Workflow files from Microsoft's repo override changes in my custom template repo

[navdotnetreqs]

Hi,

I have a customized _BuildALGoProject.yaml in my private template repo, since I need to add a step and as far as I can tell that cannot be done otherwise. I am ready to do a manual PR review to keep my own changes whenever I update this template repo.

My other repos point to this custom template repo. This custom template repo points to
"templateUrl": "https://github.com/microsoft/AL-Go-PTE@main",

When I run Update AL-Go System files from my repositories, the workflow file gets it's content from MS's repo, not my custom template repo. I suppose it's related to this:

2025-11-10T03:17:09.1702791Z - _BuildALGoProject.yaml
2025-11-10T03:17:09.1772640Z File is available in the 'original' template repository

If I set my custom template repo to point to itself, the repositories get the right content. But then I cannot cron the update of the template repo.

Is this on purpose?

[mazhelez]

Hi @navdotnetreqs what customizations exactly do you have in your template repo?

I see the doc at https://github.com/microsoft/AL-Go/blob/main/Scenarios/CustomizingALGoForGitHub.md#using-custom-template-repositories might be inaccurate, as it's only custom jobs that are allowed in the workflow files, not custom steps.

[navdotnetreqs]

Hi @mazhelez ,

We need to override the app build version from max integer, as per #1867

Guess we'l just have to let the custom template repo point to itself as it's template, and then run the update-system-files job manually for the template repo and specify the MS-template repo url as a source. That works.

But I don't understand this behavior. I specify a custom template repository to be used, and yet files are fetched from that template repo's template repo. Even if the documentation warns that we must keep the template repo up to date ourselves.

[mazhelez]

The way the custom template work for workflow files is as follows:

• find the original template (the template of the custom template)
• use the workflow file from the original template
• modify the workflow file based on settings
• add customizations (custom jobs) from the custom template

[navdotnetreqs]

Ok, thank you @mazhelez , this clarifies. And for anyone else looking, the way to replace a standard workflow file is to have your custom template reference to itself as it's template.