You’re a Sitecore developer and want to know how to implement the website(s) using Sitecore Experience Accelerator 1.7 Update 1 (aka SXA 1.7.1) on Sitecore Experience Platform 9 Update 2 (aka Sitecore XP 9.0.2) and following Helix principles.

If that is the case, you should set up Sitecore demo – Habitat Home – on your machine so that you’re able to play around with the Sitecore solution example and then learn something.

Setup Preresiquites

• Windows 10
• Visual Studio 2017 (version 15.7 or later)
  • Note: Visual Studio 2017 Version 15.7 and later supports migrating a project from the packages.config management format to the PackageReference format, click here to learn more about it
• Sitecore Powershell Extensions 4.7.2
• Note: must log into https://dev.sitecore.net/ before downloading
  • Sitecore Experience Platform 9.0 Update 2
  •  Sitecore Experience Accelerator 1.7.1
  • Data Exchange Framework 2.0.1
  • Sitecore Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.0.1
  • SQL Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.0.1
  • xConnect Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.0.1
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.0.1
  • Sitecore Connect for Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales 2.0.1
• Url Rewrite 2.1
• Node.js

Step-by-step Guide

1. install the ones below if not yet 😀
   • a fresh Sitecore 9.0 Update 2 instance , let’s say habitathome.local and  habitathome.xconnect.local (xConnect site)
   • Url Rewrite 2.1
   • Node.js
2. ensure that you create an HTTPS binding with appropriate self-signed certificate
   • Note 1: you can try creating the self-signed certificate and assign it to your site if not yet by executing the following PowerShell script
   • launch PowerShell as an administrator

   • Add-WebFeatureSSL -HostName “habitathome.local” -RootDnsName “DO_NOT_TRUST_SitecoreDemo”

   • Note 2: if you see something like New-SelfSignedCertificate : CertEnroll::CX509Enrollment::_CreateRequest: The time period is invalid. 0x80630705, you will have to use the new root certificate (Ex: DO_NOT_TRUST_NewSitecoreDemo)

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   • Note 3: if you see something like The term ‘Add-WebFeatureSSL’ is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program you will have to execute Install-Module SitecoreFundamentals
3. install all required Sitecore modules below via Installation Wizard
   • Sitecore Powershell Extensions 4.7.2
   • Note: must log into https://dev.sitecore.net/ before downloading
     • Sitecore Experience Accelerator 1.7.1
     • Data Exchange Framework 2.0.1
     • Sitecore Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.0.1
     • SQL Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.0.1
     • xConnect Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.0.1
     • Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales Provider for Data Exchange Framework 2.0.1
     • Sitecore Connect for Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales 2.0.1
   • Note: if you don’t follow the order above strictly, you will see something like this
     • 
4. download or clone the git repo from Habitat Home version 9.0.2.2
5. restore all Node.js modules
   • run command line as Administrator
   • change directory to Habitat Home directory
   • execute npm install
   • 
6. Note: I don’t want to use the default settings so I need to adjust the appropriate values in the following files:
   • \gulp-config.js
     • 
   • \publishsettings.targets
     • 
   • \src\Project\Common\code\App_Config\Include\Project\z.Common.Website.DevSettings.config
     • 
7. open \HabitatHome.sln with Visual Studio 2017
8. deploy Sitecore.HabitatHome.Content
   • open Task Runner Explorer on View -> Other Window -> Task Runner Explorer
   • 
   • choose Solution ‘Habitat.Home’ from list, then click refresh button
   • from task list, double click on default task to run it
   • 
   • Note: for Visual Studio 2017 on your own machine, you might have to run gulp tasks via Command Prompt (run as Administrator)
9. hopefully everything runs well and then you would see something like this
   • 
   • Note: you should run Sync-Unicorn gulp task one more time if you see something like this
   • 
10. open a browser and then navigate to https://habitathome.local, you would see the default page of Sitecore website. That’s because we don’t use the default host name habitathome.dev.local so we need to correct it inside Sitecore
    • log into https://habitathome.local/sitecore
    • open Desktop -> PowerShell Toolbox -> SXA Site Manager dialog
    • 
    • select HabitatHome row and then click Open button on the top-right of SXA Site Manager dialog
    • update Host Name field to habitathome.local and Database field to master then click OK button to save
    • 
11. refresh https://habitathome.local, you would see something like this
    • 

 

Note: some known issues

1. running Sync-Unicorn gulp task: The underlying connection was closed: Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS
   • 
   • my suggestion: ensure that you create an HTTPS binding with appropriate self-signed certificate
2. installing a required Sitecore module: The installation failed.
   • 
   • my suggestion: ensure to follow the installation order strictly and then reinstall the failed one with Overwrite option

 

Got issues?

Please send your issues (with screenshots if possible) to viet.hoang.sitecore@gmail.com so that I have a chance to understand your problem and be able to suggest the solution.

Happy Sitecore Demo Installation!