Installing Sitecore 9.3 + SXA using SIA - not in default physical root

Question

I tried installing Sitecore 9.3 (simple developer machine setup) with the Sitecore Install Assistant. I checked SXA to be installed.

In the config file (setup.exe.config) all parameters were set correctly and I added one more to install in a physical folder of my choice:

<parameter name="SitePhysicalRoot" value=".....\wwwroot" />

This worked perfectly for Sitecore, but when SXA was installed I got an error:

Cannot validate argument on parameter 'RootDirectoryPath'. Path 'C:\inetpub\wwwroot.....' does not exist

So apparently the SXA installation is looking for the default path?

Answer 1

Apparently the SitePhysicalPath is transferred en used in all of Sitecore jsons, but not in the one from SXA.

Quick fix: open SXA-XP0.json and find the Site.PhysicalPath variable (line 69). Adjust it to the path you installed the site, something like:

"Site.PhysicalPath": "[joinpath(environment('SystemDrive'), '...', '...', 'wwwroot', parameter('SiteName'))]"

A more elegant solution would be to add a parameter and use that one. To get the required json you should check how it is done for IdentityServer (or xconnect or Sitecore):

• Add the parameter in the sxa-XP0.json
• Replace the variable in sxa-XP0.json with a check for the parameter (copy the code from identityserver.json)
• Add the parameters in SXA-SingleDeveloper.json just as it was done in XP0.SingleDeveloper.json (you will have 2 - the actual parameter and a reference with SXA: prefix)
• Add the parameter in setup.exe.config in the SXAXPSingle template section just as it was done in the XPSingle template