Tip of the day - Creating-a-sharepoint-list-with-pnp-powershell-in-azure-functions

Tip of the day: Creating a SharePoint List with PnP PowerShell in Azure Functions

PnP PowerShell is a powerful tool for managing SharePoint Online, and when combined with Azure Functions, it enables seamless automation of SharePoint tasks without requiring a dedicated server. However, executing PnP PowerShell commands in Azure Functions comes with some challenges, including authentication, module loading, and optimizing performance. This post provides best practices and tricks to efficiently use PnP PowerShell within Azure Functions.

1. Setting Up PnP PowerShell in an Azure Function

To use PnP PowerShell in an Azure Function, install it in the function’s requirements.psd1 file:

  
@{
    'PnP.PowerShell' = '2.*'
}

This ensures the module is available whenever the function runs.

🔹 Tips:

Always specify a stable version to avoid breaking changes.
Run Update-Module PnP.PowerShell periodically to keep it updated.

2. Authenticating to SharePoint Online

Since PnP PowerShell requires authentication, use Azure Managed Identity for secure, password-less authentication:

  
$SiteUrl = "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/MySite"
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $SiteUrl -ManagedIdentity

Alternatively, for App-Only authentication:

  
$ClientId = "YOUR-CLIENT-ID"
$TenantId = "YOUR-TENANT-ID"
$CertPath = "D:\home\site\wwwroot\cert.pfx"
$CertPassword = ConvertTo-SecureString "YOUR-CERT-PASSWORD" -AsPlainText -Force

Connect-PnPOnline -Url $SiteUrl -ClientId $ClientId -Tenant $TenantId -CertificatePath $CertPath -CertificatePassword $CertPassword

🔹 Tips:

Use Managed Identity whenever possible to avoid storing credentials.
For App-Only authentication, store the certificate securely in Azure Key Vault.

3. Automating SharePoint Tasks with Azure Functions

Example 1: Create a SharePoint List

  
param($Request, $TriggerMetadata)

$SiteUrl = "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/MySite"
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $SiteUrl -ManagedIdentity

New-PnPList -Title "Automated List" -Template GenericList -Url "AutomatedList"

Push-OutputBinding -Name response -Value (@{
    StatusCode = 200
    Body       = "List Created Successfully!"
})

Example 2: Add an Item to a List

  
param($Request, $TriggerMetadata)

$SiteUrl = "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/MySite"
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $SiteUrl -ManagedIdentity

Add-PnPListItem -List "AutomatedList" -Values @{Title = "New Item"}

Push-OutputBinding -Name response -Value (@{
    StatusCode = 200
    Body       = "Item Added Successfully!"
})

4. Handling Module Loading Efficiently

By default, Azure Functions reload modules on every invocation, which slows execution. To optimize:

Use global caching to prevent redundant imports:

  
if (-not $global:PnPLoaded) {
    Import-Module PnP.PowerShell
    $global:PnPLoaded = $true
}

Use profile.ps1 to preload modules at function startup.

5. Debugging Common Issues

Issue: PnP PowerShell Not Found

Fix: Ensure requirements.psd1 includes PnP.PowerShell, then restart the function app.

Issue: Authentication Errors

Fix:

For Managed Identity, ensure it has Sites.FullControl.All permission in Azure.
For App-Only authentication, verify that the app registration has correct API permissions.

Tip of the day - Creating-a-sharepoint-list-with-pnp-powershell-in-azure-functions