Sfcc Script Evaluation

SFCC Script Evaluation Skill

This skill documents how to use the evaluate_script tool effectively for executing JavaScript code on an SFCC instance via the script debugger.

Overview

The evaluate_script tool allows you to execute arbitrary JavaScript code on an SFCC sandbox instance. It works by:

1. Creating a debugger session
2. Setting a breakpoint on a controller
3. Triggering the controller via HTTP
4. Evaluating your expression in the halted context
5. Returning the result and cleaning up

Required Parameters

Script Syntax Rules

✅ DO: Use expressions that return a value

The last expression in your script is returned as the result.

// Simple expressions
1 + 1
// Result: 2

dw.system.Site.current.ID
// Result: "RefArchGlobal"

❌ DON'T: Use return at the top level

// WRONG - causes compilation error
return 1 + 1

// Error: "invalid return"

❌ DON'T: Use var assignments expecting the variable

// WRONG - var declarations return null in debugger context
var result = {}; result.foo = 'bar';

// Error: Cannot set property "foo" of null

✅ DO: Use inline object literals with JSON.stringify

// CORRECT - inline object literal wrapped in JSON.stringify
JSON.stringify({siteId: dw.system.Site.current.ID, locale: request.locale})
// Result: {"siteId":"RefArchGlobal","locale":"en_GB"}

✅ DO: Use IIFEs (Immediately Invoked Function Expressions) for complex logic

// CORRECT - IIFE pattern for multi-step logic
(function() {
  var p = dw.catalog.ProductMgr.getProduct('25518704M');
  return JSON.stringify({id: p.ID, name: p.name, online: p.online});
})()
// Result: {"id":"25518704M","name":"Pull On Pant","online":true}

❌ DON'T: Use require() statements

// WRONG - require() returns null in debugger context
var CustomerMgr = require('dw/customer/CustomerMgr');
CustomerMgr.getSiteCustomerList()

// Error: Cannot call method "getSiteCustomerList" of null

✅ DO: Use global dw.* namespace directly

// CORRECT - access SFCC APIs via global dw namespace
dw.customer.CustomerMgr.getSiteCustomerList().ID
// Result: "RefArch"

Accessing SFCC Objects

Site Information

// Current site ID
dw.system.Site.current.ID

// All sites
(function() {
  var sites = dw.system.Site.getAllSites();
  var result = [];
  for (var i = 0; i < sites.size(); i++) {
    result.push(sites[i].ID);
  }
  return JSON.stringify(result);
})()

// Site preferences (list all custom preference keys)
JSON.stringify(Object.keys(dw.system.Site.current.preferences.custom))

// Get specific site preference value
dw.system.Site.current.preferences.custom.myPreferenceName

Products

// Get product by ID
dw.catalog.ProductMgr.getProduct('productId')

// Get product details
(function() {
  var p = dw.catalog.ProductMgr.getProduct('25518704M');
  if (!p) return 'Product not found';
  return JSON.stringify({
    id: p.ID,
    name: p.name,
    online: p.online,
    brand: p.brand
  });
})()

// Product custom attributes
(function() {
  var p = dw.catalog.ProductMgr.getProduct('25518704M');
  return JSON.stringify(Object.keys(p.custom));
})()

Customers

// Site customer list
dw.customer.CustomerMgr.getSiteCustomerList().ID

// Get customer by ID (requires customer number)
dw.customer.CustomerMgr.getCustomerByCustomerNumber('00001234')

Orders

// Search orders (always close the iterator!)
(function() {
  var orders = dw.order.OrderMgr.searchOrders(
    'orderNo != {0}',
    'creationDate desc',
    ''
  );
  var result = [];
  var i = 0;
  while (orders.hasNext() && i < 5) {
    var o = orders.next();
    result.push({
      orderNo: o.orderNo,
      status: o.status.value,
      total: o.totalGrossPrice.value
    });
    i++;
  }
  orders.close(); // IMPORTANT: Always close iterators
  return JSON.stringify(result);
})()

Request/Session Context

// Current request locale
request.locale
// Result: "en_GB"

// Session ID
session.sessionID

// Current customer (if logged in)
session.customer

Working with Collections

SFCC collections need special handling - they're not JavaScript arrays.

Iterating Collections

// Using size() and index access
(function() {
  var sites = dw.system.Site.getAllSites();
  var result = [];
  for (var i = 0; i < sites.size(); i++) {
    result.push(sites[i].ID);
  }
  return JSON.stringify(result);
})()

// Using Iterator pattern
(function() {
  var iter = dw.catalog.CatalogMgr.getSiteCatalog().getRoot().getSubCategories();
  var result = [];
  while (iter.hasNext()) {
    var cat = iter.next();
    result.push({id: cat.ID, name: cat.displayName});
  }
  return JSON.stringify(result);
})()

Array Operations

// Arrays work normally, use JSON.stringify for readable output
JSON.stringify([1, 2, 3].map(function(x) { return x * 2; }))
// Result: [2,4,6]

// Arrow functions are supported
JSON.stringify([1, 2, 3].map(x => x * 2))
// Result: [2,4,6]

Return Value Formatting

Primitives

// Strings, numbers, booleans return directly
'hello'
// Result: "hello"

42
// Result: 42

true
// Result: true

Objects

// Raw objects return [object Object]
({foo: 'bar'})
// Result: [object Object]

// Use JSON.stringify for readable output
JSON.stringify({foo: 'bar'})
// Result: {"foo":"bar"}

SFCC Objects

// SFCC objects return their string representation
dw.catalog.ProductMgr.getProduct('25518704M')
// Result: [Product sku=25518704M]

// Access properties directly or use JSON.stringify
dw.catalog.ProductMgr.getProduct('25518704M').name
// Result: "Pull On Pant"

Error Handling

Check for null values

// WRONG - throws error if product doesn't exist
dw.catalog.ProductMgr.getProduct('invalid').name
// Error: Cannot read property "name" from null

// CORRECT - check for null
(function() {
  var p = dw.catalog.ProductMgr.getProduct('invalid');
  return p ? p.name : 'Product not found';
})()
// Result: "Product not found"

Wrap complex logic in try-catch

(function() {
  try {
    var p = dw.catalog.ProductMgr.getProduct('25518704M');
    return JSON.stringify({id: p.ID, name: p.name});
  } catch (e) {
    return 'Error: ' + e.message;
  }
})()

Best Practices Summary

1. Never use return at top level - use expression evaluation instead
2. Never use require() - use global dw.* namespace
3. Wrap complex logic in IIFEs for variable declarations
4. Use JSON.stringify() for object/array output
5. Close iterators after use (OrderMgr.searchOrders, etc.)
6. Check for null before accessing properties
7. Verify API usage with get_sfcc_class_info tool before calling unknown methods

Common Patterns

Quick Value Check

dw.system.Site.current.ID

Multi-Value Query

JSON.stringify({
  siteId: dw.system.Site.current.ID,
  locale: request.locale,
  customerList: dw.customer.CustomerMgr.getSiteCustomerList().ID
})

Complex Data Retrieval

(function() {
  // Your multi-step logic here
  var result = [];
  // ... build result ...
  return JSON.stringify(result);
})()

Troubleshooting

Pre-Flight Checklist

Before using evaluate_script:

1. ✅ Valid credentials in dw.json configuration
2. ✅ Username matches BM user exactly (case-sensitive!)
3. ✅ Sandbox instance is accessible
4. ✅ Storefront cartridge deployed (app_storefront_base or app_storefront_controllers)
5. ✅ Script uses dw.* namespace, not require()
6. ✅ Complex logic wrapped in IIFE
7. ✅ Objects/arrays wrapped in JSON.stringify()

Requirements

• SFCC sandbox instance
• Either app_storefront_base (SFRA) or app_storefront_controllers (SiteGenesis) deployed
• Valid credentials in dw.json configuration
• Important: Username in dw.json must match BM user exactly (case-sensitive)

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