Experience Sitecore !

This blog post is [Updatable] - I use it to store snippets at the same place just for a case.

I know for most of experienced Sitecore geeks my post may seem sort of obvious, however even you may find something interesting below or suggest me to add anything you consider important to append.

While working with Sitecore for years, I have met so many attempts to re-invent the wheel in sense of ugly implementation of functions that are part of Sitecore API, so I decided to write this post, placing most frequent but sometimes less known usages here within one post. So, here we go:

2. Standard API - create, read, edit, save, rename,
   
3. Media library
4. Publishing
5. Presentation / placeholders
6. Indexing
7. DMS / xDB
8. Other

1. Standard API - create, read, edit, save, rename, move etc.

1.1. To start with the basics - how to get the item. 

Item item = Sitecore.Context.Database.GetItem("/sitecore/content/home/products/tv");

if (item != null)             
{                 
    // allways check for null before going forward
}

// incorrect, except when you need explicitly to get CM database.
var database = Database().GetDatabase("master")); 

1.2. Accessing the fields - multiple ways:

// Indexer on Item supports using a field's name, index, or ID
string value1 = someItem[fieldName];

// Get the value from the field
string value2 = someField.Value;

// Method 3: 
bool allowStandardValue = false;
string value3 = someField.GetValue(allowStandardValue);

bool allowStandardValue = false;
bool allowDefaultValue = false;
string value5 = someField.GetValue(allowStandardValue, allowDefaultValue);

The order usually follows: if actual value exists, it is returned, otherwise if the item is clone - it returns clone's value, if not - returns standard value, and in case standard value not set - the default value (empty string, otherwise - null).

1.3. Read all fields.

For the sake of performance, Sitecore will not give you all fields in the FieldCollection in the following code, only fields with explicit values on item level, including empty string.

Sitecore.Context.Item.Fields.ReadAll();

1.4. Checking if a Sitecore field has a value

Sitecore.Context.Item.Fields["fieldName"].HasValue

Sitecore.Context.Item.Fields["fieldName"].Value != ""

1.5. When rendering fields from within the code, always use FieldRenderer class, in order to ensure that resulting output HTML  is Page Editor friendly.

FieldRenderer.Render(item, "field name")

1.6. Editing the item - straightforward way.

item.Editing.BeginEdit();
item.Fields["Title"].Value = "My New Title";
item.Editing.EndEdit();

1.7. More elegant way of editing the item, using IDisposable EditContext

using (new EditContext(item)) 
{ 
    item["Title"] = "My New Title"; 
}

More about EditContext and its options please read in API - IDisposable Usings article.

1.8. Miltilist field. I have evidenced several attempts of manipulation multi-list items by physically stored pipe-separated GUIDs, all clumsy and not best practice code with bad smell. Don't do that - use Sitecore API instead:

Sitecore.Data.Fields.MultilistField multilistField = Sitecore.Context.Item.Fields["myMultilistField"];
Sitecore.Data.Items.Item[] items = multilistField.GetItems();

1.10. Create item programmatically

Item newItem = parent.Add(itemName, template); 
newItem.Editing.BeginEdit(); 
newItem.Fields["fieldName"].Value = "fieldValue"; 
newItem.Editing.EndEdit();

       public static void CreateItem()
        {
            // The SecurityDisabler overrides the current security model, allowing you
            // to access the item without any security. It's like the user being an administrator
            using ( new Sitecore.SecurityModel. SecurityDisabler())
            {
                // Get the master database
                Sitecore.Data. Database master = Sitecore.Data.Database.GetDatabase("master" );
                // Get the template to base the new item on
                TemplateItem template = master.GetItem("/sitecore/templates/Ecosystem/Concrete/MenuPage" );

                // Get the place in the site tree where the new item must be inserted
                Item parentItem = master.GetItem( "/sitecore/content/Ecosystem");

                // Add the item to the site tree
                Item newItem = parentItem.Add( "My New Page", template);

                // Set the new item in editing mode
                // Fields can only be updated when in editing mode
                // (It's like the begin tarnsaction on a database)
                newItem.Editing.BeginEdit();
                try
                {
                    // Assign values to the fields of the new item
                    newItem.Fields[ "Title"].Value = "My New Page - Title" ;
                    //newItem.Fields["Text"].Value = "Value2";

                    // End editing will write the new values back to the Sitecore
                    // database (It's like commit transaction of a database)
                    newItem.Editing.EndEdit();
                }
                catch (System. Exception ex)
                {
                    // The update failed, write a message to the log
                    //Sitecore.Diagnostics.Log.Error("Could not update item " + newItem.Paths.FullPath + ": " + ex.Message, this);

                    // Cancel the edit (not really needed, as Sitecore automatically aborts
                    // the transaction on exceptions, but it wont hurt your code)
                    newItem.Editing.CancelEdit();
                }
            }           
        }

1.11. Item propose name - will suggest valid item name according with current settings

ItemUtil.ProposeValidItemName("some-name");

1.12. Item has plenty of helpful methods, like CopyTo() and MoveTo() and others you may see in the context menu.

item.MoveTo (parentItem);

2. Media Library

2.1. Determining item type.

// usual content data item
Sitecore.Context.Item.Paths.IsContentItem;

// media item
Sitecore.Context.Item.Paths.IsMediaItem

2.2. The example below is anti-pattern. At the first glance it seems to be an elegant way of inline resolving media path right in MVC Razor view. So what is wrong with that?

 <img src="@MediaManager.GetMediaUrl(
Sitecore.Context.Database.GetItem(Html.Sitecore().CurrentRendering.DataSource))" />

First and most important - if datasource is not set (or set wrongly) then GetItem will return null being passed into GetMedaiUrl as the parameter, so it will fire NullReferenceException and the whole page won't load. You must validate parameters and do null-checks, so the best way out is to extract this logic into helper static (or extensions) class.

But the best option for sure is to pass this resolved URL into a view as a public property of strongly-typed viewmodel object.

3. Publishing

3.1. Publish item programmatically

private void PublishItem(Sitecore.Data.Items.Item item)
{
  // The publishOptions determine the source and target database,
  // the publish mode and language, and the publish date
  Sitecore.Publishing.PublishOptions publishOptions =
    new Sitecore.Publishing.PublishOptions(item.Database,
                                           Database.GetDatabase("web"),
                                           Sitecore.Publishing.PublishMode.SingleItem,
                                           item.Language,
                                           System.DateTime.Now);  // Create a publisher with the publishoptions
  Sitecore.Publishing.Publisher publisher = new Sitecore.Publishing.Publisher(publishOptions);

  // Choose where to publish from
  publisher.Options.RootItem = item;

  // Publish children as well?
  publisher.Options.Deep = true;

  // Do the publish!
  publisher.Publish();
}

4. Presentation / placeholders

4.1. Get count of renderings in a particular placeholder:

public static int GetRenderingsCount(string placeholderKey)
{
  return Sitecore.Context.Item.Visualization.GetRenderings(Sitecore.Context.Device, false).Count(p => p.Placeholder.Equals(placeholderKey));
}

4.2. Get position index of a rendering within a particular placeholder:

public static string GetComponentPositionOnPlaceHolder(System.Web.UI.Control webControl)
{
 if (webControl == null) return "0";
 var split = webControl.ID.Split('_');
 if (split.Length > 1)
 {
  int index = 0;
  if (int.TryParse(split.Last(), out index))
  {
   return (index + 1).ToString(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);
  }
 }
 return "0";
}

5. Indexing

5.1. Simple Linq query

//Create a Search Context to the "index name" Index (could be SOLR/Lucene/something else)
using (var context = new ContentSearchManager.GetIndex("indexname").CreateSearchContext()) 
{
    //LINQ Query
    var query = context.GetQueryable.Where(i => i.Name.StartsWith("Something"));
}

5.2. Add single item to index

public static void AddItemToIndex(Item item, string indexName)
{
    var tempItem = (SitecoreIndexableItem)item;
    ContentSearchManager.GetIndex(indexName).Refresh(tempItem);
}
 
public static void UpdateItemInIndex(Item item, string indexName)
{
    var tempItem = (SitecoreIndexableItem)item;
    ContentSearchManager.GetIndex(indexName).Update(tempItem.UniqueId);
}
 
public static void DeleteItemInIndex(Item item, string indexName)
{
    var tempItem = (SitecoreIndexableItem)item;
    ContentSearchManager.GetIndex(indexName).Delete(tempItem.UniqueId);
 }

5.3. Queryable extensions

public static class QueryableExtensions
{
  public static IQueryable IsContentItem(this IQueryable query) where T : SearchResultItem
  {
    return query.IsDescendantOf(ItemIDs.ContentRoot);
  }
 
  public static IQueryable IsContextLanguage(this IQueryable query) where T : SearchResultItem
  {
    return query.Where(searchResultItem => searchResultItem.Language.Equals(Context.Language.Name));
  }
 
  public static IQueryable IsLatestVersion(this IQueryable query) where T : SearchResultItem
  {
    return query.Where(searchResultItem => searchResultItem["_latestversion"].Equals("1"));
  }
 
  public static IQueryable HasBaseTemplate(this IQueryable query, ID templateId) where T : SearchResultItem
  {
    var id = templateId.ToShortID().ToString().ToLowerInvariant();
    return query.Where(searchResultItem => searchResultItem["_basetemplates"].Contains(id));
  }
 
  public static IQueryable IsDescendantOf(this IQueryable query, ID parentId) where T : SearchResultItem
  {
    return query.Where(searchResultItem => searchResultItem.Paths.Any(ancestorId => ancestorId == parentId));
  }
}

6. DMS / xDB

6.1. DMS - hit the goal programmatically.

//Check that analytics are on...
if (Sitecore.Analytics.Tracker.IsActive && Sitecore.Analytics.Tracker.CurrentPage != null)
{
  //Get the item goal.
  Item goalItem = Sitecore.Context.Database.GetItem("{xxxxx-xxx-xxx-xxxxx}");
  //Page event wrapper
  PageEventItem goal = new PageEventItem(goalItem);
  //Create the record that needs to  store the goal
   VisitorDataSet.PageEventsRow pageEventsRw = Sitecore.Analytics.Tracker.CurrentPage.Register(goal);
  //this is not mandatory
  pageEventsRw.Data = "custom text";
  Sitecore.Analytics.Tracker.Submit();
}

7. Other

7.1. Jumping between the sites of current Sitecore instance

Sitecore.Context.SetActiveSite(currentSiteName);