How To Create A Custom SharePoint Online List Using Azure Function

Introduction

Azure Functions is used for executing a small piece of code or “function” in a cloud and you pay only for the time your code executes. You can use a development language of choice, such as C#, F#, PHP, Java etc. Some of the key features of Functions are Choice of language, Pay-per-use pricing model, bring your own dependencies, integrated security, simplified integration, flexible development, and open-source. Please refer Azure Functions for more details. Also, refer my previous articles.

• How to create a simple Azure Function App using C#
• How to create Azure Function app to delete SharePoint Online list using CSOM
• How to call Azure Function in Logic Apps

In this blog, you will see how to create a custom SharePoint Online list using Azure Functions.

Schedule an Azure function

Log in to the Azure Portal.

Click New-> Compute -> Function App.

Enter all the required details and click Enter.

Functions app will be provisioned within a few minutes.

Click Functions App->AzureFunctionsExamples (which you have created) -> Functions -> “+” to create a new function.

Click Custom Function.

Select HTTP Trigger -> C#.

Enter the name of the new function and click "Create".

Refer to my previous article to add CSOM dependencies. Replace the code in run.csx with the following code.

#r "Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.dll"
#r "Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.Runtime.dll"

using System.Net;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;


public static async Task<HttpResponseMessage> Run(HttpRequestMessage req, TraceWriter log)
{
    string siteURL="https://c986.sharepoint.com/sites/Vijai/Subsite";
    string userName="[email protected]";
    string password="*********";

    log.Info("C# HTTP trigger function processed a request.");

    // parse query parameter
    string listName = req.GetQueryNameValuePairs()
        .FirstOrDefault(q => string.Compare(q.Key, "listName", true) == 0)
        .Value;

    string description = req.GetQueryNameValuePairs()
        .FirstOrDefault(q => string.Compare(q.Key, "description", true) == 0)
        .Value;

    // Get request body
    dynamic data = await req.Content.ReadAsAsync<object>();

    // Set name to query string or body data
    listName = listName ?? data?.name.listName;
    description = description ?? data?.name.description;

    System.Security.SecureString secureString=new System.Security.SecureString();
    foreach(char ch in password)
    {
        secureString.AppendChar(ch);
    }

    SharePointOnlineCredentials creds=new SharePointOnlineCredentials(userName, secureString);

    using(var ctx=new ClientContext(siteURL))
    {
        ctx.Credentials=creds;
        ListCreationInformation creationInfo=new ListCreationInformation();
        creationInfo.Title=listName;
        creationInfo.Description=description;
        creationInfo.TemplateType = (int)ListTemplateType.GenericList;
        List newList=ctx.Web.Lists.Add(creationInfo);
        ctx.Load(newList);
        ctx.ExecuteQuery();
        return data.name == null
            ? req.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.BadRequest, "Please pass a name on the query string or in the request body")
            : req.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.OK, "List created successfully. Lits Name: " + listName+" Description: "+description);
    }
}

Test the function

Update the request body. Save and run the function.

You could check the logs to verify the Azure Functions execution. A new SharePoint Online custom list is created successfully.

Result

Thus, in this blog, you saw how to create a custom SharePoint Online list using Azure Functions.