Beyond the SXA Toolbox session was lead by Adam Najmanowicz and Mark van Aalst of Sitecore. They gave an overview of SXA (Sitecore Experience Accelerator) and what is new in version 1.8.
What is SXA
- A framework focusing on digital platform
- Mobile first
- Flexible renderings
- Layout elasticity
- Responsive web
- Grid based layout
- Multi-tenant / Multi-site
- Through configuration
- Faceted Search
- Separation of presentation from content
- Architecture with Helix best practices
How do we build things
- Traditional Sitecore development
- 70% code
- 30% front-end/Experience Platform
- SXA Sitecore development
- 20% code
- 50% SXA
- 30% front-end/Experience Platform
Why is SXA Better
- Ready to use components that can be configured
- Configuration over code
- Drag and drop user experience
- Share content and presentation across sites
- Consistent structure across sites
- Headless JSON output
- Easy to upgrade
- Focus on the problems unique to your solution
- Less reliance on full Sitecore developers.
- Can be done by non-Sitecore devs
- Leverage your Sitecore devs for the 20% code
Using SXA
- Lots of customizations
- Custom styles
- Rendering variance
- Change the way the same piece of data is displayed
- Clone or add custom views for a standard component
- Create a custom component and register in the SXA toolbox
- Custom components are built with traditional Sitecore development methods
- A component can have sub-components and set their own rendering configuration
- You can organize the list of items in the toolbox
- Add your custom component
- Remove items you do not want your authors to use
- Set the sort order
- You can provide an image preview of the component
- Helps authors choose the right layout for a component when adding to a page
- Supports personalization
- IE: Change the presentation of the content based on a query string parameter
- You can do item searches with and “sxa:” query
What’s new in SXA 1.8
- Improved accessibility
- Navigate complex components with keyboard navigation
- Focus trapping for overlays/lightboxes
- Skip to navigation/content linkcs
- Tab order
- Bring your own views
- Custom views for pre-built components
- Support for Bootstrap 4
- Automated report for best practices
- New wireframe mode
- Does not use comic sans font
- Horizon compliant
This was my first exposure to SXA. It looks like a great way to speed up development for a full site. There is no need to build or maintain a personal component library. Many standard components are available out of the box.
Find the rest of my notes from Sitecore Symposium 2018
