Multisite Content - Optimizely CMS 12

Exam Area: Area 1 – Product Knowledge (15%) Reference: https://docs.developers.optimizely.com/content-management-system/docs/multi-site

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1. What is Multi-Site?

CMS 12 supports running multiple websites from a single CMS installation. Each site has its own start page, URL bindings, and content tree.

Single CMS installation:
  ├── Site A: www.brandA.com (start page: /SiteA)
  ├── Site B: www.brandB.com (start page: /SiteB)
  └── Site C: internal.company.com (start page: /Internal)

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2. Benefits of Multi-Site

• Shared infrastructure: One database, one deployment
• Shared content: Blocks and media can be shared between sites
• Shared code: One codebase with conditional rendering per site
• Separate access rights: Each site's editors only see their own content
• Separate languages: Each site can have its own language settings

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3. Content Assets (Per-Site vs Global)

// GlobalAssets root
ContentReference globalRoot = ContentReference.GlobalBlockFolder;

// Site-specific assets root (based on current start page)
ContentReference siteRoot = ContentReference.SiteBlockFolder;

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4. Detecting the Current Site

// SiteDefinition.Current is the site matching the current HTTP request
var currentSite = SiteDefinition.Current;
var siteName    = currentSite.Name;
var startPage   = currentSite.StartPage;

// Check if a content item belongs to the current site
bool isOnCurrentSite = currentSite.StartPage == someContentRef.ToReferenceWithoutVersion() ||
    _contentLoader.GetAncestors(someContentRef)
        .Any(a => a.ContentLink == currentSite.StartPage);

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5. Site-Specific Templates

// Use tags or route data to select different views per site
[TemplateDescriptor(Tags = new[] { "SiteA" })]
public class SiteAArticleController : PageController<ArticlePage>
{
    public IActionResult Index(ArticlePage page) => View("SiteA/ArticlePage", page);
}

[TemplateDescriptor(Tags = new[] { "SiteB" })]
public class SiteBArticleController : PageController<ArticlePage>
{
    public IActionResult Index(ArticlePage page) => View("SiteB/ArticlePage", page);
}

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6. Sharing Blocks Between Sites

Blocks stored in /globalassets/ are visible to all sites.
Editors on Site A can use blocks from globalassets.
Editors on Site B can also use the same blocks.

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7. Cross-Site Links

// IUrlResolver generates absolute URLs for cross-site links
var absoluteUrl = _urlResolver.GetUrl(
    contentRef,
    language: "en",
    new VirtualPathArguments { ForceAbsolute = true });
// Returns: https://www.brandB.com/some-page/

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8. ISiteDefinitionRepository

// Get all sites
var allSites = _siteDefinitionRepository.List();

// Get a site by ID
var site = _siteDefinitionRepository.Get(siteGuid);

// Create a new site
_siteDefinitionRepository.Save(new SiteDefinition
{
    Name      = "Brand C",
    SiteUrl   = new Uri("https://www.brandc.com/"),
    StartPage = new ContentReference(200)
});

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9. Admin UI: Sites

Admin → Websites
  → Add site → select start page, enter hostname(s)
  → Each site shows: name, URL, start page, language configuration

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Review Questions

1. How many databases does a multi-site CMS installation use? (One — all sites share the same database)
2. What is the path for content shared across all sites? (/globalassets — ContentReference.GlobalBlockFolder)
3. How do you get the current site in code? (SiteDefinition.Current)
4. Can different sites in a multi-site setup have different language configurations? (Yes — each site manages its own language bindings)
5. Which interface manages site definitions? (ISiteDefinitionRepository)