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Automated Site Creation with Power Automate and PnP Template

Imagine you're building an automated system that creates new SharePoint sites whenever someone adds an item to a list - like a magical factory that produces fully-formed websites! That's exactly what we're going to build together. Let's break this down into manageable pieces and walk through each step.

Overview of What We're Building

Before we dive in, let's understand what our automation will do:

graph TD
    A[New Item Added to JEFF List] -->|Triggers| B[Power Automate Flow]
    B -->|Makes| C[HTTP Request]
    C -->|Creates| D[New SharePoint Site]
    D -->|Based on| E[PnP Template]
    D -->|Adds to| F[Case Management Hub]
    D -->|Grants Permissions to| G[Big Permish Group]
    E -->|Copied from| H[Terry Template Site]
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Part 1: Creating the PnP Template from Terry Template

First, we need to capture the essence of the Terry Template site into a PnP template. Think of this like taking a photograph of a room so you can recreate it exactly somewhere else.

Step 1: Connect to Terry Template Site

# Install PnP PowerShell if you haven't already
Install-Module -Name "PnP.PowerShell" -Force -AllowClobber

# Connect to the Terry Template site
Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://mordinilaw.sharepoint.com/teams/TerryTemplate" -Interactive

# Create the template
$templatePath = "C:\Templates\TerryTemplate.xml"
Get-PnPSiteTemplate `
    -Out $templatePath `
    -Handler Lists,Fields,ContentTypes,Pages,Navigation,Files,CustomActions `
    -IncludeAllPages `
    -PersistBrandingFiles `
    -Force

Step 2: Review and Clean Template

Open the template file and ensure it contains all necessary components. You might see something like this:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<pnp:Provisioning xmlns:pnp="http://schemas.dev.office.com/PnP/2021/03/ProvisioningSchema">
  <pnp:Preferences>
    <pnp:Parameters>
      <!-- Template parameters will be here -->
    </pnp:Parameters>
  </pnp:Preferences>
  <!-- Rest of your template configuration -->
</pnp:Provisioning>

Part 2: Setting Up the Power Automate Flow

Now let's create the flow that will orchestrate our site creation. Think of this as setting up a series of dominoes that will fall in perfect sequence.

Step 1: Create New Flow

  1. Go to make.powerautomate.com
  2. Click "Create" → "Automated cloud flow"
  3. Name your flow: "Create Site from JEFF List"
  4. Choose trigger: "When an item is created in SharePoint"

Step 2: Configure Trigger

Configure the trigger with these settings:

Site Address: [Your SharePoint site with JEFF list]
List Name: JEFF

Step 3: Add HTTP Request Action

This is where the magic happens. We'll use the SharePoint REST API to create our site:

{
    "Body": {
        "request": {
            "__metadata": {
                "type": "Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal.SPSiteCreationRequest"
            },
            "Title": "@{triggerBody()?['Title']}",
            "Url": "https://mordinilaw.sharepoint.com/sites/@{triggerBody()?['SiteUrl']}",
            "WebTemplate": "STS#3",
            "Owner": "@{triggerBody()?['Author']?['Email']}",
            "HubSiteId": "[Case Management Hub ID]",
            "Description": "Site created from JEFF list"
        }
    },
    "Uri": "https://mordinilaw.sharepoint.com/_api/SPSiteManager/Create",
    "Headers": {
        "Accept": "application/json;odata=verbose",
        "Content-Type": "application/json;odata=verbose",
        "Authorization": "Bearer @{outputs('Get_SharePoint_access_token')?['access_token']}"
    },
    "Method": "POST"
}

Step 4: Add Delay Action

We need to give SharePoint a moment to create the site. Add a "Delay" action:

Duration: 2 minutes

Step 5: Apply PnP Template

Add another HTTP request to apply our template:

{
    "Uri": "https://mordinilaw.sharepoint.com/sites/@{triggerBody()?['SiteUrl']}/_api/web/ApplyPnPTemplate",
    "Method": "POST",
    "Headers": {
        "Accept": "application/json;odata=verbose",
        "Content-Type": "application/json;odata=verbose"
    },
    "Body": {
        "templatePath": "[Your template path]"
    }
}

Step 6: Set Permissions

Add an action to grant permissions to the "Big Permish" group:

{
    "Uri": "https://mordinilaw.sharepoint.com/sites/@{triggerBody()?['SiteUrl']}/_api/web/roleassignments/addroleassignment(principalid=@{variables('BigPermishGroupId')},roledefid=1073741829)",
    "Method": "POST",
    "Headers": {
        "Accept": "application/json;odata=verbose",
        "Content-Type": "application/json;odata=verbose"
    }
}

Part 3: Testing and Troubleshooting

Let's set up a proper testing process:

  1. Create a test item in the JEFF list with these values:

    Title: Test Site Creation
SiteUrl: test-site-creation-001

  2. Monitor the flow execution in real time:

    • Open the flow
    • Click "Run History"
    • Watch each step execute

  3. Common Issues and Solutions:

Issue Solution
"Access denied" Check flow connections and permissions
Template not applying Verify template path and format
Site creation fails Check URL format and availability
Permissions not set Verify group ID and role definition

Part 4: JEFF List Configuration

Your JEFF list should have these columns:

Title (Single line of text) - Required
SiteUrl (Single line of text) - Required
    - Description: "Will be used in site URL - no spaces or special characters"
    - Validation formula: =AND(LEN([SiteUrl])>0,ISERROR(FIND(" ",[SiteUrl])))
RequestedBy (Person or Group) - Required
    - Default value: [Me]

Best Practices and Tips

  1. Site Naming Convention:

    • Use lowercase letters
    • Avoid spaces and special characters
    • Example: "case-smith-2024" instead of "Case Smith 2024"

  2. Error Handling:

    • Add condition checks before each major step
    • Include email notifications for failures
    • Log all operations

  3. Maintenance:

    • Review flow runs weekly
    • Update template monthly
    • Document all customizations

  4. Security:

    • Regular permission audits
    • Review site creation logs
    • Monitor usage patterns

Visual Guide to Site Creation Process

sequenceDiagram
    participant U as User
    participant J as JEFF List
    participant F as Flow
    participant S as SharePoint
    participant H as Hub
    
    U->>J: Adds new item
    J->>F: Triggers flow
    F->>S: Creates site
    S-->>F: Site created
    F->>S: Applies template
    S-->>F: Template applied
    F->>S: Sets permissions
    S-->>F: Permissions set
    F->>H: Associates with hub
    H-->>F: Association complete
    F->>U: Sends notification
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What to Do When Things Go Wrong

If your site creation process encounters issues, follow these steps:

  1. Check Flow History:

    • Look for red X marks
    • Read error messages carefully
    • Note which step failed

  2. Verify Permissions:

    • Flow connection permissions
    • User permissions
    • Site collection admin rights

  3. Template Issues:

    • Check template file accessibility
    • Verify template format
    • Look for missing components

  4. Still stuck? Here's your checklist:

    • Screenshot the error
    • Note the time of failure
    • Document the steps taken
    • Contact support with details

Remember: Every error is an opportunity to make your automation more robust!