Create Navigation

This PnP PowerShell script automates the creation of navigation structure in SharePoint Online sites. It helps establish consistent navigation menus across your SharePoint environment, improving user experience and site organization.

Purpose

Navigation scripts enable you to:

Standardize site navigation across multiple sites
Create hierarchical menu structures programmatically
Update navigation links efficiently
Maintain consistent user experience

Prerequisites

PnP PowerShell module installed
Site owner or designer permissions
Connection to your SharePoint Online site

PowerShell Script


            # SharePoint Navigation Creation Script
# navigation-config.json and this script should be in the same directory
# Configuration
$siteUrl = "https://tenantName.sharepoint.com/sites/siteName" # You only need to specify the full site URL here
$ClientId = ""
$jsonFilePath = "createNavigation.json"
$logFilePath = ".\navigation-creation-log.csv"
$logEntries = @()

# Function to write to log file
function Write-ToLog {
    param(
        [string]$Action,
        [string]$NavigationNode,
        [string]$Status,
        [string]$Message
    )
    
    $logEntry = [PSCustomObject]@{
        Timestamp = (Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss")
        Action = $Action
        NavigationNode = $NavigationNode
        Status = $Status
        Message = $Message
    }
    
    $logEntries += $logEntry
}

# Function to safely create navigation node
function Add-SafeNavigationNode {
    param(
        [string]$Title,
        [string]$Location = "QuickLaunch",
        [string]$Url,
        [int]$Parent
    )

    try {
        if ($Parent -and $Url) {
            $node = Add-PnPNavigationNode -Location $Location -Title $Title -Url $Url -Parent $Parent -ErrorAction Stop
        }
        elseif ($Parent) {
            $node = Add-PnPNavigationNode -Location $Location -Title $Title -Parent $Parent -ErrorAction Stop
        }
        else {
            $node = Add-PnPNavigationNode -Location $Location -Title $Title -ErrorAction Stop
        }
        Write-ToLog -Action "Create" -NavigationNode $Title -Status "Success" -Message "Created navigation node"
        return $node
    }
    catch {
        Write-Host "Warning: Could not create node '$Title' with URL '$Url'. Creating without URL validation." -ForegroundColor Yellow
        Write-ToLog -Action "Create" -NavigationNode $Title -Status "Warning" -Message "Created node without URL validation"
        
        # Fallback: Create node without URL validation
        if ($Parent) {
            return Add-PnPNavigationNode -Location $Location -Title $Title -Parent $Parent
        }
        else {
            return Add-PnPNavigationNode -Location $Location -Title $Title
        }
    }
}

# Function to build full URL from base URL and relative path
function Build-FullUrl {
    param(
        [string]$BaseUrl,
        [string]$RelativePath
    )
    
    # Ensure the base URL doesn't end with a slash and the relative path starts with one
    $BaseUrl = $BaseUrl.TrimEnd('/')
    if (-not [string]::IsNullOrEmpty($RelativePath)) {
        $RelativePath = $RelativePath.TrimStart('/')
        if (-not [string]::IsNullOrEmpty($RelativePath)) {
            return "$BaseUrl/$RelativePath"
        }
    }
    
    return $BaseUrl
}

try {
    # Connect to SharePoint Online
    Write-Host "Connecting to SharePoint Online..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
    Connect-PnPOnline -Url $siteUrl -Interactive -ClientId $ClientId
    
    # Verify connection and permissions
    try {
        $site = Get-PnPWeb
        Write-Host "Successfully connected to site: $($site.Title)" -ForegroundColor Green
        
        # Test navigation access
        $testNav = Get-PnPNavigationNode -Location QuickLaunch
        Write-Host "Successfully accessed navigation" -ForegroundColor Green
    } catch {
        Write-Host "Error accessing site or navigation. Please verify permissions." -ForegroundColor Red
        Write-Host $_.Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
        exit
    }
    
    Write-ToLog -Action "Connection" -NavigationNode "N/A" -Status "Success" -Message "Connected to SharePoint Online"

    # Read JSON configuration file
    $navConfig = Get-Content $jsonFilePath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json
    Write-ToLog -Action "ConfigRead" -NavigationNode "N/A" -Status "Success" -Message "Navigation configuration loaded"

    # Get the base URL from the config
    # Use the site URL from the script configuration as sitebase
    $siteBaseUrl = $siteUrl

    # Clear existing navigation
    Write-Host "Clearing existing navigation..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
    $existingNodes = Get-PnPNavigationNode -Location QuickLaunch
    foreach ($node in $existingNodes) {
        Remove-PnPNavigationNode -Identity $node.Id -Force
        Write-ToLog -Action "Remove" -NavigationNode $node.Title -Status "Success" -Message "Removed existing navigation node"
    }

    # Create Level 1 navigation (Labels)
    foreach ($level1 in $navConfig.level1) {
        Write-Host "Creating Level 1 node: $($level1.title)" -ForegroundColor Green
        
        # Build full URL for level 1 if it has a URL
        $level1Url = $null
        if ($level1.url) {
            $level1Url = Build-FullUrl -BaseUrl $siteBaseUrl -RelativePath $level1.url
        }
        
        $level1Node = Add-SafeNavigationNode -Location QuickLaunch -Title $level1.title -Url $level1Url
        
        # Create Level 2 navigation
        if ($level1Node -and $level1.children) {
            foreach ($level2 in $level1.children) {
                Write-Host "Creating Level 2 node: $($level2.title)" -ForegroundColor Cyan
                
                # Build full URL for level 2
                $level2Url = $null
                if ($level2.url) {
                    $level2Url = Build-FullUrl -BaseUrl $siteBaseUrl -RelativePath $level2.url
                }
                
                $level2Node = Add-SafeNavigationNode -Location QuickLaunch -Title $level2.title -Url $level2Url -Parent $level1Node.Id

                # Create Level 3 navigation
                if ($level2Node -and $level2.children) {
                    foreach ($level3 in $level2.children) {
                        Write-Host "Creating Level 3 node: $($level3.title)" -ForegroundColor White
                        
                        # Build full URL for level 3
                        $level3Url = $null
                        if ($level3.url) {
                            $level3Url = Build-FullUrl -BaseUrl $siteBaseUrl -RelativePath $level3.url
                        }
                        
                        $level3Node = Add-SafeNavigationNode -Location QuickLaunch -Title $level3.title -Url $level3Url -Parent $level2Node.Id
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }

    # Verify navigation was created
    $finalNodes = Get-PnPNavigationNode -Location QuickLaunch
    Write-Host "Created $($finalNodes.Count) navigation nodes" -ForegroundColor Green

    # Export log to CSV
    $logEntries | Export-Csv -Path $logFilePath -NoTypeInformation
    Write-Host "Navigation creation completed. Check $logFilePath for details." -ForegroundColor Green

} catch {
    Write-ToLog -Action "Error" -NavigationNode "N/A" -Status "Failed" -Message $_.Exception.Message
    $logEntries | Export-Csv -Path $logFilePath -NoTypeInformation
    Write-Host "An error occurred. Check $logFilePath for details." -ForegroundColor Red
    Write-Host $_.Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
} finally {
    Disconnect-PnPOnline
    Write-ToLog -Action "Connection" -NavigationNode "N/A" -Status "Success" -Message "Disconnected from SharePoint Online"
}

JSON Configuration File

{
  "navigation": {
    "topNavigation": [
      {
        "title": "Home",
        "url": "/sites/yoursite",
        "isExternal": false,
        "children": []
      },
      {
        "title": "Departments",
        "url": "/sites/yoursite/departments",
        "isExternal": false,
        "children": [
          {
            "title": "IT Department",
            "url": "/sites/yoursite/departments/it"
          },
          {
            "title": "HR Department", 
            "url": "/sites/yoursite/departments/hr"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "quickLaunch": [
      {
        "title": "Documents",
        "url": "/sites/yoursite/Shared Documents",
        "isExternal": false
      },
      {
        "title": "Lists",
        "url": "/sites/yoursite/lists",
        "isExternal": false
      }
    ]
  }
}

Usage Notes

Customize navigation structure based on your site requirements
Test navigation links before deploying to production
Consider mobile responsiveness when creating navigation
Update site URL to match your environment