Quick Tip: xPath Builder Chrome Bookmark

Whenever I need to access Sitecore's xPath Builder, I typically do a Google search to find any random blog post that provides the URL path (no, I don't plan to memorize that URL path any time soon 😊).

However, in order to circumvent this, I now use a Google Chrome Bookmark that uses JavaScript to automatically take me to the xPath Builder.

Simply add this to the content of a new bookmark:

javascript:(rel=>{location=rel.startsWith('/')?`${location.protocol}//${location.host}${rel}`:`${location.protocol}//${location.host}${location.pathname}/${rel}`})('/sitecore/shell/default.aspx?xmlcontrol=IDE.XPath.Builder')

While on any Sitecore site - hit the bookmark and you're there!

Enjoy!

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Sitecore Icon Search Web App

While the #SCHackathon was fully underway last weekend (holy cow, just following the Twitter diaries was intense), I was inspired to also stay up all night building something I hope will be useful for Sitecore developers moving forward.

I'll preface this with a quote from Phil Wicklund and Jason Wilkerson's book - Professional Sitecore 8 Development:

"It's often said that the hardest part about Sitecore projects is choosing the right icon."

As a best-practice, Sitecore recommends developers "use icons wherever applicable to facilitate visual differentiation."

But finding the right icon for your Sitecore templates ain't easy.
It unfortunately never has been.

Why?

1. Opening the Icon selector for the first time takes a while
   
   
2. There are 8,758 icons split across 25 categories - with no out-of-the-box search capabilities  -spotting the right icon can end up being time-consuming.
   
   
3. We've gotten some great community traction in the Marketplace - however, the available modules often compatible with specific versions of Sitecore.  (Kudos to the following module developers - these are not irrelevant).
• IconFinder
• Icon Search
• Sitecore Icon Search

Introducing: Sitecore Icon Search

Sitecore Icon Search was built to help Sitecore developers quickly identify the right icon for their Sitecore templates - allowing them to focus on creating great visual experiences for Sitecore CMS users.  

There are no package installations or versions to keep up with - simply visit this tool from your web browser, find the best icon, then copy and paste the relative path into the template's Icon field.

This tool isn't currently mapped to any custom domain as it's using a free Azure AppService tier.  Given a positive community response, I'd be happy to upgrade the tier and map a custom one for additional ease of access.

What do you think it should it be?

Feel free to leave your suggestions (or general thoughts) in the comments below!

Happy Sitecoring!

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