise Edition tables by writing a Java business logic handler class and registering it against a table event, without editing the standard DAL. Because the logic sits in your own package rather than inside Infor's base code, it survives upgrades that would otherwise overwrite a direct DAL change.

How-to

How to publish a BOD from Infor LN to Infor ION

Publishing a Business Object Document from Infor LN means flagging the relevant table or session for BOD publish, confirming LN's connection point to Infor ION is active, and building the document flow in ION Desk so changes like a new sales order are broadcast as a standard OAGIS-style XML message that other applications can subscribe to.

Advanced

How to diagnose and fix a slow Infor LN session

A slow Infor LN session is usually caused by an unindexed or overly broad database query, unarchived data bloating a transaction table, or resource pressure on the Java application tier, and occasionally by a recently added custom DAL2 handler. The fix starts with isolating which tier the delay is actually in rather than guessing at a solution.

How-to

Baan IV to Infor LN migration checklist

Moving from Baan IV to Infor LN is a re-implementation, not an in-place upgrade, because the two products differ in data model, session technology and, for LN Enterprise Edition, the underlying runtime. The checklist centers on inventorying customizations, converting master data, rebuilding logic rather than porting it, and running a real parallel test before cutover.

Error fix

Infor LN bshell Process Stuck at 100% CPU: How to Diagnose and Fix It

A bshell process pinned at 100% CPU on the Infor LN application server almost always means one session is stuck in a 4GL loop, scanning an unindexed table, or waiting on a database lock. End the session from the Sessions Monitor first, then kill the OS process only if that fails, and check for a blocking database transaction before assuming it is a bug.

Error fix

Infor LN Not Authorized to Run This Session: How to Fix It

Infor LN refuses to open a session with a not authorized message when the logged-in user's assigned role does not include that session, or when the session is blocked for the company they are logged into. Grant the session through Common > Authorization Management > Roles, or check the user's role and company context, and the session opens on retry. In most cases this is a permissions configuration issue, not a bug.

AI for ERP

AI for Infor LN: Sessions, BODs, and Engineer-to-Order Work

Add grounded AI to Infor LN 10.x or CloudSuite: natural-language answers over sessions and BODs, agents for project and engineer-to-order work, on-prem options.