How to Create Subsites Using Powershell in Sharepoint 2013

If you want to create multiple subsites in a site collection and the number of subsites is more than two then why create subsites from the SharePoint UI? It takes too much time, instead we can use Powershell (cmdlets) and create multiple subsites in a site collection.

• First, we create the XML structure for creating subsites in a site collection.
  
• Open Notepad++ and create one XML file for the site structure.
  
  input.xml
  

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
  <input>
      <WebApplication>
          <URL>http://spdev-2013:2020</URL>
      </WebApplication>
      <SiteCollection>
          <Name>company</Name>
          <Title>Company Website</Title>
          <TemplateCode>BLANKINTERNET#0</TemplateCode>
          <PrimaryAdmin>WINGTIP\SPFarmAcc</PrimaryAdmin>
          <SubSites>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Media & Entertainment</Name>
                  <Url>media-entertainment</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Travel & Hospitality</Name>
                  <Url>travel-hospitality</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Online Retail</Name>
                  <Url>online-retail</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Healthcare & Life Sciences</Name>
                  <Url>healthcare-life-sciences</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Product Engineering Services</Name>
                  <Url>product-engineering-services</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Enterprise Business Solutions</Name>
                  <Url>enterprise-business-solution</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Elearning</Name>
                  <Url>elearning</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Support Services</Name>
                  <Url>support-services</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>UX Design</Name>
                  <Url>ux-design</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Documentation</Name>
                  <Url>documentation</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Cloud Computing</Name>
                  <Url>cloud-computing</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Business Intelligence</Name>
                  <Url>business-intelligence</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Enterprise Mobility</Name>
                  <Url>enterprise-mobility</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>CRM</Name>
                  <Url>crm</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>E-commerce</Name>
                  <Url>e-commerce</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Supply Chain Management</Name>
                  <Url>scm</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>ECM</Name>
                  <Url>ecm</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Careers</Name>
                  <Url>careers</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>News</Name>
                  <Url>news</Url>
              </Site>
              <Site>
                  <Name>Global</Name>
                  <Url>global</Url>
              </Site>
          </SubSites>
      </SiteCollection>
      <ContentDB>
          <Name>WSS_Content_Dummy</Name>
          <ServerName>SPDev-2013</ServerName>
      </ContentDB>
  
  </input>

• After the XML sturucture, now we need to create a Powershell file.
  
  
• For the Powershell file, create another file in Notepad++ and write the following Powershell script in that, save the file as whatever name you want with the extension .ps1.
  
  CreateSubsite.ps1
  

  Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.SharePoint.Powershell
  
  
  # pauses like regular cmd prompt
  function Pause ($Message="Press any key to continue...")
  {
      Write-Host -NoNewLine $Message
      $null = $Host.UI.RawUI.ReadKey("NoEcho,IncludeKeyDown")
      Write-Host ""
  }
  
  #log the operation details in text file
  $logfile = ".\Create_Site_Collection_Log_$(get-date -format `"yyyyMMdd_hhmmsstt`").txt"
  function log($string, $color)
  {
     if ($Color -eq $null) {$color = "white"}
     write-host "[$(Get-Date -Format T)] $string" -foregroundcolor $color
     "[$(Get-Date -Format T)] $string" | out-file -Filepath $logfile -append
  }
  
  
  #get the XML file
  [System.Xml.XmlDocument] $XmlDoc = new-object System.Xml.XmlDocument
  $file = resolve-path(".\input.xml")
  if (!$file)
  {
      log "Could not find the configuration file specified." red
      Break
  }
  
  $XmlDoc = [xml](Get-Content $file)
  
  #Get the site template code
  $SiteTemplate = $XmlDoc.input.SiteCollection.TemplateCode
  
  $siteCollectionUrl = $XmlDoc.input.SiteCollection.Url
  
  # clear some space
  Write-Host ""
  Write-Host ""
  Write-Host ""
  
  
  # add solution
  Write-Host "Checking if site:: $newSiteUrl already exist.."
  $targetUrl = Get-SPSite -Limit All | Where-Object {$_.Url -eq $siteCollectionUrl}
  if ($targetUrl -ne $null) {
  
      log "The site : $newSiteUrl is present."
  
      if($error.Count -eq 0)
      {
          log "Now Creating Subsites.."
  
          $subSites = $XmlDoc.input.SiteCollection.SubSites
          foreach($subsiteNode in $subSites.Site)
          {
              $SubSiteName = $subsiteNode.Name
  
              $SubSiteUrl = $newSiteUrl + "/" + $subsiteNode.Url
  
              log "Creating new subsite : $SubSiteUrl"
  
              $NewSubSite = New-SPWeb -Url $SubSiteUrl -Template $SiteTemplate -Name $SubSiteName
  
                  if($error.Count -eq 0)
                      {
                          log "SubSite Created Successfully..!!"
                          log "Breaking Inheritance On A Subsite"
                          $NewSubSite.BreakRoleInheritance($true,$true)
                          $NewSubSite.Update()
                      }
                  else
                      {
                          log "SubSite Creation failed" red
                          log $error
                      }
          }
      }
          else
          {
              log "Site Collection Creation failed" red
              log $error
          }
  }
  pause
  

• Read the highlighted part in the code block of the Powershell file, $file = resolve-path(".\input.xml") , this line shows your Powershell script mapped with your XML structure.
  
  
• After doing these two files, put both files in one folder with whatever name you want .
  
  
• Now run the Powershell script in the SharePoint 2013 Management Shell.
  
  
• Write the exact path of your Powershell file in the Management shell. Suppose you put your Powershell file and XML file in the C drive folder.
  
  
• Then you write:
  C:\powershell> .\CreateSubsite.ps1