SharePoint: Create Site Using SP Designer Workflow

Article
1/17/2024

Some of us want to create a SharePoint site when an item is added to a SharePoint list. For SharePoint on-premise, we can achieve this using the event receivers and with SP online we can use designer workflow with REST API call to achieve this.

Introduction to Designer Workflows

SharePoint Designer is one of the best tools to create the workflows.
A lot of activities, actions, and conditions are available in Designer. We can create rules that associate conditions and actions with items in SharePoint List and Libraries.
We can use the workflow for the business process and approval process.

Below is the workflow start options for SharePoint List & Libraries:

Allow workflow to be manually started.
Start workflow automatically when an item is created.
Start workflow automatically when an item is changed.

Steps to Create a site using Workflow

In a previous article we have seen how to create list workflow using SP designer.

Once you have created the list workflow using the above article follow the below-listed steps to create a site using designer workflow.

Note

You need to activate the “Workflow can enable app permission” feature to enable the app step in the designer. Inside the app step only we will add the logic (REST API call) to create a site. The user performs the below step to activate the feature.

Go to site - settings - Manage site features - “Workflow can enable app permission” - Activate

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After activating the feature get the app identifier.

Go to site - settings - App permissions

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On the site app permission page, you can see the workflow then get the workflow id as shown below.

App Permissions

Then go to the appinv.aspx page using below URL,

Append /_layouts/15/appinv.aspx to site URL to see the hidden App Permissions page

Enter the selected workflow App ID and click pop up

Provide below XML on the Permission Request XML Textbox as shown below and click on Create button.

<AppPermissionRequests>
<AppPermissionRequest Scope="http://sharepoint/content/sitecollection" Right="FullControl"/>
</AppPermissionRequests>

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App Step will be enabled on the designer after you do the above steps. Then follow the below procedure.

Step 1 Variables in workflow

Create variables in workflow,

Title - New Site Title
Description - New Site Description
SiteURL - New site URL name
SiteTemplate - it may be team site, blog, project etc.
RequestURL - URL of Where the site has to be created

Here is the Workflow screenshot for your reference

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Step 2: Dictionary

Build a dictionary value for REST API call, below dictionary values need to be created.

RequestHeaders

Name	Type	Type
Accept	String	application/json;odata=verbose
Content-Type	String	application/json;odata=verbose

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MetaData

Name	Type	Type
Type	String	SP.WebInfoCreation

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Parameters

Name	Type	Value
__metadata	Dictionary	Variable: MetaData
Url	String	Variable: SiteURL
Title	String	Variable: Title
Description	String	Variable: Description
Language	Number	1033
WebTemplate	String	Variable: SiteTemplate
UseUniquePermissions	Boolean	False