Get SharePoint Site Users: Implementations and Use Cases


Managing users in SharePoint is a core part of ensuring that your site runs efficiently and securely. Whether you’re auditing user access, automating workflows, or simply trying to understand who has access to your site, knowing how to retrieve and query SharePoint site users is invaluable. In this post, I’ll walk you through the different ways to get users from a SharePoint site, the use cases, the pros and cons, and how to implement it using JavaScript, jQuery, PnPjs, and PowerShell. Let’s dive in!


Why Retrieve SharePoint Users?

SharePoint isn’t just a document repository; it’s a collaborative platform where user access and roles dictate the flow of information. From ensuring compliance to automating processes, having a clear picture of who is on your site and their level of access can make or break your SharePoint environment.

For example, imagine running a large SharePoint Online site with hundreds of users. Without tools to fetch and analyze user data, maintaining proper governance would be nearly impossible. Retrieving site users allows you to:

  • Audit permissions and access levels.
  • Check for active and inactive users.
  • Automate workflows based on user presence or role.
  • Generate user reports for compliance and management.

Use Cases for Retrieving SharePoint Site Users

Here are some real-world scenarios where retrieving SharePoint site users comes in handy:

  1. Governance and Auditing: Regularly review users and their permissions to ensure compliance with organizational policies. Identify unused accounts and potential security risks.
  2. Access Reporting: Generate reports on site access to ensure the right people have the right level of permissions.
  3. Workflow Automation: Build workflows that dynamically assign tasks or send notifications based on user roles or group memberships.
  4. Permissions Management: Automatically adjust permissions when users are added to or removed from certain groups.

Pros and Cons of Managing Users in SharePoint

Managing users in SharePoint comes with its own set of benefits and challenges. Here is a deeper dive into what works well and what to watch out for:

Pros:
  • Improved Security: By regularly auditing user permissions, you can ensure that sensitive data is only accessible to authorized personnel. This reduces the risk of data breaches.
  • Enhanced Governance: Automated solutions for user management streamline governance policies, ensuring that access control is consistent and reliable across your organization.
  • Efficiency and Time-Saving: Automating repetitive tasks such as user provisioning, permission updates, or user reporting saves time and effort for IT administrators.
  • Visibility and Insight: The ability to fetch and analyze user data provides clear visibility into how your SharePoint sites are being utilized. This can guide decisions on resource allocation and user training.
Cons:
  • Permissions Overhead: Fetching user data or managing users requires sufficient permissions, which might not always be available to everyone. This could create bottlenecks for non-admin users trying to gather insights.
  • Performance Issues: On large sites with thousands of users, retrieving user data can strain resources and cause slower query performance.
  • Complexity in Customization: Implementing custom scripts or workflows for user management might require in-depth knowledge of SharePoint APIs or tools, which can be a steep learning curve for new admins or developers.

Implementation Methods

While you can get the list of users from this SharePoint site URL (Just change the URL with what you have)

https://yousitedomain.sharepoint.com/_layouts/15/people.aspx?MembershipGroupId=0

You can also approach other ways of retrieving SharePoint users. It can be achieved through a variety of tools and methods. Below is a more detailed explanation of the approaches:

  • Using JavaScript

JavaScript is a lightweight and flexible way to interact with the SharePoint REST API. This method is particularly useful for client-side applications or simple customization needs.

Here’s a sample script:

const siteUrl = _spPageContextInfo.webAbsoluteUrl;

fetch(`${siteUrl}/_api/web/siteusers`, {
  method: 'GET',
  headers: {
    Accept: 'application/json;odata=verbose'
  }
})
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => {
    console.log(data.d.results);
  })
  .catch(error => console.error('Error fetching users:', error));
  • Using jQuery

For developers who prefer jQuery, it simplifies the REST API call with its Ajax method. This is particularly helpful when you need concise code for quick integrations.

const siteUrl = _spPageContextInfo.webAbsoluteUrl;

$.ajax({
  url: `${siteUrl}/_api/web/siteusers`,
  method: 'GET',
  headers: {
    Accept: 'application/json;odata=verbose'
  },
  success: function(data) {
    console.log(data.d.results);
  },
  error: function(error) {
    console.error('Error fetching users:', error);
  }
});

This script retrieves site users and handles errors gracefully, making it ideal for front-end developers.

Using PnPjs

PnPjs is a modern library tailored for SharePoint developers. It provides a clean and easy way to interact with the SharePoint REST API. PnPjs is especially effective for SPFx projects or modern SharePoint Framework solutions.

import { sp } from "@pnp/sp";

sp.web.siteUsers.get().then(users => {
  console.log(users);
}).catch(error => {
  console.error('Error fetching users:', error);
});

This approach is perfect for developers building SPFx web parts or extensions as it integrates seamlessly with modern development workflows.

4. Using PowerShell

For administrators, PowerShell offers a robust way to manage users at scale. It’s ideal for generating reports, performing audits, or automating administrative tasks.

# Connect to SharePoint Online
Connect-PnPOnline -Url https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite -Credentials (Get-Credential)

# Get all site users
$users = Get-PnPUser

# Output users
$users | ForEach-Object {
    Write-Host "Display Name: $($_.Title), Email: $($_.Email)"
}

This script connects to a SharePoint Online site and lists all users, displaying their names and email addresses.


Real-Life Scenarios

Understanding how SharePoint user management plays out in real-life scenarios can help you grasp its practical importance:

  • Governance and Compliance: Imagine a healthcare organization that uses SharePoint to store patient records. Weekly PowerShell scripts are used to audit user permissions, ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive data. This not only ensures security but also helps in regulatory compliance.
  • Dynamic Workflows: A marketing team uses PnPjs in their SPFx application to dynamically assign campaign tasks based on group memberships. For instance, when a user is added to the “Design” group, they automatically receive a set of design-related tasks.
  • Access Management: A retail company utilizes REST API scripts to identify inactive users across their SharePoint sites. By regularly cleaning up inactive accounts, they ensure better performance and tighter security.
  • Training and Onboarding: Organizations leverage JavaScript-based tools to create onboarding dashboards that dynamically display resources based on the logged-in user’s role.

Retrieving and managing SharePoint site users is a foundational task for site admins and developers. Whether you’re auditing permissions, automating workflows, or generating reports, knowing how to access user data is crucial. By leveraging JavaScript, jQuery, PnPjs, and PowerShell, you can tailor your approach to fit your specific needs.

Try these methods out and see how they can simplify your SharePoint user management. Have questions or additional scenarios? Let me know in the comments!


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