Creating Your First Sitecore Component: A Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide

 

1. Why Components Matter in Sitecore

• Short analogy: “Think of components like LEGO blocks for building websites.”

• Mention how components align with Sitecore’s modular philosophy (and why employers care).

2. Step 1: Create a Simple Razor View

<!-- YourComponent.cshtml -->  

<div class="promo-banner">  

    <h2>@Html.Sitecore().Field("Title")</h2>  

    <p>@Html.Sitecore().Field("Description")</p>  

</div>  

• Pro Tip: “Store this in /Views/Shared/Components for consistency.”

3. Step 2: Add a Rendering in Sitecore

• Screenshot Guide:

  1. Content Editor > Layouts > Renderings.

  2. Right-click, Insert > Rendering. Name it “Promo Banner”.

  3. Set the Path to your Razor view.

4. Step 3: Bind the Component to a Datasource

• Create a template (/sitecore/templates) with fields: Title (Single-Line Text) and Description (Rich Text).

• Assign the template to a new folder in the content tree (e.g., /content/Promo Items).

5. Step 4: Add Your Component to a Page

• Experience Editor > Placeholder > Choose “Promo Banner” rendering.

• Select a datasource item from /content/Promo Items.

6. Common Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t Have To)

• Forgot to publish the rendering? 😅

• Datasource not linked? Check the “Datasource Location” in rendering properties.

7. Your Homework

• Try adding a button field to your Promo Banner.