OrchardCore Module Creator

This skill guides you through creating new OrchardCore modules following project conventions.

Prerequisites

•OrchardCore repository at D:\orchardcore
•.NET SDK 10.0+ installed

Module Creation Workflow

Step 1: Determine Module Type

What kind of module are you creating?

Type	Description	Key Components
Content Part	Adds data/behavior to content items	Part, Driver, Views
Content Field	Custom field type	Field, Driver, Views
Settings	Site-wide configuration	SiteSettings, Driver
Admin Feature	Admin pages/tools	Controller, Views, Menu
API	REST endpoints	ApiController
Background Task	Scheduled jobs	IBackgroundTask

Step 2: Create Module Directory

bash

# Create module folder
mkdir src/OrchardCore.Modules/OrchardCore.YourModule
cd src/OrchardCore.Modules/OrchardCore.YourModule

Step 3: Create Required Files

Every module needs these three files:

•Manifest.cs - Module metadata
•Startup.cs - Service registration
•OrchardCore.YourModule.csproj - Project file

See references/module-structure.md for templates.

Step 4: Add Components Based on Type

For Content Part modules:

code

Models/YourPart.cs
ViewModels/YourPartViewModel.cs
Drivers/YourPartDisplayDriver.cs
Views/YourPart.cshtml
Views/YourPart_Edit.cshtml

For Admin modules:

code

Controllers/AdminController.cs
Views/Admin/Index.cshtml
AdminMenu.cs
PermissionProvider.cs

For Data-storing modules:

code

Migrations.cs
Indexes/YourIndex.cs

See references/patterns.md for code templates.

Step 5: Register in Startup.cs

csharp

public override void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
    // Content part
    services.AddContentPart<YourPart>()
        .UseDisplayDriver<YourPartDisplayDriver>();
    
    // Services
    services.AddScoped<IYourService, YourService>();
    
    // Migrations (if storing data)
    services.AddDataMigration<Migrations>();
    
    // Permissions (if securing features)
    services.AddPermissionProvider<PermissionProvider>();
    
    // Navigation (if adding admin menu)
    services.AddNavigationProvider<AdminMenu>();
}

Step 6: Build and Test

bash

# Build the module
cd D:\orchardcore
dotnet build src/OrchardCore.Modules/OrchardCore.YourModule

# Run the application
cd src/OrchardCore.Cms.Web
dotnet run -f net10.0

# Enable the feature in Admin → Features

Quick Reference

Naming Conventions

Item	Convention	Example
Module folder	`OrchardCore.ModuleName`	`OrchardCore.Rating`
Namespace	`OrchardCore.ModuleName`	`OrchardCore.Rating`
Feature ID	`OrchardCore.ModuleName`	`OrchardCore.Rating`
Content Part	`NamePart`	`RatingPart`
Driver	`NamePartDisplayDriver`	`RatingPartDisplayDriver`
View	`PartName.cshtml`	`RatingPart.cshtml`
Edit View	`PartName_Edit.cshtml`	`RatingPart_Edit.cshtml`

Common Dependencies

Add to .csproj as needed:

xml

<!-- Core module support -->
<ProjectReference Include="..\..\OrchardCore\OrchardCore.Module.Targets\OrchardCore.Module.Targets.csproj" />

<!-- Content management -->
<ProjectReference Include="..\..\OrchardCore\OrchardCore.ContentManagement\OrchardCore.ContentManagement.csproj" />

<!-- Admin UI -->
<ProjectReference Include="..\..\OrchardCore\OrchardCore.Admin\OrchardCore.Admin.csproj" />

Feature Categories

Use in Manifest.cs:

•Content Management
•Content
•Navigation
•Security
•Infrastructure
•Theming
•Developer

References

•references/module-structure.md - Directory layout and file templates
•references/patterns.md - Code patterns (parts, drivers, handlers, etc.)
•references/examples.md - Complete module examples
•AGENTS.md (repo root) - Coding conventions and build commands