In the world of Sitecore development, creating custom components is a fundamental skill that enables developers to tailor the content management experience to specific needs. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into creating a Photo Card component in Sitecore.
A Photo Card serves as a visually appealing way to highlight key content. It typically includes an image, a title, a description, and a “Read More” link. These components are versatile and can be adapted for various content types and design schemas.
Before diving into the creation process, let’s outline the requirements (which may vary according to business requirements):
Templates act as blueprints for our component. The PhotoCardIntro
handles the header,
while PhotoCardTeaser
deals with the main content. This separation of concerns
simplifies future modifications and enhances maintainability.
Create a new template under Sitecore/Templates/Feature/SimpleContent/PhotoCard
(you can use your
own path within templates).
View rendering allows us to define the structure of our component, while controller renderings link the backend logic with the frontend. This MVC approach ensures a clean separation between the presentation layer and business logic.
In Sitecore/Layout/Renderings/Feature/SimpleContent/PhotoCard
, add a View rendering for the
container and Controller renderings for the headings and teaser content.
Models represent our component's data structure in the code. They act as a bridge between Sitecore's content and the rendering layers, ensuring data consistency and integrity.
Develop PhotoCardHeadings.cs
and PhotoCardTeaser.cs
models in the ‘SimpleContent’
feature’s Models folder.
This step involves creating the visual aspect of our component. By connecting views to models, we ensure that any content changes in Sitecore are accurately reflected on the website.
Define the IDs of all your Sitecore templates within the Templates.cs
class.
Create PhotoCardContainer.cshtml
, PhotoCardHeading.cshtml
, and
PhotoCardTeaser.cshtml
in the Views folder, linking them to their respective models.
Before we dive into the development of controllers where the main logic resides, we need to understand the component logic and data flow.
Overriding Functionality:
If the data source is populated, these values take precedence and are displayed.
PhotoCardTeaser ActionResult:
It includes logic for fetching default content from the targeted news item or using overridden values from the data source.
PhotoCardHeading ActionResult:
Utilizes the GetAlignmentCss
method to determine the CSS class for alignment,
based on the
selection in the Sitecore template.
Defaults to center alignment if no specific alignment is selected.
Rendering Path Configuration:
After creating your controllers, ensure that Sitecore is configured to recognize the exact names of the Controllers and ActionResults.. This is done as follows:
For the “PhotoCard Container” view rendering, the path is set to
/Views/SimpleContent/PhotoCardContainer.cshtml.
The controller name for “PhotoCard Headings” and “PhotoCardTeaser” is set to “PhotoCard”, with respective actions “PhotoCardHeading” and “PhotoCardTeaser”.
Now you have your custom photocard component ready and the only thing left is styling as per your requirements.
The Razor views we created above takes care of most of the alignment and structuring. Now we can add our styling to the component as per the business requirements:
Creating a Photo Card component in Sitecore involves a meticulous understanding of both design and development principles. By following the steps outlined in this guide, developers can build a component that is not only visually appealing but also functional and user-friendly.
This deep dive into creating a Photo Card component in Sitecore illustrates the blend of creativity and technical skill required in modern web development. By adhering to best practices and focusing on user experience, developers can create components that significantly enhance the effectiveness of a website.