This document discusses best practices for building maintainable Sitecore solutions, including: 1. Using a component architecture with logically grouped and reusable modules that have high cohesion and low coupling. 2. Applying consistent structure and naming conventions across folders, projects, templates, and other system elements. 3. Separating custom functionality from standard Sitecore functionality and third party modules in version control. 4. Automating tasks like configuration file generation and deployment to make the solution easier to maintain over time.

1. SPECIALISTS ON
DESIGNING, IMPLEMENTING AND SCALING
CUSTOM SOLUTIONS
BASED ON
SITECORE CMS
Building Maintainable Sitecore Solutions
Proven practices for Sitecore team development
Thomas Eldblom
CTO
Pentia A/S

3. How to Serve Sitecore

4. …what we could serve!

5. Cost of maintenanceCostofChange
Time

6. Layouts
Templates
Sublayouts
.NET code CSS &
Design files
Settings
in Sitecore
XSLT RenderingsConfig
files
Content
structure

7. How to build maintainable
Sitecore solutions
• Component architecture
• Using consistent structure and naming.
• Use version control.
• Separate custom functionality from
standard functionality.
• Automate configuration file generation.
• Automate trivial tasks.

8. Component Architecture
• Function before type
• Agile design principle
– Logically grouped functionality based on cohesion.
– Releasable and reusable modules.
– Focus on reusability as well as maintainability.
• Simple component architecture
– Structure data logically across systems
“A way must exist to deal with groups of classes, otherwise it’s almost like
build a sand castle from individual grains of sand”
Robert C. Martin (Uncle Bob)

10. Component breakdown
• Breaking down the related functionality of
the website
• Focus on cohesion in each component
• Think of the concern/domain of each
component
– Do the component solve a general
functionality?
– Do the component solve a project specific
functionality?

11. Component breakdown
Navigation
Products
Search
Spots
Identity

12. Navigation
Products
Search
Spots
Component Breakdown
Identity
• Product data
• Product presentation
• Menus
• Sitemap
• Search boxes
• Search results
• Indexing • Corporate identity
• Header logo
• Footer disclaimer
• Related information
• Global marketing boxes

13. Component coupling
• Defines references between components
• Consider each reference made
– Both hard (in code) and loose (in strings)
– Define new components to avoid references
• Specific components should reference
general components
– Stable-Dependencies Principle
• Avoid circular references
– Acyclic Dependencies Principle
• Use coding patterns to avoid high coupling

14. Component Coupling
– the common but wrong way
• Product data
• Product presentation
• Menus
• Sitemap
• Search boxes
• Search results
• Indexing • Corporate identity
• Header logo
• Footer disclaimer
• Related information
• Global marketing boxes
• Product list page type
• Sitemap page type
• Search results page type
Navigation
Products
Search
Spots
Identity

15. ProductsProducts
Component Coupling
– the common but wrong way
• Product data
• Product presentation
• Menus
• Sitemap
• Search boxes
• Search results
• Indexing • Corporate identity
• Header logo
• Footer disclaimer
• Related information
• Global marketing boxes
• Product list page type
• Sitemap page type
• Search results page type
Navigation
Products
Search
Spots
Identity

16. ProductsProductsProducts
DesignPage types
Component Coupling
– the right way
Navigation Search
Spots
Identity
• Product list page type
• Sitemap page
• Search results page

17. Component Architecture
– @ Pentia

18. Consistent structure and naming
• Apply naming conventions
– Be consistent with terms.
– Use your naming convention across systems.
• Folder structure
• Visual Studio Projects/Assemblies
• Sitecore Templates
• Layouts, rendering, sublayouts etc.

20. Advanced component architecture
• High cohesion/Low coupling
• Design Principles
– Reuse/Release Equivalence Principle
– Common Reuse Principle
– Common Closure Principle
– Acyclic Dependencies Principle
– Stable-Dependencies Principle
– Stable-Abstractions Principle
• IoC containers
• and so on…
Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C#
Robert C. Martin
Micah Martin
ISBN-10: 0131857258

21. Use version control
• ”Single source of the truth”
• Version everything
– Component structure
– Code
– Layouts and renderings
– Templates
– Configuration changes
– and so on…
• How?
– Subversion, Microsoft TFS, you name it…
– Use Sitecore item serialization or Sitecore TDS

22. Separate custom functionality from
standard functionality.
• Keep track of what belongs to:
– Your solution
– Sitecore (versioned)
– Sitecore modules
– Third party modules
• How?
– Separate your solution from standard
functionality in version control.
– Implement one-click deployment.
• Team Development for Sitecore.
• Web Applications in Visual Studio

23. How we do it
• The Pentia Build System and Build Library
• Central repository containing:
– All Sitecore versions, modules, patches etc.
– Third party modules
– Pentia shared functionality
• Automated via nAnt
– Copies referenced modules locally
– Generates database scripts

25. Debug environment
Version control Build library

26. Automate configuration file
generation

27. Website Backend Publishing
Website Backend Publishing
Website Backend Publishing
ProductionQATest

28. Automate configuration file
generation
• Sitecore config includes
– Located in App_ConfigInclude
– Only works on <sitecore> section
– Not environment specific
– /sitecore/admin/showconfig.aspx
• Visual Studio 2010 config transformation
– Environment specific merges
– Only available with web.config (in Visual
Studio)

30. Resources
• http://www.pentia.net/professional-services
• Books:
– Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C#
• Robert C. Martin & Micah Martin
• ISBN-10: 0131857258
– Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship
• Robert C. Martin
• ISBN-10: 0132350882
• Sites:
– Blog - Molten Core: http://mcore.wordpress.net
– Learn Sitecore: http://learnsitecore.cmsuniverse.net