Tagged: Sitecore 10

Sitecore – Favorite Free Add-On Modules

Over the years, I’ve worked with numerous Sitecore modules that simplify our tasks and boost efficiency.

Sharing my favorite free modules –

Sitecore PowerShell Extensions

Sitecore PowerShell Extensions (SPE) (Huge thanks to Michael West, Adam Najmanowicz, and contributors) is a robust module that adds the power of PowerShell scripting to the Sitecore platform.

It empowers Sitecore developers and administrators to automate repetitive tasks and extend Sitecore’s functionality with custom scripts.

https://github.com/SitecorePowerShell/Console

Check out my PowerShell script blogs –

https://madhuanbalagan.com/efficiently-bulk-edit-sitecore-content-using-sitecore-powershell-extensions-spe

https://madhuanbalagan.com/bulk-update-fields-using-spe

https://madhuanbalagan.com/migrate-sitecore-media-library-assets-to-dam

SiteCron

The SiteCron Module (a huge thanks to Akshay Sura) is a valuable tool for managing and scheduling tasks within Sitecore.

It provides a flexible way to automate and run various Sitecore jobs, such as publishing, indexing, or custom tasks, on a scheduled basis.

Check out the installation and recent blogs –

https://akshaysura.com/2017/09/07/sitecore-scheduling-with-sitecron-2-1-6/

https://akshaysura.com/2018/04/19/sitecore-precision-scheduling-with-sitecron-3-0-4-released-in-powerful-ways/

Azure Tools

Downloading Sitecore Logs from Azure Web Apps wasn’t easy. To troubleshoot any issues, I used to spend decent time trying to find recent logs.

AzureTools (Thank you Sitecore Community – You are simply awesome!) comes to the rescue. It’s a simple .aspx page that can be dropped into CM environments and download logs in just seconds.

Check out my detailed blog – https://madhuanbalagan.com/instantly-download-sitecore-logs-from-azure-web-apps

Sidekick

To pull content locally, we relied on packaging content from upper environments or restoring the database – which was quite time-consuming.

The Sitecore Sidekick module (a big thanks to Jeff Darchuk) was a lifesaver for quickly pulling content into local or lower environments.

Take a look at my in-depth blog on installation and setup – https://madhuanbalagan.com/sitecore-sidekick-installation-and-setup

Content Export Tool

The Sitecore Content Export Tool (many thanks to Erica Stockwell-Alpert) is a powerful utility designed to streamline the process of exporting content from your Sitecore instance.

It enables developers, content authors, and administrators to easily extract content in bulk, simplifying tasks like data migration, content backups, or sharing content across environments.

Explore the usage guide and documentation –https://ericastockwellalpert.wordpress.com/2017/08/24/content-export-tool-for-sitecore/

Sitecore Log Analyzer

The Sitecore Log Analyzer (SCLA) (Sitecore Community Rocks!) is a powerful tool designed to help Sitecore developers analyze and interpret log files with ease.

It simplifies the process of identifying issues, tracking errors, and monitoring system performance by providing a user-friendly interface to view and filter Sitecore logs.

This ClickOnce installer sets up the application and enables automatic updates. After installation, the app can be launched from the Start menu or pinned to the taskbar for easy access.

https://support.sitecore.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0870095

Hope this helps.

Happy Sitecoring!

December 20, 2025

Sitecore

Algolia Search Provider for Sitecore 10.2.1

The Algolia Search Provider for Sitecore is a powerful integration combining robust content management capabilities with Algolia’s lightning-fast, full-text search engine.

This provider enables Sitecore-driven websites and applications to deliver instant, relevant, and highly customizable search experiences to end-users, ensuring faster content discovery and improved user engagement.

While exploring, I found that Dmitry Harnitski and Peter Procházka have implemented the Algolia Search Provider for Sitecore 9.1 and previous versions. Thank you so much!

https://github.com/dharnitski/Sitecore.Algolia

https://github.com/chorpo/Sitecore.Algolia/tree/sitecore91

Upgrading to Sitecore 10.2.1

The following are the steps taken for upgrading Sitecore 10.2.1 –

I forked from Peter Procházka’s Sitecore 9.1 branch

https://github.com/chorpo/Sitecore.Algolia/tree/sitecore91

Upgraded the Sitecore NuGet packages to 10.2.1.

Algolia.Search NuGet package upgraded 6.12.1

Started resolving build issues – many interfaces changed, and tons of changes on the following commit. https://github.com/chorpo/Sitecore.Algolia/commit/20baf2a5578cac474f16d15938f57068875b8915

Finally, able to build the solution successfully.

After the build was successful, I shifted the module to the existing solution.
I didn’t get a chance to upgrade the unit test project. If you have upgraded, please let me know.

The module is checked into the following repository.

https://github.com/Madhumidha/Sitecore.Algolia/tree/Sitecore1021

The repo has all the instructions on how to set up and configuration details.

Hope this helps.

Happy Sitecoring!

June 19, 2025

Sitecore / SPE

Bulk Updating Sitecore Workflows

I was working on Sitecore SXA 10.3.1 and the workflow was somehow messed up.

Manually modifying can be time-consuming and error-prone. Sitecore SPE is a powerful tool that allows for efficient modification of content in bulk through find and replace text functionality.

In this article, we will explore the steps of using Sitecore SPE to quickly and easily bulk update workflow, streamlining the process, and saving time.

Dry-Run Script:

Running the script won’t make any changes to items, it will give the items that are going to be modified.

Dry-Run Output:

Execution Script :

Running the script will modify the items.

Execution Script Output:

Hope this helps.

Happy Sitecoring!

References

https://sitecorejunkie.com/category/sitecore-powershell-extensions

https://michaellwest.blogspot.com/search/label/powershell

https://blog.najmanowicz.com/category/software-development/powershell/

May 20, 2025

CDP and Personalize / Sitecore

Sitecore Personalize : Custom Web Template Integration

I’ve been delving deeper into Sitecore Personalize and have discovered how to incorporate its custom Web Templates into the website.

Let’s dive into the process of creating custom Web Templates and how to utilize them in Web Experiences.

Create Web Template

Let’s navigate to Web Templates in Sitecore Personalize and create it.

The Web Templates have the high flexibility of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and API tabs to configure.

HTML: Define the structure and content of your web template. This is where you can create the basic layout and elements that will be displayed on your website.
CSS: Style your web template to match your brand’s look and feel. You can add custom styles to ensure that the template is visually appealing and consistent with your website’s design.
JavaScript: Add interactivity and dynamic behavior to your web template. JavaScript allows you to create engaging user experiences by adding features like animations, form validations, and more.
API: Configure API responses to integrate with your organization’s data.

To build the custom web template, let’s say I want to Personalize the About page of my blog.

To create HTML and CSS, we don’t need to dive into the code. A tool called SnipCSS can turn any section of the website into a reusable component.

SnipCSS

SnipCSS is a powerful tool designed to help web developers extract CSS and HTML snippets from any web element or widget. The main key feature is extracting all HTML, images, and CSS with a single click.

Download the Chrome extension – https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/snipcss/hbdnoadcmapfbngbodpppofgagiclicf

After installing, there is no need for signup unless Pro features are needed.

Running the SnipCSS

Let’s hover over the section we want to personalize and run the Snip CSS.

A cute Kiwi will come, analyze the section in a second, and open a new tab with HTML and CSS of the section.

Web Template HTML and CSS

Let’s copy and paste the HTML and CSS into the Web Template that we created.

Convert all hard-coded text into parameters to ensure it can be reused throughout the website.

Let’s convert the image source into a dynamic image URL.

To make it configurable, substitute it with a parameter name and type

[[ Image URL | string ]]

Similarly, I have configured more fields.

[[ Title | string ]]

[[ Description | string ]]

[[ Certification 1 | string ]]

[[ Certification 2 | string ]]

[[ Certification 3 | string ]]

Web Template JavaScript

Now we need to tell whether the section needs to be replaced/added after some ClassName or ID of the page.

Let’s replace the section HTML with the ID of the div.

Settings

Let’s add a description for the web template and select an icon from the predefined options, as custom uploads are not allowed.

Preview

Select the Render a Preview Experience checkbox and it adds a new tab to the web template for previewing.

Publish/Draft

Enable the Publish button to activate live mode, which locks the web template.

To revert it to draft mode, disable the Publish button.

Create Experience

Let’s build an Experience using the Web Template we just created.

Create a Variant

Now variant lists our custom Web Template, let’s go.

Enter the field values for Image URL, Title, Description, Certification 1, Certification 2, and Certification 3.

Page Targeting

It is specifically for the About page, let’s add a condition.

Preview

Let’s preview it for the About page URL.

It’s working! Tada!

Live mode

Let’s start the Experience – you can start now or schedule it later time.

After a few seconds, it’s live now – If a notification is added, it will email that it’s published.

Let’s reload the page. Yahoo!!

Hope this helps.

Happy Sitecoring!

May 6, 2025

Sitecore

Sitecore Forms : Custom Submit Action to Create and Publish Content Item (Part 2)

In Part 1, we saw

Create Custom Submit Action in Sitecore
Create a code-behind class that inherits SubmitActionBase
Create a secure API that can create and publish an item

https://madhuanbalagan.com/sitecore-forms-custom-submit-action-to-create-and-publish-item-from-form-data-part-1

Now, let’s focus on

Create a separate Authorization in the Identity Server for Forms
Create a Controller to bridge between Custom Submit Action and API call
Set the Custom Submit Action fields

1. Create a separate Authorization in the Identity Server for Forms

Add the FormsServerClient node and its value to the Identity Server’s Sitecore.IdentityServer.DevEx.xml file. After making the change, make sure to IIS Reset for the change to be in effect.

Note: Don’t forget to add transforms for ClientSecret!

Ideally, you can call it in Postman to verify that it’s generating a token using Form’s ClientID and ClientSecret values mentioned in the Sitecore.IdentityServer.DevEx.xml file.

Now that the config is all set to have its own ClientID and ClientSecret, let’s set up the Authorize method with BearerToken specifically for Form’s Identity Credentials.

The SitecoreRestServices handles authenticated HTTP requests to Sitecore’s REST APIs, managing access tokens and retrying requests if authentication fails. It uses dependency injection to configure the HTTP client and obtain the necessary settings.

2. Create a Controller to bridge between Custom Submit Action and API call

Let’s bridge the Custom Submit Action and API call – The CustomController class extends SitecoreController and uses dependency injection to obtain an instance of ICreateAutoPublishService.

It defines a CreateAndPublish method – HTTP POST endpoint that processes CreateAndAutoPublishModel, calls the service to create and publish content, and returns a JSON response indicating success or failure.

The method includes error handling to return appropriate HTTP status codes and messages for different exceptions.

3. Set the Custom Submit Action fields

The final step – Let’s set the Model Type and Error Message based on the class we created.

Publish the form and its related items. It should be good to go!

Hope this helps.

Happy Sitecoring!

April 20, 2025

CDP&Personalize / Sitecore

Sitecore Personalize : Experiment A/B Testing Integration

Sitecore Personalize offers robust capabilities for A/B testing and experimentation, allowing you to optimize customer experiences based on real-time behavior and data analysis.

By running experiments, you can determine which variations of your content perform best and drive the desired outcomes.

Let’s dive into creating the Web Experiment and test which variant appears on the website.

Web Experiment

Create an Experiment based on Web, Interactive, or Triggered.

Types of Experiments:

Web Experiments: Create dynamic offers and content using web templates. These experiments can be run on your website or deployed into web-based applications.
Interactive Experiments: Develop dynamic offers and content from back-end systems for maximum server-side personalization.
Triggered Experiments: Use FreeMarker to create dynamic offers and content that can be sent to Email Service Providers (ESP) or SMS/Push service providers.

I chose Web Experiment to keep it simple.

Create Variant

Click ‘+ Create Variant’ under the Experiment.
Pick the variant (e.g., Popup Takeover – Sitecore Library) or custom Web Template if available.

Variant 1

Fill out the details to make it customized according to the website.

Title
Description
Button

Utilize Advanced edit if you like more customized with HTML, CSS and JS.

Variant 2

Let’s create Variant 2 of the Experiment. We can duplicate Variant 1 and make tweaks, which simplifies the process.

I simply modified the background color, title, description, and button text to give it a different look and feel.

Traffic Control

Now that variants are created, let’s assign the traffic for each variant.

I’m going with 50% for each variant and make sure that Control + Variants should be 100%.

Control – 0% (Orinigal version)
Variant 1 – 50% traffic
Variant 2 – 50% traffic

Page Targeting

I chose all the pages for simplicity.

If you like specific pages – add the condition for the page URL.

Goals

I chose not to track performance for testing purposes. Feel free to add any goal according to website needs.

Preview

Let’s load the Preview with the page URL.

The Popup Variant 1 showed up and the QA Tool shows at the left side of the page.

Live

Let’s initiate the Experiment to go live—it only takes a few seconds. If notifications are set, an email will be sent.

Let’s reload the page, Yay! Popup Variant 1 showed up!!

Hope this helps.

Happy Sitecoring!

April 1, 2025

Sitecore

Sitecore Forms : Custom Submit Action to Create and Publish Content Item(Part 1)

Problem

I encountered a situation that the website was internally facing, which needed a form that would not save the data in the Experience Forms database. Also the data needs to be saved as an Item in the master database so it could be published and consumed in a listing page.

At first, I considered creating a Custom Submit Action to create and publish an item. However, I later realized that the CD server lacked access to the CM server, preventing it from directly generating an item in the master database. So, I came up with the idea of creating a custom API service and combining it with a custom submit action.

Solution

To implement this followed this process

Create Custom Submit Action in Sitecore
Create a code-behind class that inherits SubmitActionBase
Create a secure API that can create and publish an item
Create an API authorization user in the identity server
Create a Controller to proxy between Custom Submit Action and API calls
Set the Custom Submit Action fields

1. Custom Submit Action in Sitecore

Create the custom submit action in the following path /sitecore/system/Settings/Forms/Submit Actions.

2. Create a code-behind class that inherits SubmitActionBase

Create a class that inherits the SubmitActionBase class and overrides the Execute method which calls the API asynchronously to create and publish an item.

The CreateAndAutoPublish class extends SubmitActionBase<string> and is designed to handle form submissions in Sitecore, creating and auto-publishing content items.

It uses dependency injection to obtain instances of IHttpClientFactory, BaseSettings, and ISitecoreRestServices, which are lazily initialized. The ExecuteAction method validates the form submission context and parameters, then calls the Execute method to prepare a model from form fields, serialize it to JSON, and send it to a Sitecore API endpoint using an HTTP POST request.

The class includes helper methods to extract values from form fields and handles errors by logging them and adding them to the form submission context’s error collection.

3. Create an API call that creates and publishes the item

The API call does the following things –

Creates an item under a specified folder
Move and Sync the item into a bucket
Publish the item
Clear the Sitecore cache
Ensure the published item is indexed or force index the item
Clear the Vercel Cache for frontend

In Part 2, we will see how to

Create an API authorization user in the identity server
Create a Controller to proxy between Custom Submit Action and API calls
Set the Custom Submit Action fields

Hope this helps.

Happy Sitecoring!

March 1, 2025

Azure / Sitecore

Instantly Download Sitecore Logs from Azure Web Apps

I had to troubleshoot an issue and started with logs. Since we are in Azure PaaS, I used Kudu or App Service Explorer to search for recent logs. It was absolutely time-consuming.

AzureTools comes to the rescue. It is a simple .aspx page that can be dropped into CM environments, and download logs in seconds.

https://support.sitecore.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0420753

Download the recent AzureTools-1.2.0 (It should work with any Sitecore version) –

Download AzureTools

Unzip and drop the AzureTools.aspx in https://[CM_Site]/sitecore/admin folder

Now it’s ready to download logs from App Insights, Azure Search, and Kibana Logs – https://[CM_Site]/sitecore/admin/azuretools.aspx

To pull logs from App Insights, need the Application ID and API Key.

Application ID:

Navigate to the Azure App Insights Resource -> Configure -> API Access.

API Key:

– Create the API Key with Read Telemetry access.

Remember to save the key in notes, you can’t get it after creation!

Now I was excited to download logs –

But then it’s erroring out –

The console is showing the following error –

azuretools.aspx:2082 Refused to connect to ‘https://api.applicationinsights.io/v1/apps/e…ityLevel%2C%20customDimensions.ThreadName%2C%20customDimensions.StackTrace’ because it violates the following Content Security Policy directive: “default-src ‘self’ mailto: tel: ‘unsafe-inline’ ‘unsafe-eval'”. Note that ‘connect-src’ was not explicitly set, so ‘default-src’ is used as a fallback.

It made me curious to check the Web.Config – I couldn’t find the content-src node, added the following line.

connect-src ‘self’ ‘unsafe-inline’ ‘unsafe-eval’ https://api.applicationinsights.io;

<location path="sitecore">
<system.webServer>
<httpProtocol>
<customHeaders>

<add name="Content-Security-Policy"
xdt:Locator="Match(name)"
xdt:Transform="SetAttributes"
value="default-src 'self' mailto: tel: 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'; img-src 'self' data:; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://fonts.googleapis.com; font-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://fonts.gstatic.com; upgrade-insecure-requests; block-all-mixed-content;"/>
value="default-src 'self' mailto: tel: 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'; img-src 'self' data:; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://fonts.googleapis.com; font-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://fonts.gstatic.com; connect-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval' https://api.applicationinsights.io; upgrade-insecure-requests; block-all-mixed-content;"/>
</customHeaders>
</httpProtocol>
</system.webServer>
</location>

Now I’m able to pull logs, preview traces, and exceptions.

Utilize the Extended View for more filtered options.

Hope it helps.

Happy Sitecoring!

February 1, 2025

Sidekick / Sitecore

Automate Sitecore Content Synchronization using Sidekick PowerShell

I wanted to set up a daily Sitecore content synchronization to lower environments to ensure they are updated with the latest content from Production every morning.

The Sitecore Sidekick PowerShell module came to the rescue – Thank you Jeff Darchuk for the excellent module! One of its key advantages is that it eliminates the need to pass usernames or passwords for higher environments.

https://github.com/JeffDarchuk/SitecoreSidekick?tab=readme-ov-file#scripting-sidekick

Installation:

Simply copy the Sidekick folder from the URL below and paste it into your PowerShell Modules on a Windows machine.

https://github.com/JeffDarchuk/SitecoreSidekick/tree/master/Scripting

Basically, it should reside in one of the paths found under $env:PSModulePath

Example: C:\Users\[USER]\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\SitecoreSidekick

P.S. I hope you have the Sidekick module installed, it needs a SharedSecret to communicate to the higher environments.

Content Sync:

After successfully installing the Sidekick PowerShell module, I created the following script to sync the Home page and its children from the Production environment to the QA environment.

Similarly, I created the following script for the Data folder on the SXA site, excluding the Sitewide Configuration item.