Sitecore Helix Scaffolder
Scaffold a Sitecore Helix solution. Define Foundation, Feature, and Project modules and export the folder tree plus a PowerShell script that creates the full solution.
Solution
Modules
Folder Structure Preview
Scaffold Script (PowerShell + dotnet CLI)
Creates the folders, class libraries, test projects, and the .sln. Run in an empty directory.
Scaffolding Helix Solutions Without the Setup
Standing up a new Helix-compliant Sitecore solution means creating the same structure every time: src/Foundation, src/Feature, src/Project, and inside each module a code project with Controllers, Models, Views, and App_Config patch folders — plus tests and serialization. Doing it by hand invites inconsistency; the Yeoman generators require a local Node toolchain. This scaffolder lets you design the module list in the browser and produces a single PowerShell script that builds the whole thing with the dotnet CLI.
The Three Helix Layers
- Foundation: shared, stable frameworks (DI, serialization, indexing, ORM). Other layers build on these.
- Feature: self-contained business features (navigation, news, search). Features must never depend on each other.
- Project: the composition layer — site definitions, page types, design — that ties features together for a concrete website.
How to Use This Scaffolder
- Name the solution — it becomes the root namespace (e.g.
Acme.Feature.Navigation). - Add modules to each layer; toggle test projects and serialization folders.
- Review the folder tree to confirm the structure.
- Download and run the .ps1 in an empty directory — it creates folders, csproj files, and the .sln.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Sitecore Helix?
- Helix is Sitecore's official set of guidelines and recommended practices for solution architecture. Its core convention is organizing code into three layers — Foundation (shared frameworks), Feature (business features), and Project (site-specific composition) — with strict dependency rules between them.
- What are the dependency rules between layers?
- Dependencies flow downward only: Project modules may depend on Feature and Foundation; Feature modules may depend only on Foundation (never on other Features); Foundation modules may depend only on other Foundation modules. This keeps features isolated and swappable.
- What does this scaffolder generate?
- Two things: a visual folder-tree preview of the conventional Helix structure (src/<Layer>/<Module>/code|tests|serialization), and a PowerShell script using the dotnet CLI that creates the folders, class library projects, optional xUnit test projects, and the .sln file.
- How does this compare to the Yeoman Helix generators?
- Community Yeoman generators scaffold Helix solutions from templates but require Node.js and local setup. This tool runs in your browser — design the structure visually, then run one script. For heavily customized templates (TDS, Unicorn, Docker), use the script as a starting point.
- What goes in each module's folders?
- code/ holds the module's class library (Controllers, Models, Views, App_Config patch files under Include/<Layer>), tests/ holds the matching test project, and serialization/ holds serialized Sitecore items (Unicorn, TDS, or Sitecore Content Serialization).