Guides → Runtime Context

Runtime Context

Field	Value
Audience	public
Page type	reference
Area	workflows
Updated	2026-05-14
What this covers
---
What is this for?
Good use cases
What NOT to use this for
How this connects to other features
Definition
Purpose
Scope
Context dimensions
Where resolution happens
Context propagation across handoffs

How SGEN keeps site context coherent — runtime resolution that scopes every operation correctly.

Runtime Context in SGEN is the cross-cutting workflow that resolves site and environment context at every operation. Where Site Provisioning sets up a new site and the everyday workflows operate on existing state, Runtime Context is the always-on resolution layer that ensures any given operation runs against the correct site at the correct environment. This page is the Reference definition.

Runtime context — request lifecycle

Request arrives

→

Domain → Site context

→

Render with site config

→

Response sent

What is this for?

Read this page when you want the structural definition of how SGEN resolves runtime context — what context is resolved per operation, where the resolution happens, and what the operator should expect when context is correct versus when it drifts.

Good use cases

You are scoping multi-site operations and need the context-resolution model.
You are explaining to a stakeholder why operations stay scoped to the correct site.
You hit a "did this change apply to the right site?" question and want the model laid out.

What NOT to use this for

Step-by-step procedures — open the relevant Guide.
Per-release shipped change — open What's New or Changelog.
Internal context-resolution implementation — out of scope.

How this connects to other features

Workflows Overview — parent Reference area.
Site Provisioning — workflow that creates the site this Reference resolves context for.
Shared Concepts — site context vs account context.
SG-Admin Overview — surface where site-context operations land.
SG-Builder Overview — surface where page-context operations land.

Definition

Runtime Context in SGEN is the cross-cutting resolution layer that determines which site and which environment an operation belongs to at runtime. The resolution combines the URL the operator is on (account vs site context), the active site (when in site context), the active environment (staging vs live), and the operator's permission scope.

The defining property is always-on. Every operation goes through context resolution; the resolution is invisible when correct and surfaces only when context drifts (e.g., an action lands on the wrong site).

Purpose

The purpose of this page is to define runtime context resolution as a Reference layer. It explains what context resolves per operation, how the resolution propagates, and how context drift is detected and corrected.

Scope

This page covers Runtime Context at the Reference level.

The page covers:

The context dimensions resolved per operation.
Where resolution happens.
Context propagation across handoffs.
Drift detection and correction.

The page does not cover:

Step-by-step procedures — Guides.
Internal resolution implementation — out of scope.
Per-release shipped change — What's New or Changelog.

Context dimensions

Account vs site

Whether the operation is account-tier (SG-Dashboard URL pattern) or site-tier ({site}.com/sg-admin/ URL pattern). Resolved from the URL.

Active site

When in site context, which site the operation belongs to. Resolved from the URL host.

Active environment

Staging vs live. Resolved from the environment configuration of the active site.

Operator permission

What the operator is allowed to do at this context. Resolved from the operator's role and per-site / per-account permission grant.

Runtime context — dimensions loaded per request

Site identifier — which site context to load

Environment — staging or live

Theme — colors, typography, button styles

Module config — Forms, SEO, Tracking

Custom Codes — site-wide + page-id-scoped

User session — operator vs visitor

Workflow · Runtime context · Resolved

Current operation context

https://marketing.example/sg-admin/pages/edit/14

Account vs sitesite-tier

Active sitemarketing.examplehealthy

Environmentlive

Operator permissionadmin · full access

Resolution pathURL host → site lookup → env config → permission grant

Where resolution happens

Resolution runs at every request boundary.

Page load

Each page load resolves context from the URL and the operator session.

Action submission

Each action submission re-resolves to confirm the operation still applies to the resolved context (no drift between page load and action click).

Handoff between surfaces

When the operator moves from SG-Dashboard to the admin (or SG-Admin to SG-Builder), the handoff carries the resolved context so the next surface starts in the correct scope.

Context propagation across handoffs

Context propagates by the URL pattern. Switching context is intentional — moving from dashboard.sgen.com/... to {site}.com/sg-admin/... is the operator's deliberate context switch.

Within the same site

All operations stay in the resolved site context until the operator navigates back to SG-Dashboard.

Switching sites

Operators switching between sites do so via SG-Dashboard Site Manager. Direct URL navigation between sites also works but is less guided.

Drift detection

When context resolves unexpectedly (operator on the wrong URL, expired session, permission mismatch), the platform surfaces the drift rather than silently running the wrong operation.

Surface indicators

The breadcrumb at the top of every surface shows the resolved context. Operators see the active site name and environment at all times.

Permission mismatch

If the operator lacks permission for the resolved operation, the action surface either disables the action or routes the operator to the permission grant flow.

Constraints and boundaries

Runtime Context is a Reference area for the cross-cutting context-resolution layer.

Use this Reference for:

Understanding what context resolves per operation.
Reasoning about why operations stay scoped correctly.
Diagnosing context-drift questions at the structural level.

Do not use this Reference for:

Internal resolution implementation — out of scope.
Per-step procedures — Guides.
Per-release shipped change — What's New or Changelog.

Public boundary

This page is intentionally public-safe.

Examples

Example 1 — Operator publishes a page on the correct site

The operator opens marketing.example/sg-admin/, edits the homepage, publishes. Runtime context resolves to marketing.example throughout; the publish lands on the correct site.

Example 2 — Operator switches sites mid-workday

The operator finishes editing on marketing.example, returns to SG-Dashboard, opens shop.example via the site card. Runtime context resolves to shop.example for all subsequent operations until the next switch.

Example 3 — Permission mismatch surfaces

A new operator with read-only permission tries to publish. Permission resolution surfaces the mismatch; the publish action is disabled with a permission-grant prompt instead of silently failing.

Documentation guidance

Use this page as the structural definition for runtime context resolution. Per-step procedures live in Guides.

Reading order

Open this page when scoping multi-site operations or troubleshooting context-related questions.

Vocabulary cross-reference

Runtime context is the resolved (account / site / environment / permission) context at any moment.
Resolution is the act of computing context from URL + session + permission grant.
Drift is when resolved context does not match operator intent.
Propagation is how context carries across handoffs between surfaces.
Context switch is the operator's deliberate move between sites or between account and site tier.

Maintenance discipline

When runtime context behavior changes across releases (new context dimension, new resolution path, new drift detection surface), update this Reference and log the change in Changelog.