In Part 1, we scaffolded the app, configured App Studio, and ran it locally. This post (Part 2) focuses only on authorization, a common portal CORS issue, and verifying both extension points you enabled earlier.

Series navigation

Sitecore Marketplace Apps: Overview and Why They Matter
Build Fullstack Sitecore Marketplace App with Next.js & shadcn (Part 1)
Sitecore Marketplace App - Authentication, Testing & Conclusion (Part 2) — you are here

Prerequisites from Part 1

Before continuing, confirm:

The app runs at https://localhost:3000 with experimental HTTPS enabled
App Studio has Standalone and Page Builder context panel extension points
.env includes Client ID, App ID, Organization ID, and Tenant ID
The app is activated and installed on your SitecoreAI or XM Cloud instance

If any of those are missing, finish Part 1 first.

Developer Setup (Part 2): Authorize & Test Your Marketplace App

This guide continues from Step 3 in Part 1.

Step 4: Authorize Marketplace App on Sitecore Portal

Open https://localhost:3000 in a new browser tab. This triggers the OAuth flow and lets you authorize the app.

Authorize Marketplace App on Sitecore Portal

After authorization, reopen the app from the Sitecore portal to verify it. You can now explore its features.

Common issue: auth.sitecorecloud.io blocked in the portal iframe

The first time you open the app in the Sitecore Cloud portal, you may see CORS errors with auth.sitecorecloud.io because the OAuth flow gets blocked inside the embedded view.

Fix:

Keep the Marketplace app running locally (npm run dev).
Open the app URL once in a separate full browser tab (not inside the portal iframe).
Complete the OAuth consent / login flow there.
Return to the Sitecore Cloud portal and open the app again from Apps.

Issue - Auth Sitecore Cloud Refused to connect

This pattern is normal for local HTTPS Marketplace apps during the first authorize pass.

Step 5: Open Your Marketplace App in XM Cloud and Verify

Since we enabled two extension points during configuration—Standalone and Page Builder context panel—verify both.

Standalone

On the Sitecore Cloud portal home page, scroll down to the Apps section. Find your app and click it. This opens the app in Standalone mode.

Standalone - App View in Sitecore Cloud Portal

What success looks like: the app loads outside Page Builder, usually on the route you configured for the Standalone extension point (often the home route).

Page Builder context panel

Open your XMC or SitecoreAI instance where the app is installed.
Navigate to Page Builder and ensure you are on the Editor tab (top navigation in Page Builder).
Look for the Apps icon—the third icon from the top-right corner, after the Publish button.
Click the icon and select your application.

Marketplace App Icon in Sitecore Page Builder

Your app should now appear inside the Page Builder panel.

Page builder context panel - App View in Sitecore Cloud Portal

What success looks like: the panel opens beside the canvas without a blank iframe, and any client/server Marketplace SDK samples on the page can call APIs with your tenant context.

Step 6: Validate Marketplace SDK samples on the home route

Your app is up and running. The home route loads by default unless you changed the extension point settings.

The starter page typically includes:

Client-side Marketplace SDK examples (browser / iframe context)
Server-side examples for authorized API calls

Run both paths once after OAuth succeeds. If client calls work but server calls fail, re-check Client ID/Secret, allowed callback URLs, and that Tenant ID in .env matches the installed instance.

Troubleshooting quick reference

| Symptom | Likely cause | What to try |
| --- | --- | --- |
| auth.sitecorecloud.io refused in portal | OAuth blocked in iframe | Authorize once in a normal tab, then reopen from Apps |
| App missing under Apps | Not activated or not installed | Activate in App Studio, install on the target instance from My Apps |
| Blank Page Builder panel | Wrong extension point URL or app not installed on that site | Confirm Page Builder context panel URL and reinstall/update from My Apps |
| 401 on server SDK calls | Bad credentials or tenant mismatch | Regenerate credentials; confirm Tenant ID from the installed app URL |

Conclusion

You now have an end-to-end path for a full-stack Sitecore Marketplace app:

Concepts and architecture — Overview
Scaffold + App Studio + local HTTPS — Part 1
Authorize + verify Standalone and Page Builder — Part 2 (this post)

Was this guide helpful?

If you have questions, feedback, or ran into any setup issues, feel free to share them in the comments.


Sitecore Marketplace App - Authentication, Testing & Conclusion (Part 2)

In the previous blog, we explored what Marketplace apps are, why they matter, and how they fit into Sitecore XM Cloud.

This post (Part 1) is the hands-on setup guide: scaffold the project, wire App Studio, collect the right IDs, and get the app running on https://localhost:3000. Authorization inside the Sitecore portal and Page Builder testing are covered in Part 2.

Series navigation

Sitecore Marketplace Apps: Overview and Why They Matter
Build Fullstack Sitecore Marketplace App with Next.js & shadcn (Part 1) — you are here
Sitecore Marketplace App - Authentication, Testing & Conclusion (Part 2)

Here’s another way to build a Marketplace app using Next.js and shadcn. While Sitecore provides a Marketplace Starter Kit on GitHub, this approach includes preconfigured authentication and examples for both client-side and server-side use.

What you will have after Part 1

A scaffolded Next.js Marketplace app from the shadcn full-stack quickstart
App Studio configuration with Standalone + Page Builder context panel extension points
Client credentials and the four IDs required in .env
The app running locally over HTTPS (ready for OAuth in Part 2)

Developer Setup (Part 1): Create and Configure Your Marketplace App

Step 1: Scaffold Your Marketplace App

1. Scaffold the app using the npx command

Create a project folder, open it in VS Code or a terminal, and run:

npx shadcn@latest add https://blok-shadcn.vercel.app/r/marketplace/next/quickstart-with-full-stack-xmc.json

Scaffolding the app using the npx command - Sitecore Marketplace App

2. Enable Experimental HTTPS in package.json

Enable experimental HTTPS by adding a flag to your package.json scripts. This lets the app run locally over HTTPS, which is required for secure authentication.

Update the scripts section like this:

  "scripts": {
    "dev": "next dev --turbopack --experimental-https",
    "build": "next build --turbopack",
    "start": "next start --experimental-https",
    "lint": "eslint"
  },

3. Review the Environment Variables

This creates a .env file with variables like the ones below. You’ll fill some of these in Step 2.

NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH0_DOMAIN=https://auth.sitecorecloud.io
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH0_AUDIENCE=https://api-webapp.sitecorecloud.io
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH0_SCOPE=openid profile email offline_access
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH0_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
NEXT_PUBLIC_SITECORE_APP_ID=your-marketplace-app-id
NEXT_PUBLIC_SITECORE_ORGANIZATION_ID=your-org-id
NEXT_PUBLIC_SITECORE_TENENT_ID=your-tenant-id
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_BASE_URL=https://localhost:3000

Step 2: Configure Your App in Sitecore App Studio

1. Create App in App Studio

Go to Sitecore Cloud Portal. Click on “App Studio” from top navigation.
Click on “Create App” button at top right corner of the screen.
Enter an app name and select Custom or Public, depending on your requirement. (Refer documentation: App types) 

  Create App in App Studio - Configure Marketplace App in Sitecore App Studio
Click Create, then configure the application. (App Studio > Click on the App)

2. Configure your application

Choose the Extension Points you want to enable, and optionally set a landing page for each.
  Here, we’re using Standalone and Page Context Panel.
API Access: Select the Sitecore Cloud products where your app can be installed. Currently, only XMC and SitecoreAI are available, but additional options may be added in the future.

  Selecting Sitecore Cloud products for API Access in Marketplace App
Deployment URL: For local development, use https://localhost:3000.
App Icon: Use a 512×512 publicly accessible image URL. Any logo works, as long as the URL is publicly accessible.

  e﻿g. https://fastly.picsum.photos/id/58/512/512.jpg?hmac=jxfe82GanXiWmTfpdeMNdzSvGv4RS_eqipxzUduQUeg

3. Create Credentials

Configure authorization credentials, as they are required for server-side custom authorization of Sitecore API requests. Add the allowed callback, logout, and origin URLs, then generate the Client ID and Client Secret. For now, include localhost URLs; you can add dev or staging URLs later.

Allowed callback URLs: https://localhost:3000/auth/callback, https://localhost:3000
Allowed logout URLs: https://localhost:3000
Allowed origins URLs: https://localhost:3000
Allowed web origins URLs: https://localhost:3000

Finally, click Create Credentials to generate the Client ID and Client Secret, and store them securely for future reference.

Create Credentials for Sitecore Marketplace App - Regular App

4. Collect Important IDs for Frontend Configuration

Collect the IDs you’ll add to your .env file.

App ID (Marketplace app ID section, available on right side)
Organization ID (from URL query, eg. ?organization=org_TLXXXXXXXPf)
Client ID (Generated from client credentials)
Tenant ID (we will get after Activating and Installing the app, refer 6 point)

Configured Final View in App Studio - Sitecore Marketplace App

5. Activate the application.

Click Activate in the top-right.
After activation, the app appears under My Apps (from top nav bar) in the Sitecore portal.

Sitecore Marketplace app displayed in the My Apps section after activation

6. Install App and get the Tenant Id

Install the App:

Go to My Apps and install the app on the SitecoreAI or XMC instance.

Retrieve Tenant ID:

After installing the app, navigate to the Home section of the Sitecore Cloud portal from the top navigation.
Scroll down to the Apps section.
Locate the app you recently created and click on it. It will open in a new tab.
Copy the tenantId from the query string in the URL.

Note: After installing the app, any changes made in App Studio must be updated again from the My Apps section to ensure they are reflected.

Step 3: Update .env and Run the App

Use the IDs collected in the previous steps to update your .env file.

NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH0_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
NEXT_PUBLIC_SITECORE_APP_ID=your-marketplace-app-id
NEXT_PUBLIC_SITECORE_ORGANIZATION_ID=your-org-id
NEXT_PUBLIC_SITECORE_TENENT_ID=your-tenant-id

Now, run npm run dev, then open https://localhost:3000 in a new tab.

At this point, your app is fully configured and running locally.

Part 1 checklist before you continue

[ ] npm run dev serves the app at https://localhost:3000 (not HTTP-only)
[ ] App Studio shows your chosen extension points and Deployment URL
[ ] Client ID / App ID / Organization ID / Tenant ID are set in .env
[ ] The app is activated and installed on your SitecoreAI or XM Cloud instance

In the next part, we’ll continue with authorization, testing inside XM Cloud, and validating extension points.

Continue reading: Next Part — Authorize & Test Your Marketplace App


Build Fullstack Sitecore Marketplace App with Next.js & shadcn (Part 1)

Overview

Welcome to the first post in our Sitecore Marketplace App series! 
In this article, we’ll cover the basics—what these apps do, how they work, and when it makes sense to build one. This will give you the foundation you need before jumping into the hands-on guide in the next part.
Here’s the full series (each part answers a different question—bookmark all three):

Sitecore Marketplace Apps: Overview and Why They Matter — architecture & when to build
Build Fullstack Sitecore Marketplace App with Next.js & shadcn (Part 1) — scaffold, App Studio, local HTTPS
Sitecore Marketplace App: Authentication, Testing & Conclusion (Part 2) — OAuth, CORS fix, Standalone & Page Builder tests

Sitecore Marketplace App Architecture Explained

A Sitecore Marketplace app is an independent web application—typically built with Next.js (though other stacks are supported; check Sitecore documentation) and integrated with Sitecore Cloud portal.

1. Hosted and managed by you: The app runs independently on infrastructure of your choice

2. Integrated inside Sitecore Portal (SaaS): Through extension points, the app integrates into the Sitecore UI (for example, as a Dashboard Widget or Page Builder Panel). Currently, it supports only Sitecore AI (formerly XM Cloud), but future updates may include other Sitecore SaaS products.

Standalone: The app appears on the Sitecore Cloud Portal’s home page and opens in a new tab. 
Full screen: The app is listed in the SitecoreAI/XM Cloud navigation bar and displays full-screen under the header — ideal for deep workflows.
Page builder context panel (SitecoreAI/XMC): The app shows up as a panel next to the canvas in Page Builder, perfect for page-specific tools.
Page builder custom field (SitecoreAI/XMC): The app is triggered by a custom field in Page Builder, popping up in a modal to provide specialized data or controls.
Dashboard widget: The app can be added to an SitecoreAI / XM Cloud dashboard to display metrics or insights across the site.

3. Custom Implementation: You can add any backend or frontend logic as per your needs—whether it’s calling external APIs, running workflows, or adding AI features.

4. Sitecore Marketplace SDK support: Sitecore is officially offering SDK to build custom sitecore marketplace apps. You can refer the official documentation, this provides an overview of the SDK, its modules, and how developers can start using it. Here is the repository link for reference.

A quick overview of the key modules in the Sitecore Marketplace SDK — what they are and how they work.

@sitecore-marketplace-sdk/core: Provides the foundational APIs and utilities for building Marketplace apps, including core logic and data models.
@sitecore-marketplace-sdk/client: Enables client-side integration with Marketplace services, handling authentication and communication from the browser or frontend.
@sitecore-marketplace-sdk/xmc: Offers tools to integrate with Sitecore XM Cloud, including APIs for sites, pages, and content management
experimental_XMC - Server-to-Server API Access: Provides server-to-server access to XM Cloud APIs using @sitecore-marketplace-sdk/xmc without iframe or client SDK, ideal for backend integrations

This architecture gives you full flexibility:

Build lightweight client-side apps for quick UI enhancements.
Or create full-stack apps with backend integrations for complex workflows.

Who Should Build a Sitecore Marketplace App & When

1. Who it’s for

The Sitecore marketplace app is ideal if you’re looking to extend Sitecore XM Cloud without altering its core. Typical audiences include:

Developers or partners who want to add new capabilities or UI components inside Sitecore.
Organizations that run repetitive tasks (e.g., publishing workflows, QA checks) and want to automate them.
Teams planning to integrate external services like DAM, CRM, AI, analytics, etc.
Agencies building reusable components that can serve multiple clients.

2. When it makes sense to build

Consider building a Marketplace app when you’re facing scenarios such as:

The need for custom UI elements within XM Cloud (for example, a new panel in Page Builder or a dashboard widget).
You want to connect Sitecore to external APIs - —for translation, personalization, CRM sync, analytics, and so on.
You aim to streamline editorial workflows, such as bulk publishing, content audits or automation of repetitive tasks.
You plan to share your solution publicly (or privately with one client or partner) so it can be reused or installed later.

3. Example Use Cases (Not Limited To These)

Integration Apps:

   Connect Sitecore with Salesforce, HubSpot, or AI services
Authoring Enhancements

   AI-powered content suggestions in Page Builder
   Custom field pickers for taxonomy or media
Monitoring & Analytics

   Health check dashboards
   Real-time KPI widgets
Marketing Tools

   Campaign management widgets
   Personalization rule builders
Agentic AI Applications

   AI Content Assistant: Suggest headlines, rewrite text, generate SEO-friendly content
   Autonomous Campaign Manager: AI monitors analytics and launches campaigns automatically
   Predictive Personalization: AI adjusts content blocks in real-time based on user intent
   Automated QA & Compliance: AI checks content for brand compliance or accessibility before publishing

What’s Next After Deciding to Build a Marketplace App?

Once you’ve decided to build a Sitecore Marketplace app, you have two great starting points:

1. The official Sitecore Marketplace Starter Kit

Available on GitHub, this kit is perfect for learning the basics and following Sitecore’s recommended patterns.

Features:

Demonstrates all five extension points: 

  Custom Field
  Dashboard Widget
  Fullscreen
  Pages Context Panel
  Standalone
Built using the Sitecore Marketplace SDK.
Ideal for quick onboarding and understanding Sitecore’s architecture.

2. The shadcn starter kit

If you prefer a full-stack approach and a quick start using the CLI, the ShadCN kit provides more preconfigured components and examples.

Features:

Pre-configured Auth0 integration for Sitecore Cloud
Includes client-side and server-side examples
Built with Next.js and provides multiple example approaches, including server-side implementations

Both options are solid—choose the one that fits your project needs and development style.

Conclusion

Sitecore Marketplace apps open up endless possibilities for extending XM Cloud without touching its core. Whether you want to integrate external services, streamline workflows, or add AI-powered features, these apps give you the flexibility to innovate.

In the next part of this series, we’ll walk through building a full-stack Marketplace app using Next.js and shadcn starter kit, complete with authentication and extension points. Stay tuned!

Sitecore Marketplace Apps: Overview and Why They Matter

Introduction

In Sitecore, the admin user password is stored in the core database (_Core) within the aspnet_Membership table. The password value is hashed and depends on the hashAlgorithmType configured for your instance.

This guide provides SQL queries to reset the "admin" password to "b" based on the hashing algorithm used in your Sitecore instance.

Identify the Hash Algorithm Used

Before resetting the password, you need to determine which hashing algorithm is being used in your Sitecore instance. The configuration can be found in the following files:

Case 1: Identity Server Enabled

Check the configuration file

C:\inetpub\wwwroot\\sitecore\Sitecore.Plugin.IdentityServer\Config\identityServer.xml

Password Hash Algorithm in Identity Server XML file - Identity Server Enabled

Case 2: Identity Server Disabled

Look for the following file:

C:\inetpub\wwwroot\\web.config

Password Hash Algorithm in Web.config file - Identity Server Disabled

Inside these files, search for the hashAlgorithmType setting to identify whether SHA1 or SHA512 is used.

SQL Queries to Reset Password

Once you have identified the hash algorithm, use the appropriate SQL query to update the admin password.

For SHA1

UPDATE [aspnet_Membership] 
  SET 
    [Password] = 'qOvF8m8F2IcWMvfOBjJYHmfLABc=', 
    [PasswordSalt] = 'OM5gu45RQuJ76itRvkSPFw==', 
    [IsApproved] = '1', 
    [IsLockedOut] = '0' 
  WHERE 
    UserId IN 
    (
          SELECT UserId FROM dbo.aspnet_Users WHERE UserName = 'sitecore\Admin'
    ) 

For SHA512

UPDATE [aspnet_Membership] 
	SET 
			[Password]='K8N8GUW8UiNT2mPdjvuBDH+QmvA3R61M9buVvCwFHwtDjpMzTxs34lg0uQ0azCITqh6FkUZlX4kM72lsAyuyXQ==', 
			[PasswordSalt]='p5B6HOWKt0ctMZaSNXTlfw==', 
			[IsApproved] = '1', 
			[IsLockedOut] = '0'
    WHERE 
			UserId IN 
            (
				SELECT UserId FROM dbo.aspnet_Users WHERE UserName = 'sitecore\admin'
            );

Note: Make sure you run this SQL query on the _Core database.



Hope you found this article helpful! Feel free to share any feedback or suggestions in the comments section.

If you're only looking to unlock the Sitecore admin user, check out this blog:
Fix Status Code 401 Error on SXA Commands or Unlock Sitecore Admin User.

How to Reset Sitecore Admin User Password Using SQL

In Sitecore's evolving landscape, efficiently managing and deploying SXA theme styles and scripts is crucial for non-headless projects. 

This blog builds on Richard Seal's insights on SXA theme deployment with Unicorn serialization, adapting them to the latest Sitecore Content Serialization technology. Special thanks to my colleague Mark Ruiz for invaluable guidance. 

We’ll explore setting up an auto theme build process using Azure DevOps and Sitecore Content Serialization.

Overview

This guide is designed for teams using it in non-headless SXA projects, aiming to streamline theme deployment and eliminate the need to manage  pre-optimized-min.css and pre-optimized-min.js files in source control. Managing these files can cause conflicts when multiple team members work on the theme simultaneously.

Background

In Richard Seal's blog, we saw how field filters can be used to skip fields like blobs, last modified dates, and others in the local environment, and then enable them in upper environments using Unicorn configs. This ensures that changes in the local environment don't appear in Git after every SXA theme build or rebuild.

Challange

After further research, we discovered that applying field filters at the item level and having environment-specific configurations is not possible with Sitecore Content Serialization.

Solution

As a result, we decided to take a different approach. We separated the optimized styles and scripts into a separate SCS module. This allows us to disable the module in local environments and enable it in upper environments using PowerShell. For the purpose of this guide, I'll assume that Sitecore Content Serialization has already been configured in your project, and that all the necessary items, including the media library and themes, have been successfully serialized. Let's go step by step.

Step 1. Add Sitecore Content Serialization Configs for Seperating Optimized Theme Files

Ignore Styles and Script folder

Let's assume your Site1 theme is located at /sitecore/media library/Themes/Tenant/Site1. You've already included all items under this node in your serialization. However, since we want to separate the pre-optimized scripts and styles, we need to exclude this specific folder. Below, we’ll add rules for this node to achieve that. Example module file: ~/App_Config/Include/Project/Site1.Website.module.json

{
  "namespace": "Project.Site1.Website",
  "references": [
    "Foundation.*",
    "Feature.*"
  ],
  "items": {
    "includes": [
      {
       
      },
      {
        "name": "Themes",
        "path": "/sitecore/media library/Themes/Tenant/Site1",
        "database": "master",    
        "rules": [
          {
            "path": "/Site1/styles",
            "scope": "ignored"
          },
          {
            "path": "/Site1/scripts",
            "scope": "ignored"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Run \Pull\ operation

Now, run the command dotnet sitecore ser pull to remove the above styles and scripts folders, along with their item .yml files, from your source control (solution).

Add New Module Config File

Add a new configuration file at the same location specifically for the optimized files. For example, name it Site1.Website.OptimizedThemes.module.json.

{
  "namespace": "Project.Site1.Website.OptimizedThemes",
  "references": [
    "Project.Site1.Website"
  ],
  "items": {
    "includes": [
      {
        "name": "OptimizedThemes",
        "path": "/sitecore/media library/Themes/Tenant/Site1/Site1",
        "database": "master",
        "scope": "descendantsOnly",
        "rules": [
          {
            "path": "/styles",
            "scope": "itemAndDescendants"
          },
          {
            "path": "/scripts",
            "scope": "itemAndDescendants"
          },
          {
            "path": "/*",
            "scope": "ignored"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Step 2. Pull and Store Styles and Scripts YAML Files for Placeholder Use in AzDo Pipeline

Run \Pull\ operation.

Run the command dotnet sitecore ser pull again to pull the styles and scripts folders, along with the pre-optimized .yml files, into your source control (solution). Commit the .yml files that will be used as placeholder files for scripts and styles in upper environments.

Change file extension of newly created module file

Now, change the extension of the newly created configuration file by adding .NONLOCAL at the end. For example, you can rename it as Site1.Website.OptimizedThemes.module.json.NONLOCAL. 

The reason for using the .NONLOCAL extension is to ensure that the file is not read as a module in Sitecore.json (located at the root of the project repository). 

For example:

Example: Sitecore Json File

Step 3. Download PowerShell Scripts and Update Theme and YAML Paths

Download and add /scripts/AzurePipeline folder to your sitecore solution.

Update the path of themes folder and yml folder

Now, edit the and update the theme details in the Invoke-ThemeOptimization.ps. You can also remove or add new entries in themes object.

Name: Enter your theme name.
ThemePath: Path to your SXA theme folder.
YmlPath: Path to the serialization folder for the OptimizedTheme. This folder should contain files such as scripts/pre-optimized-min.yml and others.

Edit paths in Invoke-ThemeOptimization.ps

Update Projects Directory Folder

Update the projects directory folder in Enable-ThemeOptmizationConfiguationFiles.ps1 to include all projects with their module.json files.

Enable ThemeOptimizationConfigurationFile.ps1

Save changes and commit. 

At this point, we have completed the necessary repository changes. In the next step, we need to edit our Azure DevOps build pipeline to automate the process of building the SXA theme using the Node SXA command (e.g., sxa build).

Step 4. AzDo Build Pipeline - Add Theme Build Task

For this step, we assume that a build pipeline is already set up for our project. We will simply add a few additional tasks to the build pipeline to automate the SXA theme build process.

Since we want to run the SXA build command in the pipeline, which is based on a Node environment, we first need to add a task that enables us to use Node in DevOps. Follow the steps mentioned below:

Add the "Use Node" Task (Node.js Tool Installer)

Click the "+" button.
On the right side, type "node" in the search box.
Select "Node.js Tool Installer."
Set the parameters as per your project.

Pipeline: Use Node Task

SXA Theme Build Task (Powershell)

Add a new task for the SXA theme build in the pipeline. For this, we will utilize our Invoke-ThemeOptimization.ps1 PowerShell script, which we included in our source control in previous steps. To do this, we need to add a PowerShell task and provide the parameters as shown in the image below. 

Pipeline: SXA Theme Build Task (Powershell)")

Save the build pipeline settings. 

How This Will Work:

The SXA theme optimization task will call the Invoke-ThemeOptimization.ps1 powershell. As a result, each theme will be built, and a pre-optimized physical file will be generated.

The script will also call the Set-ThemeYaml.ps1 function for each theme, which will replace the existing blob of placeholder YAML files with the newly generated pre-optimized YAML files.

In the end, we will have the latest YAML files in the Build.SourcesDirectory.

We have completed all the necessary settings and changes to set up the automatic SXA themes build in the Azure build pipeline. The next step follows the standard process for creating and installing Sitecore Content Serialization (SCS) item packages

Step 5: Configuring Build and Release Pipelines for Sitecore Content Serialization - Item Package Creation and Installation

I recommend reviewing the blog shared by Phil Paris on configuring the Azure pipeline for this process. Be sure to check out Automated Deployments with Sitecore Content Serialization in Azure DevOps for further steps.

Conclusion

Using Sitecore Content Serialization with Azure DevOps lets you automate and streamline SXA theme deployments in non-headless projects. This setup boosts efficiency and ensures consistent, reliable deployments. For more details and advanced configurations, check the official Sitecore documentation and community resources.

Deploy SXA Themes with Azure DevOps & Sitecore Content Serialization (SCS)

Background:

There was a scenario where content authors has configured a sxa's search implementation in a page using search component (search result, result count, scope etc). The page is not published yet & it is in progress for editing. Authors have restricted the page for not to publishing.

Issue:

When authors goes to preview the page in Experience Editor, the search result are not showing any records. The search result is blank in Preview Mode of Experience Editor and Error messages are showing at top stating 'Object reference not set to an instance of an object' and 'Item is null'.

Error in preview mode on the search results page

While investigating matter, went to the browsers network tab to see the search API endpoint call. The call was successful & returns response without any error. But response data does not had appropriate data which needed.

Sitecore SXA's Search API response data

We can observe in given screenshot that its giving "7" in result count object which is correct, but giving empty in results object. Which looks odd. 

Findings & Workaround:

After a bit investigation, I found that search API call not getting either page item (from where search is called) or source of search result (defined in scope eg. any folder, any tree node). 

In my case, its was due to my item (page & search source folder) was set to not publishable (never publish). Because of that, Sitecore was not getting the item during search call & we were getting item null error & not results in response.

So conclusion was Sitecore SXA search not work in preview mode if items (or its parent) are set to unpublishable (never publish).

You can also refer to answer of question asked related to similar scenario in community site: preview and unpublishable item.

To fix this issue, check if your item (or its parents) has publishable 'unchecked' then 'check' this option.

To make item publishable follow below steps:

Select Item

Go to 'Publish' tab > Change

In Publishing Settings prompt go to Item tab > mark 'publishable' checked.

Make Sitecore Item Unpublishable

Hope this article was helpful. Happy Learning !

Getting no records for search results in preview mode - Sitecore SXA

In scenarios when we are migrating the website from other platforms to Sitecore CMS. We might have many URL to be get redirect to new URL. In such cases most of the older URLs may also contain extensions like \/oldurl.php, \/oldurlpdfdoc.pdf or ~/oldurl.aspx.

Sitecore SXA's provide redirect feature but with some limitations. Here we get the feasibility to set Redirect but that only work for below scenarios.

Redirecting existing item in Sitecore tree to new.
We can't redirect any link containing extensions like php or pdf.

But again old url can not always be in Sitecore item URL formats and we may need some other solutions apart from this. Hence such requirements can be fulfilled by using Constellation Redirect Manager (an external package for marketing redirects). Please refer the official documentation here. 

Constellation Redirect Manager:

Image: Constellation Redirect Manager

Redirecting any url (without extensions) to new which can be relative or absolute URLs (including other domains).
Including file extension in old URL does not come by default (but can be implemented).

I have read its documentation and found it has mentioned that file extensions can be included in old URLs only if developers can enable to use it in the Constellation Redirect Manager. 

Image: Constellation Documentation for file extensions in URLs.

How to Enable Redirect URLs Containing Extensions Like PDF and PHP Using Constellation Redirect Manager

To make it possible the request should be able to be reach to constellation redirect code. But here the problem is Sitecore NOT allowing any other request with contains file extensions in URL. It only allow the below file extensions in the request.

Image: Config for allow extensions in Sitecore

Because of that any request containing file extension can't reach to constellation program. So, here we add exception for pdf or php so that the request can be reach to constellations redirect code.

Here we will make some changes in Sitecore configurations. We will add the file extensions we want to the Allowed extensions list of the Sitecore configurations.

I have created a separate patch file and will keep Sitecore's existing file extensions (like aspx, ashx, asmx) & file extensions we need (like pdf, php) as shown below. Add this patch file to the respective project App_Config folder.


  
    
      
        
          aspx, ashx, asmx, pdf, php
        
      
    
  


Image: Patch Config file for allow extensions in Sitecore

Here, your Sitecore instance will start allowing the request with pdf and php urls. Now you can add redirect on your Redirect Manager and verify the changes.

Redirect URL with file extensions using Constellation Redirect Manager

Image: "Status Code: 401" error on sxa r cmd

In Sitecore SXA, for theme building, JS & CSS magnification we use "sxa r" command from theme folder. 

Challenge:

Due to some reasons, I was not able to complete the operation and I was getting "Status code: 401 Answer" error continuously on the terminal as shown in above image. I re-verified the credentials but it won't worked. Also I was not able to login to Sitecore. 

After doing some research I found it was blocking the theme to deploy into the Sitecore because Sitecore login was failing. It happens when the login get blocked due to multiple failed login attempts (FailedPasswordAttempt). This is Sitecore Locked situation.

Solution:

Here, we need to unlock the Sitecore login. Lets see how to unlock Sitecore login.

Unlock Sitecore user account:

Scenario 1: If you have direct access to MSSQL server

Select Core database: Run the below SQL command

UPDATE  [aspnet_Membership]
SET     IsLockedOut = 0, 
        FailedPasswordAttemptCount = 0
WHERE   UserId IN (SELECT UserId FROM [aspnet_Users] WHERE UserName = 'sitecore\Admin')

This will reset the IsLockedOut and FailedPaswordAttemptCount & you will be able to login with the respective account and try hitting "sxa r" command again it will work.

Image: SQL command to reset Sitecore User Lock

Scenario 2: Unlock Sitecore user account in Docker.

In my case, my Sitecore instance was running on Docker. So I didn't had direct access to MS SQL. Hence, I opted to replaced the Core database MDF & LDF files with older one I had as backup.

In docker instance, the MDF & LDF file of MS SQL database is located in the data/mssql folder.

eg. YourProjectFolder/docker/data/mssql/

Remember to take backup the mdf & ldf before replacing.

Image: Locate MDF & LDF for MSSQL in Docker

\[U﻿pdate on 26 Dec, 2024]

If you don't have backups or don't want to lose the changes you made in the code database, here's another option you can try. I highly recommend going through this blog by David.



Hope this article was helpful. Please use comment section if you have any suggestions on this.

Happy Learning !

How to Fix Status Code 401 Error on SXA Commands or Unlock Sitecore Admin User

In this article, we will discuss how we can get the value of Rendering Parameter of type droplink.

Challange:

There was a scenario content author should be able to choose the background color from droplink from rendering parameters and I want use the CSS class associated with background color inside the Scriban code.

Image: Droplink source

Image: Rendering Parameter Template

Image: Rendering Parameter Selection Dialog Box

I tried to using sc_parameter like below.

{{ backgroundColor = sc_parameter 'TipBackgroundColor' }}

And tried getting its value directly using {{ backgroundColor.Value }} but it was giving me blank value.

So, I tried to print backgroundColor directly I saw it was printing the ID of the selected item.

Solution:

I found a solution from other sources to get value of selected droplink item. That I am gonna share in this blog.

Here, we can use the ID of item which we are getting and search it in the tree to get the item using sc_query. Then after we can access item'schild field. The example is given below.

Scriban:

{{
  backgroundColorId = sc_parameter 'TipBackgroundColor' 
  backgroundColorCssClass = ''
}}

{{
  for i_child in (sc_query i_item "query:/sitecore/content/Tenant/Site/Presentation/Styles/Background color//*[@@id = '" + backgroundColorId + "']")
    backgroundColorCssClass = i_child.Value
    break
  end
}}

...
...


...


Hope this article was helpful !

Get droplink value of rendering parameter using scriban in Sitecore

This article will cover some of the rules which can be applied in URL Rewrite in IIS or rewriterules.config. The purpose of those rules will be to make the URL more SEO-friendly after the IIS handles the request. In this article, we will discuss two scenarios of URL.

This article is specific to Sitecore but can be helpful for other ASP.NET-based applications as well.

1. URL with Uppercase / Capital Letters:

It is recommended that the URL should be always in lowercase / small letters looking from an SEO perspective. Sometimes if the URL with a capital letter comes in through the request. We can detect it in URL Rewrite and redirect it by converting it to lowercase format. Eg.

URL with Lowercase or small letters (non-SEO friendly):

   https://mysite.local/products/VEHICLES/Wheel Based Arrow/Some Wheel Lok

URL with Uppercase or Capital letters (SEO friendly):

    https://mysite.local/products/vehicles/wheel\-based\-arrow/some\-wheel\-lok

Here, we have replaced the " " (blank space) from the URL with "- " and redirected the request to the newly formed URL.

2. URL with “ ” space in it or URL without Slug:

The URL request without any slug used in it or blank space within the URL is not considered SEO friendly. In such scenarios as well we can use URL Rewrite to redirect by replacing blank spaces with slug. Eg.

URL without Slug (non-SEO friendly):

    https://mysite.local/products/vehicles/wheel based arrow/some wheel lok

URL with Slug (SEO friendly):

    https://mysite.local/products/vehicles/wheel-based-arrow/some-wheel-lok

Here, we have replaced the " " (blank space) from the URL with "-" and redirected the request to the newly formed URL .

Let's see how to achieve it !!! 

Changes in Rewrite rules

Locate to rewriterule.config file of your instance. Normally it is located at C:\inetpub\wwwroot\App_Config .

Add the below rule under the ** node.

For Non Sitecore Applications:

The below rules are specific to the Sitecore instance, if you want to use this for other ASP.Net applications. The file location may be different, to get more details please refer the article from Microsoft. 

For non-Sitecore applications, you can remove conditions from line 5 to 21 (in config shown in both rules) and add new ones as per your need. 

1. Convert uppercase URLs to lowercase URLs:

To match pattern from the URL, we are using  `. Then we set an action to redirect the request using type attribute to the URL using url="{ToLower:{URL}}"`.

We also incorporated some URL patterns related to Sitecore system URLs to avoid the Rewrite Rule effect to it using negate="true". 

At last, we added conditions for all POST requests to be get ignored, so that it should not redirect any POST request.

Rule 1 in Rewriterules.config:

2. Replace blank space from URLs with dash/hyphen (-):

To match pattern from the URL, we are using \\ . Then we set an action to redirect the request using \\.

Rest is almost similar to Rule 1.


	
		
		
			
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
		
    

Now, you can see the rules will be now visible on IIS.

Related Articles:

Here are some articles if you want to explore URL rewrite in IIS:

https://itsmycode.com/sitecore-url-rewrite-redirect-using-iis-module/ 



Rewrite rule to convert URLs to small letters and removing spaces in IIS Website

In some scenarios, a non-sxa Sitecore instance with a multi-site setup may require separate Link Providers for each site. The non-sxa sitecore instance does not have the feasibility to do it directly.  In this article, we will be talking about the simple way to configure a Site-Specific Link Provider. We will create a custom link provider which will work as a link provider switcher. 

The article is inspired by the article "A Switching Link Provider in Sitecore (sitecoreskills.blogspot.com)" with a bit simple latest approach specific to sc9.1. 

Let's get started !!

Related git-hub repository is available here: .

Step 1: Site Definition Config

Set custom site definition attribute for link provider for all sites. Here we are linking Site with LinkProvider by adding a custom attribute.  

For the example, a custom attribute is added for mysite1 same way we can add it to mysite2 as well.

Image - Sitecore Site definition config for Link provider

Step 2: Changes in LinkManager config.

Link Manager Patch File:


    
        
            switcherLinkProvider
            sitecore
            
                
                
                
            
        
    


Image - Link Manager config 



(a) defaultProvider:

We have added a patch attribute in linkManager setting node to define the default link provider. In our case, it must be switcherLinkProvider. 

Eg. 

switcherLinkProvider



(b) fallbackProvider: 

We have added a custom patch attribute in linkManager setting node to define the fallback link provider. It will be used when the custom site definition attribute "linkProvider" is missing from any site setting. In the example, we kept the standard "sitecore" link manager as the fallback provider. It can be changed as per need.

Eg. 

sitecore



(c) We had declared all available site-specific custom link providers. 

Eg.  like mysite1, mysite2 & etc.



At last, we will keep the switcher link provider.

Eg. 



We can also validate all changes in config using the below steps: 

Login to Sitecore admin > Launchpad > Control Panel > Administration Section > Click "Administration tools" > Configuration Section > Click "Show Config"
Search for "linkManager" and validate the changes & order of all link providers. Make sure that switchLinkProvider should be at last.

Step 3: Back-end implementation for Switch Link Provider

Here, we have created a separate helix project for SwitchLinkManger named "DailySitecore.SwitchLinkManager". 

Created a new folder named "links" & added a class with the name "SwitchLinkProvider" which is inherited from LinkProvider.
Created a constructor, and added logic to get the fallback provider value from the config file & stored it in a variable. 
Created GetContextProvider() method to logically decide the related linkProvider for the context site to be returned.

To get all available linkproviders:

var providerHelper = ServiceLocator.GetRequiredResetableService>();

To get linkProvider of current site (context site):

var providerName = Sitecore.Context.Site.Properties["linkProvider"];

NOTE:

"LinkManager.Provider" is deprecated in Sitecore 9 so we can use the below code as an alternative to get linkprovider.

var providerHelper = ServiceLocator.GetRequiredResetableService>();

LinkProvider myLinkProvider = providerHelper?.Value?.Providers["providerName"]

If providerName for the site is set then it will return the linkProvider which contains a key similar to the providerName variable. Otherwise, it will return the fallback link provider using _fallbackProvider value.

Now, override all options of linkprovider and use GetContextProvider to get values.

SwitchLinkProvider.cs file:

using System.Web;
using System.Xml;
using Sitecore.Configuration;
using Sitecore.Data.Items;
using Sitecore.DependencyInjection;
using Sitecore.Links;
using Sitecore.Web;

namespace DailySitecore.SwitchLinkManager.Links
{
    public class SwitchLinkProvider : LinkProvider
    {
        private string _fallbackProvider;

        public SwitchLinkProvider()
        {
            XmlNode linkManagerNode = Factory.GetConfigNode("linkManager");
            _fallbackProvider = linkManagerNode.Attributes["fallbackProvider"].Value;
        }

        private LinkProvider GetContextProvider()
        {
            var providerHelper = ServiceLocator.GetRequiredResetableService>();
            var providerName = Sitecore.Context.Site.Properties["linkProvider"];
            return !string.IsNullOrEmpty(providerName) ? providerHelper?.Value?.Providers[providerName] : providerHelper?.Value?.Providers[_fallbackProvider];
        }

        public override bool AddAspxExtension
        {
            get { return GetContextProvider().AddAspxExtension; }
        }

        public override bool AlwaysIncludeServerUrl
        {
            get { return GetContextProvider().AlwaysIncludeServerUrl; }
        }

        public override bool EncodeNames
        {
            get { return GetContextProvider().EncodeNames; }
        }

        public override LanguageEmbedding LanguageEmbedding
        {
            get { return GetContextProvider().LanguageEmbedding; }
        }

        public override LanguageLocation LanguageLocation
        {
            get { return GetContextProvider().LanguageLocation; }
        }

        public override bool LowercaseUrls
        {
            get { return GetContextProvider().LowercaseUrls; }
        }

        public override bool ShortenUrls
        {
            get { return GetContextProvider().ShortenUrls; }
        }

        public override bool UseDisplayName
        {
            get { return GetContextProvider().UseDisplayName; }
        }

        public override string ExpandDynamicLinks(string text, bool resolveSites)
        {
            return GetContextProvider().ExpandDynamicLinks(text, resolveSites);
        }

        public override UrlOptions GetDefaultUrlOptions()
        {
            return GetContextProvider().GetDefaultUrlOptions();
        }

        public override string GetDynamicUrl(Item item, LinkUrlOptions options)
        {
            return GetContextProvider().GetDynamicUrl(item, options);
        }

        public override string GetItemUrl(Item item, UrlOptions options)
        {
            return GetContextProvider().GetItemUrl(item, options);
        }

        public override bool IsDynamicLink(string linkText)
        {
            return GetContextProvider().IsDynamicLink(linkText);
        }

        public override DynamicLink ParseDynamicLink(string linkText)
        {
            return GetContextProvider().ParseDynamicLink(linkText);
        }

        public override RequestUrl ParseRequestUrl(HttpRequest request)
        {
            return GetContextProvider().ParseRequestUrl(request);
        }
    }
}

References

https://www.partech.nl/en/publications/2017/06/how-to-get-the-deprecated-linkmanager-provider-and-providers-now#

A Switching Link Provider in Sitecore (sitecoreskills.blogspot.com)

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