SharePoint  

Discovering SharePoint Pages and Subsites Using PowerShell

Introduction

Managing SharePoint environments often involves exploring and auditing content, especially pages and subsites across multiple site collections and web applications. Navigating this manually through the SharePoint UI can be tedious. Luckily, PowerShell offers a streamlined, automated way to achieve this.

Why Use PowerShell for SharePoint?

PowerShell is a powerful tool for SharePoint administrators, enabling tasks like:

  • Bulk content discovery and management.
  • Automation of repetitive processes.
  • Access to detailed information not easily available through the SharePoint UI.

The Script: Exploring Pages and Subsites

This script is designed to iterate through all web applications, site collections, and subsites in your SharePoint environment, fetching details about the pages stored in each site.

1. Add the SharePoint Snap-In

Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

This ensures the SharePoint PowerShell module is loaded. The -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue flag suppresses errors if the snap-in is already added.

2. Define the Get-Pages Function

function Get-Pages {
    param(
        [Microsoft.SharePoint.SPWeb]$Web
    )
    Write-Host "    Pages in site: $($Web.Url)"
    $pagesLibrary = $Web.Lists.TryGetList("Site Pages")
    if ($pagesLibrary -ne $null) {
        foreach ($page in $pagesLibrary.Items) {
            Write-Host "      Page: $($page["FileLeafRef"])"
        }
    } else {
        Write-Host "      No pages library found."
    }
}

This function

  • Accepts an SPWeb object (representing a SharePoint site) as a parameter.
  • Checks if the "Site Pages" library exists.
  • Iterates through all items (pages) in the library and displays their names.

3. Define the Get-Subsites Function

function Get-Subsites {
    param(
        [Microsoft.SharePoint.SPWeb]$Web
    )
    foreach ($SubWeb in $Web.Webs) {
        Write-Host "  Subsite: $($SubWeb.Url)"
        Get-Pages -Web $SubWeb
        Get-Subsites -Web $SubWeb
        $SubWeb.Dispose()
    }
}

This recursive function:

  • Accepts an SPWeb object.
  • Iterates through all subsites of the provided site.
  • For each subsite, calls Get-Pages to list its pages and recursively explores deeper subsites.
  • Disposes of the SPWeb object after use to release memory.

4. Iterate Through Web Applications and Site Collections

$webApplications = Get-SPWebApplication
foreach ($webApp in $webApplications) {
    Write-Host "Web Application: $($webApp.Url)"
    foreach ($site in $webApp.Sites) {
        Write-Host " Site Collection: $($site.Url)"
        $rootWeb = $site.RootWeb
        Write-Host "  Root Site: $($rootWeb.Url)"
        Get-Pages -Web $rootWeb
        Get-Subsites -Web $rootWeb
        $rootWeb.Dispose()
    }
}

This section:

  • Retrieves all web applications using Get-SPWebApplication.
  • For each web application, iterates through its site collections using $webApp.Sites.
  • Lists pages in the root site using Get-Pages and explores subsites using Get-Subsites.
  • Properly disposes of SPWeb objects to avoid memory leaks.

Example Output

Here’s what the output might look like:

Web Application: http://sharepointwebapp
 Site Collection: http://sharepointwebapp/sites/hr
  Root Site: http://sharepointwebapp/sites/hr
    Pages in site: http://sharepointwebapp/sites/hr
      Page: Welcome.aspx
  Subsite: http://sharepointwebapp/sites/hr/benefits
    Pages in site: http://sharepointwebapp/sites/hr/benefits
      Page: BenefitsOverview.aspx

Expected Output

output

Benefits of This Script

  • Comprehensive Content Audit: Quickly gather an inventory of pages across your SharePoint environment.
  • Time-Saving Automation: No need to manually navigate through the UI to find pages.
  • Memory Management: Proper disposal of SPWeb objects ensures efficient use of resources.
  • Customizable: Easily extend the script to fetch additional information, such as page metadata or permissions.

Conclusion

PowerShell is an indispensable tool for SharePoint administrators. This script demonstrates how to efficiently discover pages and subsites, empowering you to manage your SharePoint environment more effectively.

Try it out in your SharePoint setup and streamline your content audits today!

Have questions or improvements for this script? Share them in the comments!

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