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b2c-site-import-export

Learn & Follow Best Practices

Import and export site archives with metadata XML on B2C Commerce instances using the b2c CLI. Use this skill whenever the user needs to import site data, write metadata XML for custom attributes on products/orders/customers, define custom object types, configure site preferences via import, or work with site archive directory structure and IMPEX XML formats. Also use when the user asks about system-objecttype-extensions.xml, custom-objecttype-definitions.xml, preferences.xml, or any site archive import/export workflow — even if they just say they need to "push metadata" or "add a field to products".

SalesforceCommerceCloud/b2c-developer-tooling·
New Skill
S
$npx skills add SalesforceCommerceCloud/b2c-developer-tooling --skill b2c-site-import-export

Site Import/Export Skill

Use the b2c CLI plugin to import and export site archives on Salesforce B2C Commerce instances.

Tip: If b2c is not installed globally, use npx @salesforce/b2c-cli instead (e.g., npx @salesforce/b2c-cli job import).

Import Commands

Import Local Directory

# Import a local directory as a site archive (waits for completion by default)
b2c job import ./my-site-data

# Import and return immediately without waiting
b2c job import ./my-site-data --no-wait

# Import a local zip file
b2c job import ./export.zip

# Keep the archive on the instance after import
b2c job import ./my-site-data --keep-archive

# Show job log if the import fails
b2c job import ./my-site-data --show-log

Import Remote Archive

# Import an archive that already exists on the instance (in Impex/src/instance/)
b2c job import existing-archive.zip --remote

Export Commands

# Export global metadata (waits for completion by default)
b2c job export --global-data meta_data

# Export a site with specific data units
b2c job export --site RefArch --site-data content,site_preferences

Common Workflows

Adding a Custom Attribute to Products

  1. Create the metadata XML file:

meta/system-objecttype-extensions.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<metadata xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/metadata/2006-10-31">
    <type-extension type-id="Product">
        <custom-attribute-definitions>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="vendorSKU">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Vendor SKU</display-name>
                <type>string</type>
                <mandatory-flag>false</mandatory-flag>
                <externally-managed-flag>true</externally-managed-flag>
            </attribute-definition>
        </custom-attribute-definitions>
        <group-definitions>
            <attribute-group group-id="CustomAttributes">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Custom Attributes</display-name>
                <attribute attribute-id="vendorSKU"/>
            </attribute-group>
        </group-definitions>
    </type-extension>
</metadata>
  1. Create the directory structure:
my-import/
└── meta/
    └── system-objecttype-extensions.xml
  1. Import:
b2c job import ./my-import

Adding Site Preferences

  1. Create metadata for the preference:

meta/system-objecttype-extensions.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<metadata xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/metadata/2006-10-31">
    <type-extension type-id="SitePreferences">
        <custom-attribute-definitions>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="enableFeatureX">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Enable Feature X</display-name>
                <type>boolean</type>
                <default-value>false</default-value>
            </attribute-definition>
        </custom-attribute-definitions>
    </type-extension>
</metadata>
  1. Create preference values:

sites/MySite/preferences.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<preferences xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/preferences/2007-03-31">
    <custom-preferences>
        <all-instances>
            <preference preference-id="enableFeatureX">true</preference>
        </all-instances>
    </custom-preferences>
</preferences>
  1. Directory structure:
my-import/
├── meta/
│   └── system-objecttype-extensions.xml
└── sites/
    └── MySite/
        └── preferences.xml
  1. Import:
b2c job import ./my-import

Creating a Custom Object Type

  1. Define the custom object:

meta/custom-objecttype-definitions.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<metadata xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/metadata/2006-10-31">
    <custom-type type-id="APIConfiguration">
        <display-name xml:lang="x-default">API Configuration</display-name>
        <staging-mode>source-to-target</staging-mode>
        <storage-scope>site</storage-scope>
        <key-definition attribute-id="configId">
            <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Config ID</display-name>
            <type>string</type>
            <min-length>1</min-length>
        </key-definition>
        <attribute-definitions>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="endpoint">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">API Endpoint</display-name>
                <type>string</type>
            </attribute-definition>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="apiKey">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">API Key</display-name>
                <type>password</type>
            </attribute-definition>
            <attribute-definition attribute-id="isActive">
                <display-name xml:lang="x-default">Active</display-name>
                <type>boolean</type>
                <default-value>true</default-value>
            </attribute-definition>
        </attribute-definitions>
    </custom-type>
</metadata>
  1. Import:
b2c job import ./my-import

Importing Custom Object Data

customobjects/APIConfiguration.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<custom-objects xmlns="http://www.demandware.com/xml/impex/customobject/2006-10-31">
    <custom-object type-id="APIConfiguration" object-id="payment-gateway">
        <object-attribute attribute-id="endpoint">https://api.payment.com/v2</object-attribute>
        <object-attribute attribute-id="isActive">true</object-attribute>
    </custom-object>
</custom-objects>

Site Archive Structure

site-archive/
├── services.xml                           # Service configurations (credentials, profiles, services)
├── meta/
│   ├── system-objecttype-extensions.xml   # Custom attributes on system objects
│   └── custom-objecttype-definitions.xml  # Custom object type definitions
├── sites/
│   └── {SiteID}/
│       ├── preferences.xml                # Site preference values
│       └── library/
│           └── content/
│               └── content.xml            # Content assets
├── catalogs/
│   └── {CatalogID}/
│       └── catalog.xml                    # Products and categories
├── pricebooks/
│   └── {PriceBookID}/
│       └── pricebook.xml                  # Price definitions
├── customobjects/
│   └── {ObjectTypeID}.xml                 # Custom object instances
└── inventory-lists/
    └── {InventoryListID}/
        └── inventory.xml                  # Inventory records

Tips

Checking Job Status

# Search for recent job executions
b2c job search

# Wait for a specific job execution
b2c job wait <job-id> <execution-id>

# View job logs on failure
b2c job import ./my-data --show-log

Best Practices

  1. Test imports on sandbox first before importing to staging/production
  2. Import waits for completion by default — use --no-wait only when you want to return immediately
  3. Use --show-log to debug failed imports
  4. Keep archives organized by feature or change type
  5. Version control your metadata XML files

Configuring External Services

For service configurations (HTTP, FTP, SOAP services), see the b2c:b2c-webservices skill which includes:

  • Complete services.xml examples
  • Credential, profile, and service element patterns
  • Import/export workflows

Quick example:

# Import service configuration
b2c job import ./services-folder

Where services-folder/services.xml follows the patterns in the b2c:b2c-webservices skill.

Detailed Reference

  • b2c:b2c-webservices - Service configurations (HTTP, FTP, SOAP), services.xml format
  • b2c:b2c-metadata - System object extensions and custom object definitions
  • b2c-cli:b2c-job - Running jobs and monitoring import status