Development environment

Before creating layouts, set up your development environment with the required tools and verify your installation.

Development prerequisites

To successfully develop layouts, you need access to, or some knowledge of, the following tools and technologies:

HTML.
JavaScript.
Handlebars templating.
YAML.
A Squiz DXP system with the Component Service feature enabled.
Developer access to the DXP with the Component Service enabled.

If the Component Service is not available in the DXP, contact Customer Success.
A command-line environment that includes:
- Node.js 20 or higher (includes NPM).
  $ node -v
- Installed DXP CLI tools.
  $ dxp-next --help
A text editor or IDE.

For example, Visual Studio Code or Sublime Text.
Familiarity with the Visual Page Builder and content page assets.

See the Content Management documentation for building with content page assets.

Update your local development tools periodically by updating the npm packages.

Changes to the Component Service and the layouts code in the Squiz DXP normally have corresponding changes in the npm packages.

Your local development tools notify you when an update is available, with instructions on updating the package.

To update your local dev tools: