Automate Sitecore update packages installation

Some time ago I've published a few blog posts about creating update packages with Sitecore Courier during build. This blog post is about installing them automatically during website deployment.

Source code used by Update Installation Wizard can be easily found using Reflector, but it's always easier to use ready and tested solution.

Sitecore Continuos Deployment: From Zero to Hero (Part 2: Deploy)

This is a second blog post in a Build-Deploy-Test series. Here you'll see how to deploy the package created at the previous step, with some hints specific to CI usage.

This blog post is a part of the series:

• Sitecore Continuos Deployment: From Zero to Hero (Part 1: Build)
• Sitecore Continuos Deployment: From Zero to Hero (Part 2: Deploy)

Sitecore Continuos Deployment: From Zero to Hero (Part 1: Build)

During the past year I've learned a lot about importance of Continuous Integration for project success. Besides of quality and robustness improvements, automated builds and deployment simply make developers happier, as there is now much less stress / annoying tasks, and more time for fun stuff.

Hidden feature of Sitecore Courier

It may seem strange, but there is one feature in Sitecore Courier module which I forgot to mention last time I blogged about it.

You can perform diff versus empty folder, in other words, simply turn a folder with serialized items into a package. It can be useful in two cases:

• When creating initial package with your website files
• If you want TDS-like "all inclusive" packages

Sitecore Courier - Effortless Packaging

The first question many Sitecore developers ask when they start thinking about deploying changes with Sitecore is – “How to track item changes?” The deal is - you cannot simply deploy the updated site from version control system (VCS), because production site also holds content items, being constantly edited by content editors, and you need to merge it.