Created: 16 Mar 2016, last update: 30 Jan 2022
Sitecore Tips and Tricks part 2 - 2016
Here I collect my Sitecore tips this page will be regularly updated with new Sitecore tips. There are tips for Developers and DevOps, and also Sitecore tips for content editors. There are tips and tricks about new stuff and also old tips, see also Sitecore Tips and Tricks part I
#Tip 1 MongoDB is not updated before your session ends
Working with Sitecore and MongoDB after the session ends the data is sent to MongoDB. During development you will not wait. Kill your session. Place a kill.aspx in the webroot or in the /sitecore/admin/ directory.
<% Session.Abandon();%>
<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Kill</h1>
The Session is Abandon, now the data can sent to Mongo
</body>
</html>
#Tip 2 New admin tools for Sitecore 7.2 and Sitecore 8.1
Sitecore 7.2 Update-6 and Sitecore 8.1 update-2 includes nine new /sitecore/admin tool particles. A real gem is the Job Viewer. The new Security Tools allow you to create simple user or reset password bit too bad that it goes through the antiquated ASP.NET Web Forms so that it is more difficult to use for automated stuff. The Database Cleanup looks promising now you can say what you want to clean, unlike the App version where you can only choose a database.
See releasenotes 7.2
See this module for installing on older updates. https://marketplace.sitecore.net/Modules/E/ExperienceContentManagementAdministration.aspx
#Tip 3 Improve Page Editor startup time
Are there external trackers or other not site breaking external scripts on the website where the Experience editor, page editor is waiting for. remove this scripts in code behind when the Context is PageEditor. That can give a great speed improvement.
#Tip 4 Use Sitecore Caching for Custom stuff
If you have not a special requirement like a distributed cache model use Sitecore Cache. See Custom Cache
#Tip 5 Sitecore community chat
There is a Sitecore slack on https://sitecorechat.slack.com/ There are hundreds of active users, and it is used very intensively. Ask one of the admins for acces. See How to join Sitecore slack community chat
#Tip 6 Media with publish restriction as help link.
To display a media with publish restrictions in the CMS use a special link somethings like /-/media/technical/cmsmanual/stockcodes.ashx?sc_site=shell see Media with publish restriction as help link
#Tip 7 RSS feed Workflow
The Workflows in your Workbox have a RSS feed, Especially useful for people who do not log in daily in Sitecore. Also Oulook can handle RSS feeds like this.
#Tip 8 Report of all locked items in Sitecore
Sitecore Powershell Extensions has a nice report to show all locked items for all users and an option to export. In the Desktop menu see Reporting Tools > PowerShell Reports > (Content Audit) Locked Items. Lots of other Reports are Installed, good to take a look at.
#Tip 9 Error when installing a Package.
If you get the Error. install package Could not find configuration node: databases/database[@id='master'] when you try to install a package. Check if your on the CMS node. not on a CD, without a master database.
