Attempting to Export Creative Exchange through script web api

Question

I'm attempting to follow the documentation for SXA in a CI/CD process.

Configuration Details:

• Sitecore 9.1 (Standalone Config - My Local Dev)
• SXA 1.8 initial release
• PowerShell 5
• Running on Windows Server 2016 Standard Edition

Per the documentation, I created my own Web API endpoints in my Project folder of the PowerShell Scripts. I copied the scripts for import and export into my respective copies of the script items.

When I called the web API endpoint using the following path: /-/script/v2/master/site-export-script

I received the following response:

> Exception calling "Run" with "2" argument(s): "startIndex cannot be larger than length of string.
Parameter name: startIndex"
At line:135 char:9
+         [Sitecore.Pipelines.CorePipeline]::Run("ceExport.export", $ex ...
+         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [], MethodInvocationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ArgumentOutOfRangeException  

This is the Cmdlet from the Get-CreativeExchangeExportResponse

Function Path:

/sitecore/system/Modules/PowerShell/Script Library/SXA/SXA - Creative Exchange/Functions/CI/Get-CreativeExchangeExportResponse

[Sitecore.Pipelines.CorePipeline]::Run("ceExport.export", $exportArgs);

I'm adding this in hopes someone can help speed my research up. Thanks in advance.

Update: 6/24/2019

This is the script file that is run and give the exception below:

Import-Function Get-CreativeExchangeExportResponse

$item = Get-Item -Path "/sitecore/content/Tenant/Site/Home"

$exportArgs = Get-CreativeExchangeExportResponse -CurrentItem $item -DeviceId "{FE5D7FDF-89C0-4D99-9AA3-B5FBD009C9F3}"

$responseObject = @{
    "Messages" = $exportArgs.Messages;
    "Result"   = $exportArgs.CreativeExchangeExportStorage.GetResult()
}
Set-HostProperty -HostWidth 9999
[Newtonsoft.Json.JsonConvert]::SerializeObject($responseObject)

Running this code in the PowerShell ISE for Sitecore still produces the following stack trace:

New-Object : Exception calling ".ctor" with "0" argument(s): "Object reference not set to an instance of an object."
At line:115 char:39
+ ... ntextData = New-Object -TypeName "Sitecore.XA.Feature.CreativeExchang ...
+                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [New-Object], MethodInvocationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ConstructorInvokedThrowException,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewObjectCommand

You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At line:2 char:5
+     $websitePath = [System.Web.HttpContext]::Current.Server.MapPath(" ...
+     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

Set-Content : Cannot find path 'master:\CE_auth_c4464daa-f673-4505-81d7-62f3940748fc-2019-06-24T13.55.16.8315406-05.00.aspx' because it does not exist.
At line:16 char:5
+     Set-Content -Value $loginString -Path $filePath
+     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (master:\CE_auth...5406-05.00.aspx:String) [Set-Content], IOException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ItemNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.SetContentCommand

Send-AuthenticationRequest : An Error occured during authentication. Please clean all authentication data
At line:116 char:23
+ ...        $exportArgs = Send-AuthenticationRequest $exportArgs $UserName
+                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error], WriteErrorException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.WriteErrorException,Send-AuthenticationRequest

System.Collections.DictionaryEntry System.Collections.DictionaryEntry
You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At line:42 char:9
+         $websitePath = [System.Web.HttpContext]::Current.Server.MapPa ...
+         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

Exception calling "GetCookies" with "1" argument(s): "This operation is not supported for a relative URI."
At line:45 char:5
+     $s.Cookies.GetCookies($Uri) | % {
+     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [], MethodInvocationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvalidOperationException

Exception calling "Run" with "2" argument(s): "Object reference not set to an instance of an object."
At line:135 char:9
+         [Sitecore.Pipelines.CorePipeline]::Run("ceExport.export", $ex ...
+         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [], MethodInvocationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NullReferenceException

{"Result":{"Result":" /App_Data/packages/CreativeExchange\\FileStorage\\Site","Type":2},"Messages":[]}

Answer 1

I got the same issue on a different version of Sitecore and SXA. And here is the solution that works for me.

Get-CreativeExchangeExportResponse executes ceExport.export pipeline.

ceExport.export pipeline requires initialization of ExportArgs

ExportArgs has many properties, but we are interested in HttpContextData

public class ExportArgs : PipelineArgs, IMessages
{
    ...
    public HttpContextData HttpContextData
    {
        get;
        set;
    }
    ...
}

HttpContextData parameterless constructor depends on HttpContext.Current

public class HttpContextData
{
    public HttpContextData()
        : this(HttpContext.Current)
    {
    }
}

It means that we need to execute Sitecore Powershell script with HttpContext, otherwise it will throw an exception.

It means that we if you are using Sitecover Powershell ISE: by default, the script executes as a background job. You can try to click on dropdown under Execute button and select "Execute in http request context"

And if we execute Sitecore Powershell as a remote script then we should not use -AsJob parameter.