Useful Sitecore Query String Parameters

At the end of the day Sitecore is a web based system and as such uses query string parameters to pass viable data. They are used to switch between display modes, sites, languages etc. I found out that remembering these parameters is a huge speed improvement especially in cases when dealing with multi-language, multi-device or page editor enabled solutions. Here is a list of the Sitecore query string parameters that I are most useful in my day-to-day job.

sc_mode – Used to change the display mode of the website. Can have the following values:

• normal – normal display – the way the users see the site
• edit – page editor mode
• preview – preview mode

Example: http://yoursitename.com?sc_mode=preview

sc_lang – Used to change the website language. Can have any value that is defined under /sitecore/system/languages

Example: http://yoursitename.com?sc_lang=fr-FR

sc_itemid – Used to change the current item.

Example: http://yoursitename.com?sc_itemid={12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789ABC}

sc_site – Used to change the current website.

Example: http://yoursitename.com?sc_site=mywebsite

sc_device – Used to change the device in which the website is displayed. Can be used with the device name or the device id.

Example: http://yoursitename.com?sc_device=mobile

Example: http://yoursitename.com?sc_device={12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789ABC}

sc_database – Used to change the database from which the content is displayed.

Example: http://yoursitename.com?sc_database=master

 

And here are some of the debug specific query string parameters.

sc_debug – Used to start/stop the debug mode. Possible values are 0 and 1.

Example: http://yoursitename.com?sc_debug=1

sc_prof – Used to start/stop the Sitecore profiler. Possible values are 0 and 1.

Example: http://yoursitename.com?sc_debug=1&sc_prof=1

sc_trace – Used to start/stop the Sitecore trace. Possible values are 0 and 1.

Example: http://yoursitename.com?sc_debug=1&sc_trace=1

sc_ri – Used to show/hide the rendering information. Possible values are 0 and 1.

Example: http://yoursitename.com?sc_debug=1&sc_ri=1

The default debugger usually starts with all three enabled – http://yoursitename.com?sc_debug=1&sc_prof=1&sc_trace=1&sc_ri=1

 

These are the query string params that I usually use in my day-to-day job. There are probably many more of them in Sitecore that are sitting there, waiting for someone to find them 🙂 !