Configuring a Site in a Multi-site Solution

If you would like your visitors to navigate your newly created micro-site in a multi-site solution using a specific URL, you have to add site bindings and make sure your host name points to the server where the website is being hosted. In a local development environment, you can edit your hosts file to achieve this.

I am going to assume that you already created your site folder and your Home item in Sitecore for the new site.

• Add site bindings and edit your hosts file:

1. Click on Bindings... from the Edit Site section and then add a new binding for you micro-site in the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
   
   
   
   
2. Using SIM, open up Hosts Editor and add a new hostname entry for you micro-site.
   
   

Now you need to make sure Sitecore recognises your new micro-site, to be able to do this you need to create a site definition configuration patch file and place it in the App_Config/Include folder.

• Create a site definition config file:

1. Navigate to your website's installation folder and then find the Include folder under App_Config. The default location is: C:\inetpub\wwwroot\(site name)\Website\App_Config\Include.
   
   
2. Copy the SiteDefinition.config.example file and rename to represent your newly created micro-site (For example: WebinarsSiteDefinition.config).
   
   
3. Open up your config file using a text editor.
   
   
4. In the <site> node, make sure to change the name and rootPath attributes to your desired values. Also make sure to add hostName and contentStartItem attributes and set their values.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Save your changes and you're all set to navigate to your newly created micro-site using its host name.
   
   

Notes:

• Files in the Include folder are live as soon as they have a .config extension. Leave the .example extension to keep the file disabled while editing.
  
  
• Never update or add the <site> node in Sitecore.config, always place your .config patch file in the App_Config\Include folder as it is the recommended practice by Sitecore.
  
  
• You can use pipe separated list of host names to assign multiple host names for one site definition.
  
  

Until next time!