A critical vulnerability was discovered in React Server Components (Next.js). Our systems remain protected but we advise to update packages to newest version. Learn More

Bartosz Sekula
Sep 28, 2021
  4161
(2 votes)

How to resolve current content context

With the release of CMS UI 11.36.2 it is now possible to resolve the current loaded content context from anywhere you may need.

It might be useful if you need any custom logic in any of the Content Events:

[ModuleDependency(typeof(EPiServer.Shell.UI.InitializationModule))]
public class CustomModule : IConfigurableModule
{
    public void Initialize(InitializationEngine context)
    {
        context.Locate.ContentEvents().CreatedContent += CreatedContent;
        context.Locate.ContentEvents().CreatingContent += CreatingContent;
    }

    private void CreatingContent(object sender, ContentEventArgs e)
    {   
        var currentContentContext = ServiceLocator.Current.GetInstance<CurrentContentContext>();
        // we know which content context initiated the CREATE operation        
        var currentContentLink = currentContentContext.ContentLink;

        var newlyCreatedContentLink = e.ContentLink; // --> null as at this point the ContentReference was not assigned yet
    }

    private void CreatedContent(object sender, ContentEventArgs e)
    {
        var newlyCreatedContentLink = e.ContentLink; // this is the ContentReference of the newly created content item
        // but we might need the ContentReference of the content that was being viewed when the CREATE operation was run
        var currentContentContext = ServiceLocator.Current.GetInstance<CurrentContentContext>();
        // this gives us the content context the editor was in
        var currentContentLink = currentContentContext.ContentLink;
    }

    public void Uninitialize(InitializationEngine context)
    {
        context.Locate.ContentEvents().CreatedContent -= CreatedContent;
        context.Locate.ContentEvents().CreatingContent -= CreatingContent;
    }

    public void ConfigureContainer(ServiceConfigurationContext context)
    {

    }
}

You might also need to know the current context in metadata aware components, like for example in this Editor Descriptor:

public class FooPageType : PageData 
{
    [EditorDescriptor(EditorDescriptorType = typeof(CollectionEditorDescriptor<OfferDetailsItem>))]
    public virtual IList<OfferDetailsItem> OfferDetailsItems { get; set; }
}

public class OfferDetailsItem
{
    [Display(Order = 1)]
    [UIHint("test")]
    public string Label { get; set; }
}

[PropertyDefinitionTypePlugIn]
public class OfferDetailsItemPropertyList : PropertyList<OfferDetailsItem>
{
}

[EditorDescriptorRegistration(TargetType = typeof(string), UIHint = "test")]
public class CustomXhtmlDescriptor : StringEditorDescriptor
{
    private readonly CurrentContentContext _currentContent;

    public CustomXhtmlDescriptor(CurrentContentContext currentContent)
    {
        _currentContent = currentContent;
    }

    public override void ModifyMetadata(ExtendedMetadata metadata, IEnumerable<Attribute> attributes)
    {
        base.ModifyMetadata(metadata, attributes);

        var ownerContent = metadata.FindOwnerContent(); // --> will return null because the object we annotate is not ContentData but simple POCO
        // https://world.optimizely.com/forum/developer-forum/CMS/Thread-Container/2016/1/current-content-for-propertylist-item-selection-factory/
        // and
        // https://world.optimizely.com/forum/developer-forum/CMS/Thread-Container/2021/9/tinymce-customization-depending-on-page-context/
        var currentContent = _currentContent.ContentLink; // --> will return correct page id
    }
}

Related forum posts that describe the problem:

https://world.optimizely.com/forum/developer-forum/CMS/Thread-Container/2021/9/tinymce-customization-depending-on-page-context/

https://world.optimizely.com/forum/developer-forum/CMS/Thread-Container/2020/12/get-value-of-contextepi-cms-contentdata/#234848

https://world.optimizely.com/forum/developer-forum/CMS/Thread-Container/2016/1/current-content-for-propertylist-item-selection-factory/

Sep 28, 2021

Comments

Tomas Hensrud Gulla
Tomas Hensrud Gulla Sep 28, 2021 11:54 AM

Will there be release notes describing this?

Bartosz Sekula
Bartosz Sekula Sep 28, 2021 11:55 AM

Yes, documentation is scheduled to be published. It will be available soon.

Tomas Hensrud Gulla
Tomas Hensrud Gulla Sep 28, 2021 11:59 AM

Excellent work, by the way. Thanks! :-)

Ravindra S. Rathore
Ravindra S. Rathore Sep 30, 2021 07:11 AM

👍

Please login to comment.
Latest blogs
Looking back at Optimizely in 2025

Explore Optimizely's architectural shift in 2025, which removed coordination cost through a unified execution loop. Learn how agentic Opal AI and...

Andy Blyth | Dec 17, 2025 |

Cleaning Up Content Graph Webhooks in PaaS CMS: Scheduled Job

The Problem Bit of a niche issue, but we are building a headless solution where the presentation layer is hosted on Netlify, when in a regular...

Minesh Shah (Netcel) | Dec 17, 2025

A day in the life of an Optimizely OMVP - OptiGraphExtensions v2.0: Enhanced Search Control with Language Support and Synonym Slots

Supercharge your Optimizely Graph search experience with powerful new features for multilingual sites and fine-grained search tuning. As search...

Graham Carr | Dec 16, 2025

A day in the life of an Optimizely OMVP - Optimizely Opal: Specialized Agents, Workflows, and Tools Explained

The AI landscape in digital experience platforms has shifted dramatically. At Opticon 2025, Optimizely unveiled the next evolution of Optimizely Op...

Graham Carr | Dec 16, 2025