AzureFunctions Work Fan-out with Azure Queue in PowerShell

So I really like using PnP-PowerShell to chain up and perform complex operations in Office 365, and linking them up with AzureFunctions and Flow.

Scenario - scan all tenant's site collections

I bump into another problem today - I needed to scan all my site collections within the tenancy and start a Flow that will notify and apply site closure policy and lock the site.

We can scan all the site collections in a tenant in one request Get-PnPTenantSites - but we want to make sure the job doesn't time out.

So we need to fan-out the workload to a queue, and trigger multiple AzureFunctions to scan each site collection in parallel.

Problem - PoSH Queue binding only 1 output

As soon as I started writing the PoSH - I remembered, with the default PoSH Queue binding - you can only write 1 message to the Queue.

Unlike C# where you could do multiple:

foreach(var message in messages) {
    await outQueue.AddAsync(message);
}

In PoSH - if you are using the default integration tab to set up an Output Binding to AzureQueue.  Then you can only write one message to the Queue.

 

How to write multiple messages to Queue in PoSH?

It turns out I've already solved this once before in April, but I had completely forgotten this, because I DIDN'T BLOG IT.
Let that be a lesson to all developers - Always blog something cool that you did.  Because you will need it in two months when your memory failed you.

# if you have been using the storage in other functions 
# you will already have the connection string in your 
# function's app settings - reuse it

$storeAuthContext = New-AzureStorageContext -ConnectionString $env:azurefunctions3a585851_STORAGE 

$outQueue = Get-AzureStorageQueue –Name 'my-queue-name' -Context $storeAuthContext
if ($outQueue -eq $null) {
    $outQueue = New-AzureStorageQueue –Name 'my-queue-name' -Context $storeAuthContext
}

# this example isn't scanning sites - just going through files in a library
$items | % {
    
    $item = @{
        source = $_.FieldValues.FileRef;
        target = ($destination + "/" + $_.FieldValues.FileLeafRef)
    }

    # Create a new message using a constructor of the CloudQueueMessage class.
    $queueMessage = New-Object `
        -TypeName Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Storage.Queue.CloudQueueMessage `
        -ArgumentList (ConvertTo-Json $item)

    # Add a new message to the queue.
    $outQueue.CloudQueue.AddMessage($queueMessage)
}

 

 

 

Taking a picture with PowerApps and sending to SharePoint with just Flow

Less than one day after I wrote about Taking a picture with PowerApps and sending to SharePoint with help of Azure Functions - I was looking at Flow to do another thing with recurring calendar events, and reading about how Logic App's Workflow Definition Language can be used in Flow.  Then as I scrolled down - I saw this: dataUriToBinary

This was the heart of the problem in converting PowerApp's camera image (Data URI) for SharePoint File upload (Binary).  That I solved with an Azure Function.

And here it is, again, staring at me: dataUriToBinary()
And I know I'd have to write this new post.  

Create the Flow from Template

Using Advanced Formula from Logic Apps Functions in Flow

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-au/azure/logic-apps/logic-apps-workflow-definition-language#functions lists the Logic Apps functions available to Flow.  There are some tricks to make the syntax work - but they are all the same, so practice makes perfect.  Also, there is a LOT of functions.  So it should be fun.

 

Add Compose Action

Add "@dataUriToBinary(  ...  )" drag in Createfile_FileContent.  It'll look OK at first, but if you try to Update flow, you'll get an error.

The template validation failed: 'The template action 'Compose' at line '1' and column '1947' is not valid: "The template language expression 'dataUriToBinary(@{triggerBody()['Createfile_FileContent']})' is not valid: the string character '@' at position '16' is not expected.".'.

Note 2018: the Flow designer has been changed since 2017, and the way to write this expression has changed.

  • Create a Compose action

  • In the dynamic content panel that pop up on the right, select expression editor

  • Type in dataUriToBinary(triggerBody()['Createfile_FileContent'])

  • Note, without the prefix @

  • Hit OK to write the expression into the Compose

Note: Once you save and come back, it won't show the " quotes anymore, and it isn't updateable.

flow2.png

 

Result

So that's all - DataURI to Binary conversion for PowerApps camera to go to SharePoint file.

 

In a way, I'm glad - even in my previous post I argued that data conversion should be native, and shouldn't require a developer.  So this is kind of my wish come true.

 

April PnP JavaScript special interest group call and Azure Functions demos

Shortly after the March Azure Functions demo, I reached out and asked Patrick about coming back to do a follow up focused on JavaScript - specifically PnP-JS-Core.  As I've completely skipped it in the March call/demo that was focused on PnP PowerShell (and C#).  When I first started playing with Azure Functions I was doing everything in JavaScript - so it was nice to return to be able to do this demo. 

Uploaded by SharePoint / Office 365 Dev Patterns & Practices on 2017-04-13.

I'm a bit more mindful of the time, but this whole demo is on PnP-JS-Core.

We focused on a few things that people asked in the PnP-PowerShell call in March:

  • What about JavaScript - can you show JavaScript in Azure Functions
  • Isomorphic PnP-JS-Core - running on NodeJS - if you are going to use JavaScript on the client, might as well use the same code on the server.
  • Authentication using Sergei's node-sp-auth (congrats on MVP award!)
  • How to test your Azure Functions locally via azure-functions-cli
  • Live debugging with VSCode (locally)
  • How to pack your JavasScript AzureFunctions so that you don't need to deploy the massive node_modules (which is both costly for storage, and has a higher startup time).  We use azure-functions-pack

SharePoint's Future is full of JavaScript

Lots of quick little demos that makes a nice introduction scenario - but if you have not seen Azure Functions before, this is best viewed as a supplementary follow up to the first PnP Call in March.

Related Links

http://johnliu.net/blog/2017/4/march-pnp-special-interest-group-call-and-azure-functions-demos

 

If anyone asks is Microsoft still investing in SharePoint - show them this.

I was attending an MVP community event, and a few non-office MVPs asked me, hey is Microsoft still investing in SharePoint?  Is there anything new coming next?  There hasn't been a product for a few years right?  (This is so odd, we just had SP2016...  and SPO hasn't stopped having new features every month.)

I was also working at a client when one of our advanced users rushed over and asked John - what's going on with this new Teams thing - is Microsoft scrapping SharePoint.  (I was pretty shocked at this one).

Realizing that I'm probably directly connected to the flood of news regarding SharePoint - it is surprising people aren't aware of many of the best and greatest of SharePoint is still to come.  I decided to write this post.

April - SP Tech Con (lastest info as of this post)

This is the latest info as of this post.  Follow Mark Kashman - PM SharePoint. 

This was the SPTechCon keynote. 
https://www.slideshare.net/markkashman/reinventing-content-collaboration-the-future-of-sharepoint-is-now-sptechcon-austin-ms-keynote

 

Feburary - Internal Demo Day

Is there still a SharePoint team?  YES - and they are legion.

Directly from Jeff Teper the father of SharePoint

May - What's next?

2017 May 16 is the SharePoint Virtual Summit.  This is the big one.  Especially if we look back to 2016's May the 4th event when we first embarked on the next step of the Future of SharePoint, and now we see what the team has delivered within just one year.  It's been nothing but awesome. 

So no matter where you are in the world - you should register for the Virtual Summit.

In Australia

The Office 365 Saturday is upon us really soon.  The annual free community event will be coming to a city near you!  You need to sign up.  This helps us plan our catering needs.

O365 Customizations in the year 2017

It is the year 2017 - watch out, because O365 customizations are full speed ahead.

This is a MS Australia Ignite 'lightning talk' for Meetup Madness (sorry, I took twice the amount of time than I should) to convince a room full of people that loved O365 to become developers.

MS AU Ignite Meetup Madness - O365 Customizations in 2017

Much laughter was had.  But I stand by what I said - you are now all developers, now go build something amazing!