Select a site

IMPORTANT: This version of Sitefinity CMS is out of support and the respective product documentation is no longer maintained and can be outdated. Use the version selector to view a supported product version.

For developers: Syncing custom items between sites using SiteSync API

Use the SiteSync open API to sync custom items between sites. To use this API, you must implement the methods that the interface ISiteSyncSnapIn provides, and also register the custom type in Sitefinity.

Follow the given steps in the example below to sync folders containing files from the source site to the target site. The example showcases how to add folders and files for syncing in a test folder created by you.

  1. Create and setup two projects for SiteSync.

    NOTE: Ensure that you have enabled the Site Sync module before you register the snap in.

  2. Create a folder, Test in the App_Data/Sitefinity folder within the source and the target site.
  3. Next, create a class CustomTypeSiteSyncSnapIn in both the projects to implement the interface, ISiteSyncSnapIn.

     

     

  4. Attach an EventHandler method to the SystemManager.ApplicationStart event in Global.asax on Application_Start.
  5. Next, register your custom item in the Handler you just attached in the previous step.

    NOTE:Ensure that the class that implements the interface comprises the following members:

  6. Next, use the FileSystemWatcher class to subscribe to the Created event (the class contains 4 File System events: Changed, Deleted, Created, and Renamed). Before subscribing to the Created event, add the path (App_Data\Sitefinity\Test) in the constructor of the CustomTypeSiteSyncSnapIn class that must be watched by the watcher.

    Each time a new item is added to the test folder, the event handler for the Created event is called, and site sync entry logs get created in the handler for each target server through the dataStore object. Corresponding properties for the log entry are also set during this process.

    Creating a folder or file raises the Created event immediately after the folder is created. This results in the name of the item in the log entry to be the default one. To rename the default name of the item, you must implement the event handler for Renamed event from the FileSystemWatcher class

  7. Next, start implementing the following methods from the interface.
    1. GetPendingItems: Returns items that have not been synced for the current type.
    2. GetExportItemsCount: To be implemented for the custom snapin. Returns the number of items that have been selected to be exported. Inside this method you call the method, GetExportItems to retrieve only those items that have been selected for syncing.
    3. Export: Exports items selected for syncing. Go through the log entries that have been selected to be synced , create a WrapperObject for every item selected for syncing for the current type and add it to the export transaction.

      You may also do the following:

      • Add properties and their values to the object
      • Give an object with properties to the constructor of the Wrapper object
    4. CommonItemLoader: Helps you set the common properties for the log entry.

      NOTE: In the Export transaction, you set the header for the current site sync snap in and then add the wrapper objects to the export transaction items. You can perform these steps in two ways: add all items in one transaction, or for each log entry add the items in a separate transaction.

       

  8. Implement the logic required to save the items on the target server. For each exported transaction in the Export method, you have a corresponding Import method that comprises as parameter the current transaction with the exported items.

    9. Full code demo:

Back To Top