Sitecore is making a move: the shift from Sitecore's web forms to Sitecore MVC has been a gradual one, but it's ramping up quickly. Stay in the know with this primer on what it is and why it's important

1. What is Sitecore MVC?
Out on the razor’s edge
Prepared by: Jason St-Cyr and Nick Allen

2. What is Sitecore MVC?
• MVC as you may know it
• Sitecore MVC
• Why bother moving to Sitecore MVC?
Resources

4. MVC as you may know it
• ASP.NET MVC
- Model, View, Controller pattern
- Interactions are routed through controllers, no post-backs
- Views mapped to REST-friendly URLs
- Light-weight, highly testable framework
- No View State or server-based forms
- Razor as the view engine
- Convention over configuration
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5. MVC as you know it: Route registration
public class MvcApplication : System.Web.HttpApplication
{
public static void RegisterRoutes(RouteCollection routes)
{
routes.IgnoreRoute("{resource}.axd/{*pathInfo}");
routes.MapRoute(
"Default", // Route name
"{controller}/{action}/{id}", // URL with parameters
new { controller = "Home", action = "Index", id = "" } // Parameter defaults
);
}
protected void Application_Start()
{
RegisterRoutes(RouteTable.Routes);
}
}

6. MVC as you know it: Controllers
public class CustomerController : Controller
{
//
// POST: /Customer/Edit/5
[AcceptVerbs(HttpVerbs.Post)]
public ActionResult Edit(int id, FormCollection collection)
{
try
{
// TODO: Add update logic here
return RedirectToAction("Index");
}
catch
{
return View();
}
}
}

7. Sitecore MVC
• Sitecore MVC != ASP.NET MVC
- Can use MVC routing, but defaults to using Sitecore as routing engine
- Sitecore constructs page based on placeholder settings and
presentation details, just like with Web Forms
- Individual components are defined as Controller Renderings or View
Renderings
- Instead of ‘controller-per-page’, Sitecore uses ‘controller-per-rendering’
- Sitecore will run in “MVC mode” if:
a) An MVC route is matched
b) Item layout is an MVC view
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8. Sitecore MVC: Controller vs. View Renderings
• Controller Rendering
• Executes Controller you
build
• Can specify relative or fully
qualified class for
controller
• Controller logic builds
model and determines
views
• Controller is similar to
code-behind of an ASCX
• View Rendering
• Sitecore becomes the
Controller
• Directly binds to an
associated .cshtml file
• Requires a model item,
which binds directly to
rendering model class
• Useful for ‘presentation-only’
renderings (e.g. layout
renderings)
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9. Why bother?
• Sitecore is going MVC
- Sitecore 8: all UIs in SPEAK
• Developers want to work with MVC solutions
- Separation of concerns (presentation vs code-behind)
- Makes unit testing easier (if you do it right)
- Re-use logic and models more easily between views
- More control over rendered HTML (no view state garbage)
• Clients are beginning to ask for MVC solutions
- Doing both > Only web forms
• Web Forms will go away (many years from now, but still…)
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10. Resources

11. Sitecore Community Docs
• http://sitecore-community.
github.io/docs/documentation/Sitecore%20MV
C/index.html
• Contains links to online content submitted by the Sitecore
community.
• Key links:
- Anything by Martina Welander
- Creating a Visual Studio Project for Sitecore MVC
- Sample Sitecore MVC project (used in Youtube tutorial videos)
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12. MSDN and others
• ASP.NET MVC Overview:
- http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/
library/dd381412(v=vs.100).aspx
• Getting Started with ASP.NET MVC 5
- http://www.asp.net/mvc/overview/getting-started/
introduction/getting-started
• PluralSight ASP.NET MVC 5 Fundamentals
- http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/aspdotnet-mvc5-
fundamentals

13. Jason St-Cyr
 Solution Architect and Sitecore MVP, nonlinear digital
Lessons Learned
 Background in .NET software development and Application Lifecycle
Management
 Contact me: jst-cyr@nonlinear.ca
 Around the web:
 Technical Blog:
http://theagilecoder.wordpress.com
 LinkedIn Profile:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jason-st-cyr/26/a73/645
 Nonlinear Thinking:
http://www.nonlinearcreations.com/Digital/how-we-think
 Twitter: @AgileStCyr

14. Nick Allen
 Solution Architect and Sitecore MVP, nonlinear digital
Lessons Learned
 Background in .NET software development
 Contact me: nallen@nonlinear.ca
 Around the web:
 Technical Blog:
http://sitecorecreative.wordpress.com
 LinkedIn Profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickallen80
 Nonlinear Thinking:
http://www.nonlinearcreations.com/Digital/how-we-think
 Twitter: @sitecoretweet