Get various properties of a SharePoint site collection using different PnP Syntaxes.

 My task was to create a report detailing various properties of a SharePoint site collection. Identifying which properties corresponded to specific PowerShell syntax required additional time. 

Ultimately, I developed this script to determine which properties are available in different syntaxes such as PnPTenantSite, PnPSite, and PnPWeb in PnP.Powershell module.

This script has proven to be very useful in understanding the properties. Please adjust the input as per your requirements; I have included all site collections in the tenant. The output is exported into CSV files.

Replace your Azure App ClientID and AdminSiteUrl. When using -Interactive in Connect-PnPOnline, you will see the credentials pop-up a couple of times. I used to keep the SP admin center site logged in on the default browser with same credentials to reduce the number of interactive sessions.

# Define the parameters for the Azure AD app

$clientId = "123456-a789-b123-456c-d78901234"

$AdminSiteUrl = "https://yourtenant-admin.sharepoint.com"

# Connect to SharePoint Online using the Azure AD app credentials

Connect-PnPOnline $AdminSiteUrl -Interactive -ClientId $clientId

# Get all site collections

$siteCollections = Get-PnPTenantSite -Detailed

# Initialize arrays to store properties

$tenantSitePropertiesList = @()

$sitePropertiesList = @()

$webPropertiesList = @()

# Loop through each site collection and get detailed properties

foreach ($site in $siteCollections) {

    $siteUrl = $site.Url

   

    # Connect to each site collection

    Connect-PnPOnline -Url $siteUrl -Interactive -ClientId $clientId

   

    # Get PnPTenantSite properties

    $tenantSiteProperties = Get-PnPTenantSite -Identity $siteUrl

    $tenantSitePropertiesList += $tenantSiteProperties

   

    # Get PnPSite properties

    $siteProperties = Get-PnPSite

    $sitePropertiesList += $siteProperties

   

    # Get PnPWeb properties

    $webProperties = Get-PnPWeb

    $webPropertiesList += $webProperties

}

# Export properties to CSV files

$tenantSitePropertiesList | Export-Csv -Path "D:\PnPTenantSiteProperties.csv" -NoTypeInformation

$sitePropertiesList | Export-Csv -Path "D:\PnPSiteProperties.csv" -NoTypeInformation

$webPropertiesList | Export-Csv -Path "D:\PnPWebProperties.csv" -NoTypeInformation

# Disconnect from SharePoint Online

#Disconnect-PnPOnline

Write-Host "The detailed properties have been exported to PnPTenantSiteProperties.csv,

PnPSiteProperties.csv, and PnPWebProperties.csv."

You can also run this script on a single site collection to obtain the properties. I ran it on all site collections to cross-verify the properties.

Sharepoint PowerShell Modules

 The Microsoft.SharePoint.Client module is part of the SharePoint Online Client Components SDK, which is used to enable development with SharePoint Online. This module allows developers to interact with SharePoint Online using client-side object model (CSOM) APIs. It provides a way to perform various operations on SharePoint Online sites, such as creating and managing lists, libraries, and site collections, as well as handling permissions and workflows[1].

The SharePoint Online Client Components SDK can be downloaded from the official Microsoft Download Center[1]. However, it is recommended to use NuGet packages rather than installing CSOM assemblies to the Global Assembly Cache (GAC)[1].

Additionally, the Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell module is another tool that can be used to manage SharePoint Online. It allows administrators to perform tasks such as updating the SharePoint Online Management Shell and managing tenant-level settings[2].

The Microsoft.SharePoint.Client and Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell modules serve different purposes and are used in different contexts when working with SharePoint Online.

The Microsoft.SharePoint.Client module is part of the SharePoint Online Client Components SDK. It allows developers to interact with SharePoint Online using client-side object model (CSOM) APIs. This module is primarily used for development purposes, enabling operations such as creating and managing lists, libraries, and site collections, as well as handling permissions and workflows[3].

On the other hand, the Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell module is a set of cmdlets specifically designed for SharePoint Online administration. It allows administrators to perform various management tasks, such as updating the SharePoint Online Management Shell and managing tenant-level settings[4]. This module is used within PowerShell to automate administrative tasks and manage SharePoint Online environments more efficiently[5].

In summary, the Microsoft.SharePoint.Client module is geared towards developers for building and interacting with SharePoint Online applications, while the Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell module is intended for administrators to manage and configure SharePoint Online environments.

References

[1] Download SharePoint Online Client Components SDK from Official ...

[2] Get started with the SharePoint Online Management Shell

[3] Powershell vs Sharepoint Online Management Shell - Microsoft Community

[4] Hub Site PowerShell: SPO vs PnP | Microsoft Community Hub

[5] Powershell vs Sharepoint Online Management Shell

Uninstall All Powershell Modules

The script uses the Get-InstalledModule cmdlet to identify all installed PowerShell modules. It then employs the -match operator to find modules whose names include "Microsoft". For these identified modules, the script executes the Uninstall-Module cmdlet with the -Force option to guarantee their removal. Essentially, the script is designed to remove any PowerShell module that contains "Microsoft" in its name. 

Another variable -notmatch is targeted to remove any PowerShell module that does not contain "Microsoft" in its name. 

Additionally, there's a variable, $excludedModules, which is an array holding the names of modules that you wish to keep. By using the condition -and $excludedModules -notcontains $_.Name, the script ensures it only removes "Microsoft" named modules that are not specified in the exclusion list. 

You can customize this list by substituting "ModuleName1" and "ModuleName2" with the names of the modules you'd like to exclude from being uninstalled.

# List of modules to exclude

$excludedModules = @("ModuleName1", "ModuleName2")

Get-InstalledModule | ForEach-Object {

   # Use this line uninstalls all PowerShell modules that have "Microsoft" in their name.

   if ($_.Name -match "Microsoft") {

    # Use this line uninstalls all PowerShell modules that do not have "Microsoft" in their name.

    #if ($_.Name -notmatch "Microsoft") {

        # Use this line uninstalls all PowerShell modules that have "Microsoft" in their name and exclude above List of modules.

        #if ($_.Name -match "Microsoft" -and $excludedModules -notcontains $_.Name) {

         Uninstall-Module -Name $_.Name -Force

}

 }

NOTE: In PowerShell, the # symbol is used to add comments. Comments are lines or parts of lines that are not executed as part of the script. They are used to provide explanations or notes about the code, making it easier to understand.

Modification of Teams URL in Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Introduction

Microsoft has recently restructured how administrators can modify Teams URLs. Previously managed through the SharePoint admin center, this function has now transitioned to the Teams & Groups section within the Microsoft 365 admin center. This change aims to streamline administrative tasks and provide a more integrated user experience.

Background

The SharePoint admin center traditionally housed various features for managing team sites and associated URLs. However, as Microsoft's suite of tools has evolved, the need for a more cohesive approach to administrative functions became apparent. This led to the migration of Teams URL management to the Microsoft 365 admin center under the Teams & Groups section.

Steps to Modify Teams URL in Microsoft 365 Admin Center

To ensure a smooth transition and ease of use, follow these detailed steps to modify Teams URLs within the new location:

Accessing the Microsoft 365 Admin Center

·        Navigate to the Microsoft 365 admin center and logging in with your administrator credentials. Once logged in, you will see a navigation panel on the left-hand side of the screen.

Locating Teams & Groups

·        In the navigation panel, scroll down and select the "Teams & groups" option. Select "Active teams & groups".

Modifying the Teams URL

·        Find the specific team whose URL you wish to modify from the list of available teams. Click on the Name of the Team to open its settings and details.

·        Locate the Site address. Click the "Edit" button down to it.

·        Enter the desired new SharePoint site address and confirm the changes by clicking "Save".

Verification

·        After saving the changes, ensure that the new URL is functional by accessing the team through the updated link.

·        If any issues arise, verify the changes in the admin center and consult Microsoft support if necessary.

Conclusion

The relocation of Teams URL modification to the Teams & Groups section of the Microsoft 365 admin center represents a strategic move towards a more unified administrative environment. By following the outlined steps, administrators can efficiently manage Teams URLs and ensure seamless access for their organization.

For further assistance or detailed guidance, please refer to the official Microsoft documentation or contact support.

Sensitivity labels Properties of all files in a Document library

Copilot is a big deal on Microsoft 365 these days. Lots of people are using it, and Sensitivity labels are getting more popular too. I had to run a PowerShell Script to get the Properties of all files in a Document library, including their Sensitivity labels. PnP PowerShell made it easy for me.

I ran the script using the PowerShell extension in Visual Studio Code.

# Connect to the SharePoint site

$siteURL = "https://gurram.sharepoint.com/sites/dev"

Connect-PnPOnline -Url $siteURL -Interactive

# The name of the document library

$libraryName = "test1"

# Retrieve all list items in the document library

$items = Get-PnPListItem -List $libraryName

# Loop through each item and retrieve FieldValuesForEdit

foreach ($item in $items) {

    # Retrieve the FieldValuesForEdit property of the list item

    $fieldValuesForEdit = Get-PnPProperty -ClientObject $item -Property "FieldValuesForEdit"

    Write-Host "Item ID:" $item.Id

    Write-Host "FieldValuesForEdit:"

    $fieldValuesForEdit.FieldValues.FileRef #FileReferenceLink

    $fieldValuesForEdit.FieldValues._IpLabelId #Label ID

    $fieldValuesForEdit.FieldValues._DisplayName #Label Display Name

}

Below screenshot shows the result.

Apply Sensitivity label to all Site collections in SharePoint admin center

With E3 license, we have to label everything manually, which is very time-consuming when we deal with many site collections.

For our project, I used a PowerShell Script to automate the process of applying Sensitivity labels to all Site Collections.

#Run the Get-Label command to retrieve the list of available labels:

Connect-IPPSSession -UserPrincipalName spadmin@gurram.onmicrosoft.com

Get-Label |ft Name, Guid, ContentType

#Copy the required label GUID

Disconnect-IPPSSession

--------------------------------------------------------------

#Connect to PnP PowerShell

Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://gurram-admin.sharepoint.com" -Interactive

#Get All Site collections - Include Only: Team site (no M365 Group), Team site (classic experience), Project Web App site and Team sites

$Sites = Get-PnPTenantSite | Where-Object { $_.Template -eq "STS#3" -or $_.Template -eq "STS#0" -or $_.Template -eq "PWA#0" -or $_.Template -eq "GROUP#0" }

#For each site in the Site collections

ForEach ($site in $Sites) {

    #Required Label GUID from the above Script

    $LabelId = "abc123de-45f6-7g89-hi12-34j56789jk12"  

    $ctn = Connect-PnPOnline -Url $site.URL -Interactive

    $label = Get-PnPSiteSensitivityLabel -Connection $ctn

   if ($label.DisplayName -eq "") {

   #Add sensitivity Label to site

   Set-PnPTenantSite -Identity $site.URL -SensitivityLabel $LabelId

  } else {

    Write-Host $site.URL,"Not Blank"

  }

   $Object = [PSCustomObject]@{

    URL = $site.URL

    Sensitivitylabel= $label.DisplayName

    }

    $List += $Object

    #Write-Host $site.URL

    }

#Disconnect

Disconnect-PnPOnline

Apply Sensitivity Label to all Document Libraries in a Site collection

E3 ($249) and E5($449) licenses have a big price gap, and E5 license has the advantage of auto labelling. Without it, we have to label everything manually, which is very time-consuming when we deal with many site collections and a lot of content.

For our project, I used a PowerShell Script to automate the process. I applied Sensitivity labels to all Site Collections first. 

Then, using the below PowerShell Script, I applied Sensitivity labels to Document libraries in each site collection. This way, the Office files that are uploaded or updated will get the label from the Document Library. However, we still need to label other file types manually.

List all the sites in a CSV file with URL as Header (As shown below).

# symbol in PowerShell script is used for comments.

# Import the CSV file

$sites = Import-Csv -Path "D:\Dev_Sites_FilesWise.csv"

# Loop through each site

foreach ($site in $sites) {

    # Connect to the SharePoint site

    Connect-PnPOnline -Url $site.Url -Interactive

# The GUID of the 'Internal Use' sensitivity label

$Label = "Internal Use"

# Retrieve all document libraries (Except Style Library) from the site

$libraries = Get-PnPList | Where-Object {

  $_.BaseTemplate -eq [Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.ListTemplateType]::DocumentLibrary

    -and $_.Title -ne "Style Library"}

# Apply the sensitivity label to each document library if it doesn't already exist and print the name

foreach ($library in $libraries) {

 # Retrieve the current sensitivity label of the document library

 $currentLabel = (Get-PnPList -Identity $library.Id).DefaultSensitivityLabelForLibrary

   

  # Check if the sensitivity label is empty

  #if ($currentLabel -eq $null) {

      if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($currentLabel)) {

      Set-PnPList -Identity $library.Id -DefaultSensitivityLabelForLibrary $Label

      Write-Host "'Internal Use' applied to: " $library.Title

    }

  else {

      Write-Host "Sensitivity label already exists on: " $library.Title

    }

}

}

# Disconnect the session

Disconnect-PnPOnline

Add/Remove sites (bulk list) from Search Index thru PowerShell

 We need to remove 150 sites from Search Index. We have to make sure they don't show up in search results by turning off that option for each site. The normal way of doing this is too slow for so many sites. We use a faster PowerShell script method to handle 150 sites at once.

Regular method

By default, the option Allow this site to appear in Search results is set to Yes for all Site collections in Sharepoint online. This means the site content can show up in search results.

On the site, select Settings (Wheel) icon., and then select Site settings. If you don't see Site settings, select Site information, and then select View all site settings.

Under Search, click Search and offline availability.

In the Indexing Site Content section, under Allow this site to appear in Search results, select Yes to allow the content of the site to appear in search results.

If you don't want the content to show up in search results, choose No.

NOTE: Search results are always security trimmed, so users will only see content they have permission to see.

PowerShell Script Method

List all the sites in a CSV file with URL as Header (As shown below).

# symbol in PowerShell script is used for comments.

# Connect to Admin Center

$adminSiteUrl = "https://gurram-admin.sharepoint.com/"

$adminConnection = Connect-PnPOnline -Url $AdminSiteUrl -Interactive

$CSVImport = "D:\Sites.csv"

$SitesCollections = Import-CSV -Path $CSVImport

 

ForEach($Site in $SitesCollections)

   {

         $siteCollectionConnection = Connect-PnPOnline -Url $Site.URL -Interactive

         Set-PnPSite -Identity $Site.URL -DenyAndAddCustomizePages $false

         $Web = Get-PnPWeb -Connection $siteCollectionConnection

         #Indexing Site Content = Yes(false), = No(true)

         $Web.NoCrawl = $false

         $Web.Update()

         Invoke-PnPQuery

         #To unlock the site (-LockState Unlock), To lock the site (-LockState ReadOnly)

         #we did not use the below option, because we want to delete sites later

         Set-PnPSite -Identity $Site.URL -LockState ReadOnly

         #to know the completed site

         write-host $Site.URL

    }

This script completed successfully in less than 10 minutes.

Add/Remove SharePoint sites (bulk list) to Retention Policy thru PowerShell.

We have a requirement to add 150 sites to the exclusion list of our retention policy. While we have traditionally accomplished this by manually editing the retention policy and adding the sites, this method is not feasible for such a large number of sites.

NOTE: Excluding sites from policy requires time, ranging from 10 minutes to 24 hours, to take effect.

Edit Retention Policy > Click on Edit (under Excluded) and add the sites.



Instead, we would like to use a PowerShell script to automate the process. This will allow us to add all the sites quickly and efficiently.

List all the sites in a CSV file with URL as Header (As shown below).

NOTE: I had to exclude 150 sharepoint sites from the retention policy, but it only allows 100 at a time. So I split them into two CSV files, one with 100 and one with 50. Then I ran the Powershell Script for each CSV file separately.

Below is the PowerShell Script.

NOTE: This activity requires certain permissions, such as Compliance Admin or Global Admin.

____________________________________________________________________________________

#Variables

$PolicyName = "FilesRetentionPolicy"

$CSVPath = "D:\DEV_Sites.csv"

#Get the CSV file contents, column URL to the array.

[array]$excludesites = Import-CSV -Path $CSVPath | Select -ExpandProperty URL

#Connect to Compliance Center through Exchange Online Module

Connect-IPPSSession -UserPrincipalName spadmin@gurram.onmicrosoft.com

#Get the Policy

$Policy = Get-RetentionCompliancePolicy -Identity $PolicyName

#Add SPO Sites (array) to Retention Policy

Set-RetentionCompliancePolicy -Identity $Policy.Name -AddSharePointLocationException $excludesites

----------------Use Remove when needed----------------

#Remove SPO Sites (array) from Retention Policy

Set-RetentionCompliancePolicy -Identity $Policy.Name -RemoveSharePointLocationException $excludesites

---------------------------------------------------------------------

#Disconnect the Exchange Online Module

Disconnect-ExchangeOnline

____________________________________________________________________________________

After running the PowerShell Script successfully, you can manually verify the added sites in Retention Policy.

Click on Edit in the above screen. You will see as shown below.

Unblock Multiple Files in the Same Folder (Windows 11)

 In Windows 11, To unblock multiple files in the same folder, go to the folder and right click, you will see the menu as shown below.

Select Open in Terminal, 

Copy/paste the following command and press Enter: dir | Unblock-File

It works like charm!

Open MFA enabled SharePoint Online site with SharePoint Designer 2013

If your tenant has multi-factor authentication turned on, your Internet Explorer was disabled, with Edge as default browser, and you were trying to use SharePoint Designer 2013, you will encounter the error shown below.

"The Web Server does not appear to have any authentication methods enabled. It asked for user authentication, but did not send a WWW-Authenticate header." 

This was because Office 2016 and Older Versions use Basic Authentication method.

As SharePoint Designer 2013 was part of Office 2013 clients, and to overcome this, you need to enable Modern Authentication.

To enable modern authentication for any devices running Windows, you need to set the following registry keys. 

Once the above Registry Keys were added with Hexadecimal value 1, then it should look as shown below.

Open the SharePoint Designer 2013, Go to Account. It should show your login info.

 Now try to open the SharePoint Online Site Collection, it opened like charm.

Adding or updating the Primary admin for any SPO Site Collection thru PowerShell Commands.

In this post, we want to achieve the ability of adding or updating the Primary admin for any Site Collection thru PowerShell Commands.

With the new features in SharePoint Admin center, we lost the ability to change the Primary Admin for any Site Collection thru 'Permissions' feature. With new 'Membership' feature, we can add Site admins, Site Owners, Site Members and Site Visitors, but cannot add or update any Site admin(s) as Primary Admin.

With the below PowerShell Commands are updating the Primary Admin from Venugopal Reddy (gvr@gurram.onmicrosoft.com) to Mahin Gurram (gmr@gurram.onmicrosoft.com)

#Variables

$SiteCollURL = "https://gurram.sharepoint.com/sites/smb"

$SiteOwner = "gmr@gurram.onmicrosoft.com"

#Connect to SharePoint Online

Connect-SPOService

#The above Command will prompt you enter SharePoint Admin URL & dialog box to enter your SharePoint Admin Credentials

#Sharepoint online powershell Set Site Owner (Primary Admin) - with Variables

Set-SPOSite -Identity $SiteCollURL -Owner $SiteOwner -NoWait

#Sharepoint online powershell Set Site Owner (Primary Admin) - Direct Command

Set-SPOSite -Identity https://gurram.sharepoint.com/sites/smb -Owner gmr@gurram.onmicrosoft.com -NoWait

After running the above Commands, below is the PowerShell Screen.

The required Site Collection's Primary Admin was updated.

Change default color in Calendar without using Overlay of Calendars

Usually, we have Theme colors changing the entire theme of the site including document libraries, lists and Calendars. Here we have an option to add a little CSS script to change the colors of the default Calendar without adding new Views and using Overlay of Calendars.

The default color of the Calendar.

Go to Calendar page > Click on Wheel icon > Edit Page > Add Web Part > Media and Content > Content Editor > Add

The Content Editor Web part was added to the Calendar Page. Click on 'Click here to add new content'.

It will show new Tool bar Menus on top side. Under Format Text > Click on 'Edit Source'

<style type="text/css">

.ms-acal-item {

 BORDER: #C0362C; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #C0362C

}

.ms-acal-default-hover {

 BORDER: #C0362C; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #C3B7AC

}

.ms-acal-apanel-item {

 BORDER: #C0362C; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #C3B7AC

}

</style>

Copy, paste the above CSS Code into the HTML Source Window, Click OK. You will observe the entries color change in the Calendar. 

Below is the color change in the Calendar.

SharePoint Online: “Delete this Document Library” is missing!

Use the below Command to install PnP PowerShell Module.

Install-Module PnP.PowerShell

Once the PnP PowerShell Module is installed successfully, we need to run the below command to register Azure AD Application and Grant Access to the Office 365 tenant by Accepting the Consent on behalf of your organization.

Register-PnPManagementShellAccess

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

SharePoint Online: “Delete this Document Library” is missing!

While migration to SharePoint Online, from SharePoint 2007, 2010 & 2013 versions, there is a chance to copy over the lists and Libraries created by "This system library was created by the Publishing feature" where you don't see option to delete those lists or libraries.

We can achieve that by using the below Powershell Script.

In the below PowerShell Script, we targeted Form Templates Library technically called as FormServerTemplates.

The above is the screenshot before running the Script.

#Parameters

$SiteURL = "https://gurram.sharepoint.com/sites/pro"

$ListName = "FormServerTemplates"

 

#Connect to PnP Online

Connect-PnPOnline -Url $SiteURL -Interactive

 

#Get the List

$List = Get-PnPList -Identity $ListName

  

#Enable Delete option for the list

$List.AllowDeletion = $True

$List.Update()

Invoke-PnPQuery







The below is the Screenshot after running the Script.