View configuration changes
At runtime, Sitecore compiles its configuration by collecting the Sitecore configuration files and resolving any rule-based dependencies for the configuration settings in those files. There are various tools available that enable you to see what the resulting configuration looks like. You might need to do this when you are debugging your Sitecore setup or when reporting issues to Sitecore support engineers.
This topic describes how to:
Display the Sitecore configuration
You use the Show Config tool to display the compiled configuration.
To view the configuration:
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Log in to Sitecore with an administrator account.
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Open the Control Panel.
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In the Administration section, click Administration Tools.
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To see the current configuration, click Show Config.
You can also access the Show Config tool directly by entering the URL http://<sitename>/sitecore/admin/showconfig.aspx in your browser.
If you test a configuration where the server role does not contain either Standalone or ContentManager, you must use the direct URL method, because the administration UI is not available.
The resulting configuration file shows where patched elements come from. For example, an element that was taken from the Sitecore.Analytics.config file includes the patch:source="Sitecore.Analytics.config" attribute.
Simulate changes to server roles and layers
You can simulate the result of changing configuration keys using the Show Config Layers tool. This lets you, for example, see the result of changing the server role without actually changing the web.config file.
To simulate changes to server roles and layers:
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Log in to Sitecore with an administrator account.
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Open the Control Panel.
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In the Administration section, click Administration Tools.
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Click Show Config Layers.
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Select which role or roles to assign to the server and which configuration layers to enable.
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Click Click to see result configuration to see the configuration that results from the roles and layers you have selected.
You can also start the Show Config Layers tool directly as a URL in a browser, where you specify the layers and server roles as parameters in the URL.
For example, the following URL will show you the configuration with all layers enabled and the server role set to ContentManagement, Processing, and Reporting:
http://<sitename>/sitecore/admin/showconfig.aspx?layer=Sitecore|Modules|Custom|Environment&role=ContentManagement|Processing|Reporting
Simulate changes to all types of rules
When you use the direct URL, you can add parameters for any rule defined in the web.config file. This includes the predefined rule definitions role and search, as well as your own custom rules.
To simulate changes to all types of rules:
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Add the first rule test to the
http://<sitename>/sitecore/admin/showconfig.aspxURL as a parameter with the format?<rulename>=<value1>|<value2>|<value3>. There is no limit to the number of values you can specify. Values are separated by a|. -
Add any additional rule tests to the URL as parameters with the format
&<rulename>=<value1>|<value2>|<value3>. There is no limit to the number of rule tests that you can add.
For example, if you add your own custom rule definition called localenv to the web.config file, you can add a test on this key to the Show Config URL:
http://<sitename>/sitecore/admin/showconfig.aspx?layer=Sitecore|Modules|Custom|Environment&role=Standalone&localenv=QA|Test