Sitecore DevTools

A VS Code extension that provides a GUI interface for Sitecore CLI serialization modules, removing the need to manually run CLI commands.

Features

Serialization

• Activity Bar Integration: Dedicated Sitecore DevTools panel in the VS Code Activity Bar
• Module Detection: Automatically scans workspace for module.json files
• TreeView UI: Visual representation of all serialization modules with package icons
• Inline Actions: Pull and push buttons appear directly inline on each module item
• Pull/Push Operations: Right-click context menu for individual module operations
• Checkbox Selection: Check individual modules in the TreeView and bulk pull or push them
• Select / Deselect All: One-click to select or deselect all modules in the list
• Pull All Modules: One-click to pull all detected modules
• Pull Selected Modules: QuickPick interface to select multiple modules for pulling
• Smart Sync: Automatically detect changed modules and pull only those that need syncing
• File Watcher: Automatically refreshes when module.json files are added, removed, or modified
• Output Logging: Dedicated output channel for command logging and debugging
• Environment Configuration: Configurable environment setting for CLI commands

Module Creation

• Create Module Wizard: Guided 5-step wizard to scaffold a new serialization module:
  1. Select namespace layer (Feature / Foundation / Project / Custom)
  2. Enter module name (validated for alphanumeric format)
  3. Choose folder location via a folder picker dialog
  4. Set serialization path (defaults to items)
  5. Add one or more include paths with scope, allowed push operations, and database options
• Auto-opens module.json after creation and triggers a module list refresh

Authentication

• Multiple Login Methods: Choose from four authentication flows via QuickPick:
  • Environment Login — for on-premise / non-cloud Sitecore instances (prompts for authority URL and CM URL)
  • Cloud Login — browser-based OAuth flow for XM Cloud
  • Device Code — headless / CI-friendly device code authentication
  • Client Credentials — service-account login using Client ID and Client Secret
• Login Status Bar Item: Always-visible status bar indicator showing logged-in state; click to login or logout
• Check Login Status: Verify current authentication state

Project Setup

• Initialize Project: Run dotnet sitecore init to set up a new Sitecore CLI project
• Connect to Environment: Connect to XM Cloud or on-premise Sitecore instances

Plugin Management

• Add Plugin: Install Sitecore CLI plugins (Serialization, Publishing, Indexing, ResourcePackage)
• Remove Plugin: Uninstall Sitecore CLI plugins
• List Plugins: View all installed plugins

Publishing

• Publish: Execute publish operations with configurable options (smart/full/incremental)
• Publish Site: Publish a specific site

Indexing

• Rebuild Index: Rebuild search indexes
• Populate Index: Populate search indexes
• Populate Index Schema: Populate index schemas

Packages

• Create Item Resource Package: Create item resource packages using dotnet sitecore itemres
• Create Serialization Package: Create serialization packages
• Install Serialization Package: Install serialization packages to Sitecore

XM Cloud

• List Projects: View XM Cloud projects
• List Environments: View XM Cloud environments
• Create Deployment: Create new XM Cloud deployments
• List Deployments: View deployment history

Requirements

• VS Code: Version 1.85.0 or higher
• Sitecore CLI: Must be installed and configured
  • Install via: dotnet tool install Sitecore.CLI
• .NET SDK: Required for running Sitecore CLI commands
• Sitecore Project: Workspace must contain module.json files

Installation

1. Download the .vsix file from releases
2. Open VS Code
3. Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)
4. Click the ... menu and select "Install from VSIX..."
5. Select the downloaded .vsix file

Usage

Viewing Modules

1. Click the Sitecore DevTools icon in the Activity Bar
2. The "Serialization Modules" panel shows all detected modules
3. Click on a module to open its module.json file

Pull/Push Individual Module

1. Right-click on a module in the TreeView and select "Pull Module" or "Push Module"
2. Alternatively, use the inline pull (⬇) or push (⬆) icon buttons visible on each module row

Checkbox-Based Bulk Pull/Push

1. Check one or more modules using the checkboxes in the TreeView
2. Use the "Pull Checked Modules" or "Push Checked Modules" buttons in the toolbar
3. Push operations require confirmation before executing
4. Use "Select All Modules" / "Deselect All Modules" toolbar buttons to quickly check or uncheck everything

Pull All Modules

1. Click the "Pull All Modules" button in the TreeView toolbar
2. All detected modules will be pulled sequentially

Pull Selected Modules

1. Click the "Pull Selected Modules" button in the TreeView toolbar
2. Select modules from the QuickPick dropdown
3. Selected modules will be pulled

Smart Sync

1. Click the "Smart Sync" button in the TreeView toolbar
2. The extension runs dotnet sitecore ser status
3. Changed items are mapped to their respective modules
4. Only affected modules are pulled

Create a New Module

1. Click the "Create Module" button in the TreeView toolbar (or run the Sitecore: Create Module command)
2. Follow the 5-step wizard:
   • Step 1 — Select a namespace layer: Feature, Foundation, Project, or enter a custom namespace
   • Step 2 — Enter the module name (alphanumeric, must start with a letter)
   • Step 3 — Choose the folder where the module directory will be created
   • Step 4 — Set the serialization subfolder path (default: items)
   • Step 5 — Add include paths with optional scope, allowed push operations, and database
3. The generated module.json opens automatically and the module list refreshes

Login

1. Click the status bar item (bottom left) or use the login button in the TreeView toolbar
2. Choose an authentication method:
   • Environment Login — enter environment name, Identity Server URL, and CM URL
   • Cloud Login — browser-based OAuth for XM Cloud
   • Device Code — authenticate on a separate device
   • Client Credentials — enter Client ID and Client Secret
3. The status bar updates to reflect the logged-in state

Refresh Modules

Click the refresh button in the TreeView toolbar to manually rescan for modules.

Extension Commands

Serialization Commands

Project Setup Commands

Authentication Commands

Plugin Commands

Publishing Commands

Indexing Commands

Package Commands

XM Cloud Commands

Extension Settings

General

Login

Module Creation Defaults

Module.json Format

The extension expects module.json files in the following format. All fields except name and path within includes are optional:

{
  "namespace": "Feature",
  "name": "Navigation",
  "items": {
    "includes": [
      {
        "name": "Feature.Navigation.Templates",
        "path": "/sitecore/templates/Feature/Navigation",
        "scope": "ItemAndDescendants",
        "allowedPushOperations": ["CreateAndUpdate"],
        "database": "master"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Include Options

The Create Module wizard generates these files automatically with your chosen options.

CLI Commands Executed

The extension executes the following Sitecore CLI commands:

# Initialize project
dotnet sitecore init

# Pull module
dotnet sitecore serialization pull --include <ModuleName> --environment-name <env>

# Push module
dotnet sitecore serialization push --include <ModuleName> --environment-name <env>

# Pull multiple modules
dotnet sitecore serialization pull --include <Module1> --include <Module2> --environment-name <env>

# Get serialization status (for Smart Sync)
dotnet sitecore serialization pull --what-if --environment-name <env>

# Plugin management
dotnet sitecore plugin add -n <PluginName>
dotnet sitecore plugin remove -n <PluginName>
dotnet sitecore plugin list

# Publishing
dotnet sitecore publish --environment-name <env>
dotnet sitecore publish --environment-name <env> --site <siteName>

# Indexing
dotnet sitecore index rebuild --environment-name <env>
dotnet sitecore index populate --environment-name <env>
dotnet sitecore index schema-populate --environment-name <env>

# Packages
dotnet sitecore itemres create -o <outputPath>
dotnet sitecore ser package create -o <outputPath>
dotnet sitecore ser package install -p <packagePath> --environment-name <env>

# XM Cloud
dotnet sitecore cloud login
dotnet sitecore cloud logout
dotnet sitecore cloud project list
dotnet sitecore cloud environment list
dotnet sitecore cloud deployment create --environment-id <envId>
dotnet sitecore cloud deployment list

Output Channel

View extension logs in the "Sitecore DevTools" output channel:

1. Open Output panel (Ctrl+Shift+U)
2. Select "Sitecore DevTools" from the dropdown

Development

Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone <repository-url>
cd sitecore-devtools

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile
npm run compile

# Watch mode
npm run watch

Running in Debug Mode

1. Open the project in VS Code
2. Press F5 to launch the Extension Development Host
3. The extension will be active in the new VS Code window

Packaging

# Install vsce if not already installed
npm install -g @vscode/vsce

# Package the extension
vsce package

This creates a .vsix file that can be installed in VS Code.

Troubleshooting

Modules Not Detected

• Ensure module.json files exist in your workspace
• Check that files are not in node_modules directory
• Click the refresh button to rescan

CLI Commands Failing

• Verify Sitecore CLI is installed: dotnet sitecore --version
• Check you're authenticated: dotnet sitecore login
• Verify the environment setting matches your configuration

Smart Sync Not Working

• Ensure dotnet sitecore ser status works from terminal
• Check the Output channel for error messages
• Verify module include paths match the Sitecore item paths

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request.

Changelog

1.2.0

• Added Create Module wizard — guided 5-step flow to scaffold new serialization modules with namespace, name, folder, serialization path, and include configuration
• Added Checkbox-based module selection — check individual modules in the TreeView and bulk pull or push them (pullCheckedModules, pushCheckedModules)
• Added Select All / Deselect All toolbar actions for the module list
• Added Inline pull/push buttons directly on each module row in the TreeView
• Added Enhanced Login with four authentication flows: Environment Login, Cloud (browser), Device Code, and Client Credentials
• Added Login Status Bar Item — always-visible indicator in the status bar; click to login or logout
• Added login settings: login.clientId, login.clientCredentialsLogin, login.deviceCodeAuth, login.allowWrite, login.authority, login.audience
• Added module creation defaults: module.defaultNamespace, module.defaultSerializationPath
• Extended module.json include format with scope, allowedPushOperations, and database fields
• Changed sitecoreDevtools.environment default to empty string (use blank for cloud login)

1.1.0

• Added CLI Commands tree view in sidebar
• Added Initialize Project command (dotnet sitecore init)
• Added Connect to Environment command
• Added Plugin management (add, remove, list)
• Added Publishing commands (publish, publish site)
• Added Indexing commands (rebuild, populate, schema-populate)
• Added Package commands (itemres create, ser package create/install)
• Added XM Cloud commands (project list, environment list, deployment create/list)

1.0.0

• Initial release
• Module detection and TreeView display
• Pull/Push individual modules
• Pull all modules
• Pull selected modules with QuickPick
• Smart Sync feature
• File watcher for auto-refresh
• Environment configuration
• Output channel logging