Query examples
Example queries to query items in Experience Edge for XM.
This topic describes some examples of how to query the Experience Edge GraphQL schema to meet common query needs.
Important
Most of the example queries in this topic are derived from Sitecore JSS styleguide sample apps. Item IDs and paths will vary by import/solution.
You can query items anywhere in your content tree by path or ID to read their fields and other properties. You can use inline fragments to cast items to their projected data template type and fields to their field type.
Query
query { # path can be an item tree path or GUID-based id item(path: "/sitecore/content/Experience-Edge/home", language: "en") { # items can be cast to a Template type with inline fragments ... on AppRoute { pageTitle { value } } # fields can be cast to a Field type with inline fragments field(name: "pageTitle") { ... on TextField { value } } } }
Result
{ "data": { "item": { "pageTitle": { "value": "Welcome to Sitecore JSS" }, "field": { "value": "Welcome to Sitecore JSS" } } } }
You can filter items based on multiple paths. This query example assumes the following site structure:

Assume that the /home/graphql
and home/styleguide/Page Components
items have the UUIDs 0C6F4AAF-DD7E-5FAF-B9B0-61070D496055
and AB99BA2B-B606-51E3-BAD9-FD8358DE1333
, respectively. You want to get the /home
items and descendants that are not /home/graphql
and home/styleguide/Page Components
or their children. The following query uses the NCONTAINS
operator to exclude the path of these items and their children from the result.
Query
query { pageOne: search( where: { AND: [ { name: "_path" value: "54C8E9B5-0B2C-5363-8FA6-D32A3A302F51" operator: CONTAINS } { AND: [ { name: "_path" value: "0C6F4AAF-DD7E-5FAF-B9B0-61070D496055" operator: NCONTAINS } { name: "_path" value: "AB99BA2B-B606-51E3-BAD9-FD8358DE1333" operator: NCONTAINS } ] } ] } # defaults to 10 first: 10 ) { total pageInfo { endCursor hasNext } results { url { path } } } }
Result
The result of the search query does not contain items with the paths /home/graphql
and home/styleguide/Page Components
or any of their descendants but returns the /home
item and the remaining child items.
{ "data": { "pageOne": { "total": 5, "pageInfo": { "endCursor": "NQ==", "hasNext": false }, "results": [ { "url": { "path": "/styleguide/custom-route-type" } }, { "url": { "path": "/styleguide" } }, { "url": { "path": "/Page-Components/home-jss-main-ContentBlock-1" } }, { "url": { "path": "/Page-Components" } }, { "url": { "path": "/" } } ] } } }
Most often used with Headless SDKs, you can find items by their site name and HTTP URL and then obtain their Layout Service output for rendering by framework-specific Sitecore placeholder implementations.
Query
query { layout(site: "experienceedge", routePath: "/", language: "en") { item { rendered } } }
Result
{ "data": { "layout": { "item": { "rendered": { "sitecore": { "context": { "pageEditing": false, "site": { "name": "experienceedge" }, "pageState": "normal", "language": "en", "itemPath": "/" }, "route": { "name": "home", "displayName": "home", "fields": { "pageTitle": { "value": "Welcome to Sitecore JSS" } }, "databaseName": "web", "deviceId": "fe5d7fdf-89c0-4d99-9aa3-b5fbd009c9f3", "itemId": "2bde2083-5542-5569-ac5e-f1f42e29f75a", "itemLanguage": "en", "itemVersion": 1, "layoutId": "714096fc-3998-52cf-b87a-951fc7ce39d3", "templateId": "e34d8c4f-7e6c-560c-be24-e4d1fcdb16d8", "templateName": "AppRoute", "placeholders": { "jss-main": [ { "uid": "2c4a53cc-9da8-5f51-9d79-6ee2fc671b2d", "componentName": "ContentBlock", "dataSource": "{CC3A044C-776B-5423-9BEA-CC5C2EDA8C9B}", "fields": { "heading": { "value": "Welcome to Sitecore JSS" }, "content": { "value": "<p>Thanks for using JSS!! Here are some resources to get you started:</p>\n\n<h3><a href=\"https://jss.sitecore.net\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Documentation</a></h3>\n<p>The official JSS documentation can help you with any JSS task from getting started to advanced techniques.</p>\n\n<h3><a href=\"/styleguide\">Styleguide</a></h3>\n<p>The JSS styleguide is a living example of how to use JSS, hosted right in this app.\nIt demonstrates most of the common patterns that JSS implementations may need to use,\nas well as useful architectural patterns.</p>\n\n<h3><a href=\"/graphql\">GraphQL</a></h3>\n<p>JSS features integration with the Sitecore GraphQL API to enable fetching non-route data from Sitecore - or from other internal backends as an API aggregator or proxy.\nThis route is a living example of how to use an integrate with GraphQL data in a JSS app.</p>\n\n<div class=\"alert alert-dark\">\n <h4>This app is a boilerplate</h4>\n <p>The JSS samples are a boilerplate, not a library. That means that any code in this app is meant for you to own and customize to your own requirements.</p>\n <p>Want to change the lint settings? Do it. Want to read manifest data from a MongoDB database? Go for it. This app is yours.</p>\n</div>\n\n<div class=\"alert alert-dark\">\n <h4>How to start with an empty app</h4>\n <p>To remove all of the default sample content (the Styleguide and GraphQL routes) and start out with an empty JSS app:</p>\n <ol>\n <li>Delete <code>/src/components/Styleguide*</code> and <code>/src/components/GraphQL*</code></li>\n <li>Delete <code>/sitecore/definitions/components/Styleguide*</code>, <code>/sitecore/definitions/templates/Styleguide*</code>, and <code>/sitecore/definitions/components/GraphQL*</code></li>\n <li>Delete <code>/data/component-content/Styleguide</code></li>\n <li>Delete <code>/data/content/Styleguide</code></li>\n <li>Delete <code>/data/routes/styleguide</code> and <code>/data/routes/graphql</code></li>\n <li>Delete <code>/data/dictionary/*.yml</code></li>\n </ol>\n</div>\n" } } } ] } } } } } } } }
When you work with Sitecore item buckets, a common requirement is to paginate all the items that descend from a particular template within that bucket. The following search query is helpful for these use cases.
Query
fragment bucketItemFields on Item { ... on AppRoute { pageTitle { value } } url { path } } query { search( where: { AND: [ { name: "_templates" value: "0929f436c3f3500a9f8bd1c57a67a192" operator: CONTAINS } { name: "_path" value: "7ab00eca411249818420666fc9110faf" operator: CONTAINS } ] } first: 5 orderBy: { name: "pageTitle", direction: ASC } ) { results { ...bucketItemFields } pageInfo { endCursor hasNext } total } }
Result
{ "data": { "search": { "results": [ { "pageTitle": { "value": "Route A" }, "url": { "path": "/bucket/2021/05/13/13/12/Route-A" } }, { "pageTitle": { "value": "Route B" }, "url": { "path": "/bucket/2021/05/13/13/12/Route-B" } }, { "pageTitle": { "value": "Route C" }, "url": { "path": "/bucket/2021/05/13/13/12/Route-C" } }, { "pageTitle": { "value": "Route D" }, "url": { "path": "/bucket/2021/05/13/13/12/Route-D" } }, { "pageTitle": { "value": "Route E" }, "url": { "path": "/bucket/2021/05/13/13/13/Route-E" } } ], "pageInfo": { "endCursor": "NQ==", "hasNext": true }, "total": 26 } } }
The Experience Edge schema does not currently allow querying of sites and their root items, but you can still find the root item of a site by using the layout
query.
Query
query { layout(site: "experienceedge", routePath: "/", language: "en") { item { homeItemPath: path contentRoot: parent { id path } } } }
Result
{ "data": { "layout": { "item": { "homeItemPath": "/sitecore/content/Experience-Edge/home", "contentRoot": { "id": "5AAA894246145088B7AD604B4D177B39", "path": "/sitecore/content/Experience-Edge" } } } } }
You can use the site
query to find all the items in a specific language with layout data/presentation details on that site. This is useful, for example, for obtaining paths for a static site generator. The route results are paginated and, by default, return only 10 results. You must use the endCursor
property with the first
and after
query arguments to paginate the results.
Query
query { site { siteInfo(site: "example") { routes(language: "en") { results { route{ id } routePath } total pageInfo { endCursor hasNext } } } } }
Result
{ "data": { "site": { "siteInfo": { "routes": { "routesResult": [ { "route": { "id": "31FB4D08F5E14B4C9AA4EFE8F486B87D" }, "routePath": "/Page-B" }, { "route": { "id": "49195BCAB09241A3BC30311F00B7DDC8" }, "routePath": "/Page-A" }, { "route": { "id": "BCDA1741BF0D4CA695519FEAE634FFFF" }, "routePath": "/" } ], "total": 3, "pageInfo": { "endCursor": "Mw==", "hasNext": false } } } } } }
This sample query combines finding the site root with the ability to traverse item children. You can use the hasLayout
argument to only find items with layout (navigable pages) and the includeTemplateIds
argument to filter on a (base) data template.
Query
fragment navigationFields on Item { ... on AppRoute { pageTitle { value } } url { path } } query { layout(site: "experienceedge", routePath: "/", language: "en") { item { ...navigationFields children(hasLayout: true, includeTemplateIDs: "e34d8c4f7e6c560cbe24e4d1fcdb16d8") { results { ...navigationFields children(hasLayout: true, includeTemplateIDs: "e34d8c4f7e6c560cbe24e4d1fcdb16d8") { results { ...navigationFields } } } } } } }
Result
{ "data": { "layout": { "item": { "pageTitle": { "value": "Welcome to Sitecore JSS" }, "url": { "path": "/" }, "children": { "results": [ { "pageTitle": { "value": "GraphQL | Sitecore JSS" }, "url": { "path": "/graphql" }, "children": { "results": [ { "pageTitle": { "value": "Sample 1 Page Title" }, "url": { "path": "/graphql/sample-1" } }, { "pageTitle": { "value": "Sample 2 Page Title" }, "url": { "path": "/graphql/sample-2" } } ] } }, { "pageTitle": { "value": "Styleguide | Sitecore JSS" }, "url": { "path": "/styleguide" }, "children": { "results": [ { "pageTitle": { "value": "Custom Route Type | Sitecore JSS" }, "url": { "path": "/styleguide/custom-route-type" } } ] } } ] } } } } }
You can use the ancestors
field on the item graph type to create breadcrumb navigation. Use the hasLayout
argument to only find items with layout (navigable pages), and includeTemplateIds
to filter on a (base) data template.
Query
fragment breadcrumbFields on Item { ... on AppRoute { pageTitle { value } } url { path } } query { # Assume the item id is available on the page item(path: "e2c5c62f42a95b17bc0e71bc9193db9a", language: "en") { ...breadcrumbFields ancestors( hasLayout: true includeTemplateIDs: "e34d8c4f7e6c560cbe24e4d1fcdb16d8" ) { ...breadcrumbFields } } }
Result
{ "data": { "item": { "pageTitle": { "value": "Custom Route Type | Sitecore JSS" }, "url": { "path": "/styleguide/custom-route-type" }, "ancestors": [ { "pageTitle": { "value": "Styleguide | Sitecore JSS" }, "url": { "path": "/styleguide" } }, { "pageTitle": { "value": "Welcome to Sitecore JSS" }, "url": { "path": "/" } } ] } } }
The various Sitecore Headless SDKs all contain helpers for rendering field values. These helpers assist with rendering complex fields (such as images or links) and editable values in the context of inline editing. Item fields in the Experience Edge schema include jsonValue
that outputs the field in a format compatible with these field helpers.
For example, the following link field could be rendered in React or Next.js using the Link
field helper:
<Link field={data.linkFieldExample?.externalLink?.jsonValue} />
Query
query { richTextFieldExample: item(path: "d979794f76fd51829f3ece48d16dc36c", language: "en") { displayName ... on StyleguideFieldUsageRichText { sample { jsonValue } } } imageFieldExample: item(path: "c05be0b464885343b5670145b6815d03", language: "en") { displayName ... on StyleguideFieldUsageImage { sample1 { jsonValue } } } linkFieldExample: item(path: "d299e65e1f6c5ea3b71381c8e2f85baf", language: "en") { displayName ... on StyleguideFieldUsageLink { externalLink { jsonValue } } } }
Result
{ "data": { "richTextFieldExample": { "displayName": "Styleguide-FieldUsage-RichText-3", "sample": { "jsonValue": { "value": "<p>This is a sample rich text field. <mark>HTML is always supported.</mark> In Sitecore, editors will see a WYSIWYG editor for these fields.</p>" } } }, "imageFieldExample": { "displayName": "Styleguide-FieldUsage-Image-4", "sample1": { "jsonValue": { "value": { "src": "https://cm.experience_edge.localhost/-/media/experienceedge/data/media/img/sc_logo.png?iar=0&hash=F4F969FF95009AE0A80FA094C497ED25", "alt": "Sitecore Logo" } } } }, "linkFieldExample": { "displayName": "Styleguide-FieldUsage-Link-9", "externalLink": { "jsonValue": { "value": { "href": "https://www.sitecore.com", "text": "Link to Sitecore", "url": "https://www.sitecore.com", "linktype": "external" } } } } } }
You can fetch information about all the content sites in a site
query using the siteInfoCollection
field. For example, to get the name and root path of all the available sites, use the following query:
Query
query { site { siteInfoCollection{ name rootPath } } }
Result
{ "data": { "site": { "siteInfoCollection": [ { "name": "example", "rootPath": "/sitecore/content/sxa/example" }, { "name": "website", "rootPath": "/sitecore/content" } ] } } }
You can use the siteInfo
field in a site
query to get information about a specific content site. For example, the following query returns the site name and root path.
Query
query { site { siteInfo(site: “example”) { name rootPath } } }
Result
{ "data": { "site": { "siteInfo": { "name": "example", "rootPath": "/sitecore/content/sxa/example" } } } }
You can request a list of redirect rules when querying for information about a specific site. In the following example query, the response includes the redirect type, target, pattern, and whether the redirection preserves any query string parameters.
Query
query { site { siteInfo(site: “example”) { name rootPath redirects { redirectType isQueryStringPreserved target pattern } } } }
Result
{ "data": { "site": { "siteInfo": { "name": "example", "rootPath": "/sitecore/content/sxa/example", "redirects": [ { "redirectType": "REDIRECT_302", "isQueryStringPreserved": true, "target": "/page C", "pattern": "/page b/" } ] } } } }
When querying for information about a specific site, you can request information on all the pages involved in the error-handling process. The result can help you determine if all the required error codes are handled and by which pages.
Query
query { site { siteInfo(site: “example”) { errorHandling(language: “en”) { notFoundPage { id path field (name: "Title") { name value } }, notFoundPagePath, serverErrorPage { id name path field (name: "Title") { name value } }, serverErrorPagePath } } } }
Result
{ "data": { "site": { "siteInfo": { "errorHandling": { "notFoundPage": { "id": "7AC72838792444A389BDD10D63A30FA6", "path": "/sitecore/content/sxa/example/Home/custom-404-error-page", "field": { "name": "Title", "value": "custom-404-error-page" } }, "notFoundPagePath": "/custom-404-error-page", "serverErrorPage": { "id": "846C9D39299740D0A25235ECA3F5B202", "name": "custom-500-error-page", "path": "/sitecore/content/sxa/example/Home/custom-500-error-page", "field": { "name": "Title", "value": "custom-500-error-page" } }, "serverErrorPagePath": "/custom-500-error-page" } } } } }
Using a site
query, you can request information about which search engine crawlers can access the site.
Query
query { site { siteInfo(site: “example”) { robots } } }
Result
{ "data": { "site": { "siteInfo": { "robots": "google, bing\r\nSitemap: https://xmcloudcm.localhost/sitemap.xml\r\n" } } } }
You can query for the path to the media items generated for an SXA site sitemap.
Query
query { site { siteInfo(site: “example”) { sitemap } } }
Result
{ "data": { "site": { "siteInfo": { "sitemap": " /-/media/Project/sxa/example/Sitemaps/sitemap.xml" } } } }