How to create create a new SharePoint site programmatically

This article shows how to create a new SharePoint site programmatically. In this example, we will create a sub-site of the top level site (root) of a site collection.

To add a sub-site to site, we have to use the SPWeb.Webs.Add method which creates and returns a new SPWeb object. See this MSDN link for more information about the different parameters of the method: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms473439.aspx

One time the site is created, we have to create the 3 default groups (Owners, Members and Visitors) and associate them with the new site. For that, we have to use a selfmade class called SPGroupsHelper which creates a group and its associations with the site.

Hereunder is a little console application showing a to create a site programmatically using unique permissions and based on the team site template:

using System;

using Microsoft.SharePoint;

using SiteCreation.Helpers;

 

namespace SiteCreation

{

    class Program

    {

        static void Main(string[] args)

        {

            using (SPSite site = new SPSite("http://mysitecollectionurl/"))

            {

                using (SPWeb web = site.OpenWeb(site.RootWeb.ID))

                {

                    try

                    {

                        web.AllowUnsafeUpdates = true;

 

                        string url = "TESTCREATION";

                        string title = "Test Creation";

                        string description = "This is a test site";

                        string type = "STS#0";

 

                        // Site creation with unique permissions

                        SPWebCollection webs = web.Webs;

                        SPWeb newWeb = webs.Add(url, title, description, 1033, type, true, false);

 

                        // Owners, members and visitors groups creation

                        SPGroup owners = SPGroupsHelper.AddGroup(newWeb, SPGroupsHelper.AssociatedGroupTypeEnum.Owners);

                        SPGroup members = SPGroupsHelper.AddGroup(newWeb, SPGroupsHelper.AssociatedGroupTypeEnum.Members);

                        SPGroup visitors = SPGroupsHelper.AddGroup(newWeb, SPGroupsHelper.AssociatedGroupTypeEnum.Visitors);

 

                        // Changing the request access email to current user

                        newWeb.RequestAccessEmail = newWeb.CurrentUser.Email;

 

                        // Save changes

                        newWeb.Update();

 

                        // Disposing new web object

                        newWeb.Dispose();

                    }

                    catch (Exception ex)

                    {

                        Console.WriteLine(ex.Message);

                    }

                    finally

                    {

                        web.AllowUnsafeUpdates = false;

                    }

                }

            }

            Console.ReadLine();

        }

    }

}

Hereunder is the selfmade SPGroupsHelper classe used in the little console application:

using Microsoft.SharePoint;

 

namespace SiteCreation.Helpers

{

    public static class SPGroupsHelper

    {

 

        public enum AssociatedGroupTypeEnum

        {

            Owners,

            Members,

            Visitors

        };

 

        public static SPGroup AddGroup(SPWeb web, AssociatedGroupTypeEnum associateGroupType)

        {

            switch (associateGroupType)

            {

                case AssociatedGroupTypeEnum.Owners:

                    return AddGroup(web, "{0} Owners", "Use this group to give people full control permissions to the SharePoint site: {0}", SPRoleType.Administrator, "{0} Owners");

                case AssociatedGroupTypeEnum.Members:

                    return AddGroup(web, "{0} Members", "Use this group to give people contribute permissions to the SharePoint site: {0}", SPRoleType.Contributor,"{0} Owners");

                case AssociatedGroupTypeEnum.Visitors:

                    return AddGroup(web, "{0} Vistors", "Use this group to give people read permissions to the SharePoint site: {0}", SPRoleType.Reader,"{0} Owners");

                default:

                    return null;

            }

        }

 

        public static SPGroup AddGroup(SPWeb web, string groupNameFormatString, string descriptionFormatString, SPRoleType roleType, string ownerNameFormatString)

        {

            web.SiteGroups.Add(string.Format(groupNameFormatString, web.Title), web.CurrentUser, web.CurrentUser, string.Format(descriptionFormatString, web.Name));

 

            SPGroup group = web.SiteGroups[string.Format(groupNameFormatString,web.Title)];

            try

            {

                SPGroup owner = web.SiteGroups[string.Format(ownerNameFormatString, web.Title)];

                group.Owner = owner;

            }

            catch { }

 

            if (descriptionFormatString.IndexOf("{0}") != -1)

            {

                SPListItem item = web.SiteUserInfoList.GetItemById(group.ID);

                item["Notes"] = string.Format(descriptionFormatString, string.Format("<a href=\"{0}\">{1}</a>", web.Url, web.Name));

                item.Update();

            }

 

            SPRoleAssignment roleAssignment = new SPRoleAssignment(group);

            roleAssignment.RoleDefinitionBindings.Add(web.RoleDefinitions.GetByType(roleType));

            web.RoleAssignments.Add(roleAssignment);

            switch(roleType)

            {

                case SPRoleType.Administrator:

                    group.AllowMembersEditMembership = false;

                    group.OnlyAllowMembersViewMembership = true;

                    group.AllowRequestToJoinLeave = false;

                    group.AutoAcceptRequestToJoinLeave = false;

                    web.AssociatedOwnerGroup = group;

 

                    break;

                case SPRoleType.Contributor:

                    group.AllowMembersEditMembership = false;

                    group.AllowRequestToJoinLeave = false;

                    group.AutoAcceptRequestToJoinLeave = false;

                    group.OnlyAllowMembersViewMembership = false;

                    web.AssociatedMemberGroup = group;

                    break;

                case SPRoleType.Reader:

                    group.AllowMembersEditMembership = false;

                    group.OnlyAllowMembersViewMembership = true;

                    group.AllowRequestToJoinLeave = false;

                    group.AutoAcceptRequestToJoinLeave = false;

                    web.AssociatedVisitorGroup = group;

                    break;

            }

            group.Update();

            web.Update();

            return group;

        }

    }

}