Bartosz Sekula
Sep 28, 2021
  3665
(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
Avoid Scandinavian Letters in File Names in Optimizely CMS

Discover how Scandinavian letters in file names can break media in Optimizely CMS—and learn a simple code fix to automatically sanitize uploads for...

Henning Sjørbotten | Jun 19, 2025 |

Exporting Optimizely databases causing errors

Solutions to a couple of recurring issues when migrating databases to the cloud.

Tomas Hensrud Gulla | Jun 18, 2025 |

Common Pitfalls with Search in Optimizely Graph - and How to Avoid Them

Optimizely Graph offers powerful, flexible search capabilities out of the box, making it a popular choice for headless implementations. However, li...

Michał Mitas | Jun 18, 2025

Introducing the Feature Experimentation Administrator Certification

We’re excited to announce the launch of the  Feature Experimentation Administrator Certification,  the newest addition to our growing suite of...

Satata Satez | Jun 18, 2025

UrlResolver Bug in Optimizely DXP: Troubleshooting Inconsistent URLs in Scaled-Out Apps

A while back, our team encountered a puzzling production bug: URLs generated by the UrlResolver would randomly differ depending on who accessed the...

David Drouin-Prince | Jun 18, 2025 |

Optimizely Commerce Connect: Enabling content-driven ecommerce experiences

The world of ecommerce today is a rapidly evolving field. No longer are customers satisfied with a long list of products that they have no idea how...

Shahrukh Ikhtear | Jun 16, 2025