The document discusses Unicorn 3, a serialization tool for Sitecore, which improves the development experience by allowing real-time synchronization of database items to files. Key features include a new YAML format, auto publishing, and transparent synchronization for better collaboration and efficiency. The document also highlights the Rainbow library used for serialization, enhancing file readability and merging capabilities.

1. Organized by the Community, for the Community.
NEXT GENERATION
SERIALIZATION WITH
UNICORN 3
Kam Figy
Connective DX
@kamsar

2. Organized by the Community, for the Community.SUGCON NORTH AMERICA 2015
GOOD MORNING

3. Organized by the Community, for the Community.
WHY DOWE NEED
SERIALIZATION?
• Sitecore dev artifacts are a mixture of code files
and items, such as templates or renderings.
• Items are stored in the Sitecore database, code
is stored in source control.
• Source control commits are incomplete without
the items that complement the code.This is
bad.
Without serialization.
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4. Organized by the Community, for the Community.
WHY BUILD
UNICORN?
• Back in the dark ages, we used shared
databases.
• We used packages.
• We triedTDS.
• None of these delivered the frictionless
development experience we desired.
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HOW DOES
UNICORN WORK?
• You choose items to serialize.
• Database items are written to files on disk.
• Changes in Sitecore are updated to disk in real
time.
• “Sync” pushes changes from disk into your local
database.
• Merging is always done on disk.
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STOP
DEMOTIME

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DEMO:
SETTING UP UNICORN
In which we taunt the demo gods

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DEMO:
TEAM COLLABORATION
In which we bite our thumbs at the demo gods

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WHAT’S NEW IN UNICORN 3?
Features
• New format (YAML)
• New storage (SFS)
• Sitecore UI warnings
• Partial sync
• Partial reserialize
• Auto publish synced
• Split config schema
• Sync event pipelines
Improvements
• SPEED: 50% more of it
• Better messaging
• More extensible
• No Ninject required
• Versioned to shared
field conversion
• Fresh paint on the UI
• More info:
http://goo.gl/XwMjTa
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RAINBOW:
A MODERN ITEM
SERIALIZATION
LIBRARY
Overview:
http://goo.gl/Yl4gkM
More about format:
http://goo.gl/LPMbVv
More about hierarchy:
http://goo.gl/8cSDNm
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• Rainbow is a code library for serialization.
• Unicorn uses Rainbow.
• Easy to read file format.
• Human readable file hierarchy.
• Designed to be easy to merge when conflicts
occur.
• Item comparison APIs.

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RAINBOW: SERIALIZING A MULTILIST FIELD
With Sitecore serialization format
…
Content-Length: n
{GUID}|{GUID}|{GUID}
If you and someone else both add a
GUID, you get a merge conflict and
have to manually recalculate
content length.
With Rainbow’sYAML format
…
{GUID}
{GUID}
{GUID}
Line oriented format increases
automerge chance,
no content length.
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ONE MORETHING

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INTRODUCING
TRANSPARENT SYNC

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TRANSPARENT
SYNC
• Automatic, real-time sync.
• One less thing to remember to do.
• Amazing for code reviews.
• Great for dev artifact items.
• SSD recommended for the I/O.
• Enabled per-configuration.
• New deployment possibilities.
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DEMO:
TRANSPARENT SYNC
In which we laugh at the demo gods

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QUESTIONS
“IS UNICORN 3 OUTYET?”
YES. RIGHT NOW.

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THANKYOU!
UNICORN IS AVAILABLE ON NUGET
OPEN SOURCE (MIT) ON GITHUB
TWEET @KAMSAR
BLOG: KAMSAR.NET
Source:
https://goo.gl/VF3Mkd
Documentation:
https://goo.gl/ePFki1