Multi-Site setup and Single domain configuration

Question

When configuring a multi-site solution on Sitecore 7.2 Update 2, the client has decided to switch to a single domain. I would like to keep it as a multi-site solution in case the client decides for two domains in the future. There is minimal content that is shared across the sites.

I know that I can use https://marketplace.sitecore.net/en/Modules/Multiple_Sites_Manager.aspx. I am looking for other possible solutions as well.

The Sitecore Tree is:

sitecore
  |_content
       |_Personal
       |_Business
       |_Dictionaries

The Dictionaries are setup

Dictionaries
       |_Personal Dictionary : Fallback Global
       |_Business Dictionary : Fallback Global
       |_Global Dictionary

The sites configuration is below:

<site name="personal" 
            hostName="www.mydomain.com" 
            targetHostName="www.mydoman.com"
            virtualFolder="/" 
            physicalFolder="/" 
            rootPath="/sitecore/content/personal" 
            dictionaryDomain="{UniquePersonalDictionaryDomain}"
            patch:before="site[@name='modules_website']"/>
      <site name="business" 
            hostName="business.mydomain.com" 
            targetHostName="business.mydomain.com"
            virtualFolder="/" 
            physicalFolder="/" 
            rootPath="/sitecore/content/business" 
            startItem="/Home" database="web" 
            domain="extranet" allowDebug="true" 
            cacheHtml="true" htmlCacheSize="10MB" 
            registryCacheSize="0" viewStateCacheSize="0" 
            xslCacheSize="5MB" filteredItemsCacheSize="2MB" 
            enablePreview="true" enableWebEdit="true" 
            dictionaryDomain="{UniqueToBusinessDictionary}" 
            enableDebugger="true" disableClientData="false" />
        <site name="website">
            <patch:attribute
                 name="rootPath">/sitecore/content/public</patch:attribute
            <patch:attribute name="dictionaryDomain">{UniqueToBusinessDictionary}</patch:attribute>
        </site>

Answer 1

If you will have the same domain but different rootPath, you will need to make use of the virtualFolder and physicalFolder attribute in the sitedefinition.config.

The virtualFolder and physicalFolder will allow you to use the same domain but having different sites that hits different rootPath. This will allow you to have less coding.

Site Definition Example:

Once the Site Definition is setup, patch the Sitecore setting AlwaysStripLanguage to set the value to false as shown below:

From

<setting name=”Languages.AlwaysStripLanguage” value=”true”/>

To

<setting name=”Languages.AlwaysStripLanguage” value=”false”/>

You may check my blog post how to setup it here: https://hishaamn.wordpress.com/2016/12/22/sitecore-multi-sites-with-same-domain-but-different-sitecore-item-node/