SharePoint Online: Check If a Field Exists in List using PowerShell
Requirement: PowerShell to check if a field exists in a list in SharePoint Online.
PowerShell to check if a Column exists in a List
In some cases, you may need to determine if a field exists in a list before creating a new field in the list while automating tasks. In this blog post, we will look at how to use PowerShell to check if a field exists in a SharePoint Online list.
If you need to check if a column exists in a list using PowerShell, there are several ways to do it. Here is the CSOM PowerShell to check if a field exists in a SharePoint Online List:
#Load SharePoint CSOM Assemblies
Add-Type -Path "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\16\ISAPI\Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.dll"
Add-Type -Path "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\16\ISAPI\Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.Runtime.dll"
#Function to Check if a column exists in a List
Function Check-ColumnExists($SiteURL, $ListName, $FieldName, $Credentials)
{
#Setup the context
$Ctx = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.ClientContext($SiteURL)
$Ctx.Credentials = $Credentials
#Retrive all Fields from the list
$List = $Ctx.Web.Lists.GetByTitle($ListName)
$Fields = $List.Fields
$Ctx.Load($List)
$Ctx.Load($Fields)
$Ctx.ExecuteQuery()
#Check if the given field name
$Field = $Fields | where{$_.Title -eq $FieldName}
if($Field) { return $true } else { return $false}
}
#Set Variables for Site URL, List Name and Column Name
$URL= "https://crescent.sharepoint.com/sites/sales/"
$List="Project Documents"
$Field="Department" #Display Name
#Setup Credentials to connect
$Cred = Get-Credential
$Cred = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.SharePointOnlineCredentials($Cred.UserName,$Cred.Password)
#Call the function to Check Column Exists in given list
$ColumnExists = Check-ColumnExists -SiteURL $URL -ListName $List -FieldName $Field -Credentials $Cred
if($ColumnExists) {
write-host "Column Exists in Given List!" -f Green
#Proceed with your script
}
else {
write-host "Column Doesn't Exists in given List!" -f Red
}
This PowerShell script provides a simple and effective way to check if a column exists in a SharePoint Online list by checking all available fields of the list.
PnP PowerShell to check if a field exists in SharePoint Online List
If you’re doing some automation in SharePoint Online, you may need to determine whether a particular field exists in your list or library. You can use the PnP PowerShell cmdlet Get-PnPField to determine if a field exists in a list and then add the field to a list.
#Parameters
$SiteURL = "https://crescent.sharepoint.com/sites/pmo"
$ListName ="Projects"
$FieldTitle = "Project Classification"
#Connect to PnP Online
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $SiteURL -Interactive
#Get the column from list
$Field = Get-PnPField -Identity $FieldTitle -List $ListName -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
If($Field -eq $Null)
{
Write-host "Field '$FieldTitle' does not exists in the list '$ListName'" -f Yellow
}
Else
{
Write-host "Field '$FieldTitle' exists in the list '$ListName'" -f Green
}
In summary, there are several ways to check if a column exists in a list using PowerShell. You can use the Get-PnPField cmdlet or the CSOM PowerShell to check if a column exists by checking the Fields of the list. By using these cmdlets, you can quickly and easily check if a column exists in a list and perform the necessary actions.
