Power Platform Community Forum Thread Details

I’m currently working on a process to automate the creation of SharePoint sites using Power Automate. I would like to understand what the possibilities are for automating the following aspects:

Layout: Can I automatically set up default pages, web parts, and navigation elements?
Permissions: How can I configure specific user and group permissions during site creation?
Structure: Is it possible to create libraries and folder structures automatically?

I’ve experimented with the "Send an HTTP request to SharePoint" action, but I’m not sure about the limits or best practices for automating these elements.

What are the capabilities and limitations of Power Automate in creating SharePoint sites with customized elements?
Are there best practices or examples for setting up standard layouts, permissions, and structures in automatically generated sites?
How can I ensure all required components (pages, libraries, permissions) are properly configured in the automation process?

Any advice, documentation, or examples would be greatly appreciated!

Categories:

Building flows

Hi @JV-29111407-0,

I would start by looking into site designs first. Imho that is the easiest approach. And site designs can also be selected from the interface.

A lot of structure elements can be captured in a site design. You can include the creation of libraries and lists in a site design. Have a look at this documentation:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/declarative-customization/site-design-json-schema

The site design cannot provision content, that's where the Power Automate workflow can come into play. You can trigger the flow from the site design and use that to customize pages (with sections and web parts) and create content in your lists and libraries:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/declarative-customization/site-design-json-schema#trigger-a-flow

Alternatively, you could also use the xml approach. You can for example use an azure function to apply a PnP Provisioning template instead:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/declarative-customization/site-design-pnp-provisioning#create-a-pnp-provisioning-template

So, it really depends a bit on your technical requirements (if you like json over xml and if you want to use either PowerShell or Power Automate, etc.)