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Test SharePoint's avatar
Test SharePoint
Brass Contributor
Oct 29, 2018
Solved

Powershell script fo deleting specific-files-from-sharepoint-on-premises-library error

I was going through article: http://romeodonca.com/deleting-specific-files-from-sharepoint-on-premises-library
I am getting an issue in implementing it. can you please have a look intothe following scenario:
 
 I tried the 1st script. it runs successfully however the files dont get deleted.
for eg:
my Site URL: http://contoso.com/subsitename
Library name: library
Filename: test
 
 
If you open my csv file, you will see the following list of URL's:
 
http://contoso.com/subsitename/library/New%20Text%20Document%20-%20Copy.txt
http://contoso.com/subsitename/library/New%20Text%20Document.txt
http://contoso.com/subsitename/library/New%20Text%20Document%20-%20Copy%20(2).txt
http://contoso.com/subsitename/library/New%20Text%20Document%20-%20Copy%20(3).txt
 
 
Please let me know whether I have to insert any column title in the csv or the above is just fine?
 
 
So My first script becomes:
 
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true,HelpMessage=”http://contoso.com/subsitename”)][string]$SiteUrl,
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true,HelpMessage=”library”)][string]$LibraryName,
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true,HelpMessage=”test”)][string]$Filename
)
Add-PSSnapin microsoft.sharepoint.powershell
###################################### parse all items
function deleting($mylist,$yoursourcefile)
{
    $files = @()
    foreach ($searchedfile in (Import-Csv $yoursourcefile))
    {
        #$myweb = get-spweb (($searchedfile.url).split(‘/’)[0]+”//”+$searchedfile.url.split(‘/’)[2])
        #$mylist = $myweb.Lists | Where-Object {$_.Title -match ($searchedfile.url).split(‘/’)[3]}
        foreach ($file in $mylist.items)
        {
            if (($searchedfile.url) -eq (($searchedfile.url).split(‘/’)[0]+”//”+($searchedfile.url).split(‘/’)[2]+”/”+$file.url))
            {
                “Deleting: ” +  $searchedfile.url
                $files = $files + $file
                break
            }
        }
    }
    foreach ($item in $files)
    {
        $item.Delete()
    }
}
 
 
 
the above script runs however the files dont get deleted.
 
I am not sure What wrong.
I tried doing the CAML Query.
And I get the following errors with different inputs:
 
1)>>>>You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At line:13 char:9
+         $file = $mylist.GetItems($query)
+         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull
 
 
2)>>>>>You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At line:18 char:9
+         $item.Delete()
+         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull
 
 
 
3)>>>>>deleting : The term 'deleting' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet,
function, script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or
if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.
At line:39 char:21
+                     deleting $mylist $filename
+                     ~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (deleting:String) [], CommandNot
   FoundException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException
 
 
4)>>>>Import-Csv : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'Path'. The argument is
null or empty. Provide an argument that is not null or empty, and then try the
command again.
At line:4 char:43
+     foreach ($searchedfile in (Import-Csv $test))
+                                           ~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidData: (:) [Import-Csv], ParameterBindingV
   alidationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,Microsoft.Power
   Shell.Commands.ImportCsvCommand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Can you please help me out in this. i am not sure what I am missing. How will the script turn out if I have the following inputs with me:
my Site URL: http://contoso.com/subsitename
Library name: library
Filename: test
 
 
csv file:
 
http://contoso.com/subsitename/library/New%20Text%20Document%20-%20Copy.txt
http://contoso.com/subsitename/library/New%20Text%20Document.txt
http://contoso.com/subsitename/library/New%20Text%20Document%20-%20Copy%20(2).txt
http://contoso.com/subsitename/library/New%20Text%20Document%20-%20Copy%20(3).txt
 
 
I would really appreciate help on this!! thanks again
2013
developer
Document Library
excel
files
powershell
sharepoint
sharepoint 2013
Sites
sql
  • Matt Weston's avatar
    Matt Weston
    Oct 30, 2018

    Hi Test SharePoint the way those errors are cascading, I think it's purely down to the entries that are coming from the CSV, and that all of the other errors are as a result of single issue. Do you have a header in your CSV? In mine, I had a header of File, so my CSV looked like this:

     

    File

    https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/SiteA/Documents/File1.docx

    https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/SiteA/Documents/File1 Copy.docx

4 Replies

  • Matt Weston's avatar
    Matt Weston
    Iron Contributor
    Oct 29, 2018

    Hi Test SharePoint

     

    Most of the errors that you're encountering are caused by one part of your script failing, and therefore you have a number of null values being encountered.  To be honest you could probably simplify the script a lot

     

    # SET UP
    Add-PSSnapin "Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

    CLS

    # PULL IN THE CSV
    $filelist = Import-Csv -Path "<PATH TO THE CSV>"



    foreach($file in $filelist)
    {
     Write-Host "Processing $($file.File)"

    # Figure out the URL of the site
     $arysiteurl = $file.File.Split('/')
     $url = ""
     for($x=0; $x -lt $arysiteurl.Length-2; $x++)
     {
     $url = $url + $arysiteurl[$x] + "/"
     }

    # Get the web
     $web = Get-SPWeb $url

    # Get the document based on the URL
     $file = $web.GetFile($file.File)
     $file.Delete()

    }
    • Test SharePoint's avatar
      Test SharePoint
      Brass Contributor
      Oct 30, 2018

      thank you so much for your reply Matt Weston. looks simplified now.

       

      I ran the following script:

       

      # SET UP

      Add-PSSnapin "Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

       

      CLS

       

      # PULL IN THE CSV

      $filelist = Import-Csv -Path "C:\temp"

       

       

       

      foreach($file in $filelist)

      {

       Write-Host "Processing $($file.File)"

       

      # Figure out the URL of the site

       $arysiteurl = $file.File.Split('/')

       $url = ""

       for($x=0; $x -lt $arysiteurl.Length-2; $x++)

       {

       $url = $url + $arysiteurl[$x] + "/"

       }

       

      # Get the web

       $web = Get-SPWeb $url

       

      # Get the document based on the URL

       $file = $web.GetFile($file.File)

       $file.Delete()

       

      }

       

      I get the following error:

      Processing
      You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
      At line:16 char:2
      + $arysiteurl = $file.File.Split('/')
      + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      + CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

      Get-SPWeb : Cannot find an SPSite object that contains the following Id or Url: Empty or Null.
      At line:24 char:9
      + $web = Get-SPWeb $url
      + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      + CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (Microsoft.Share....SPCmdletGetWeb:SPCmdletGetWeb) [Get-SPWeb], SPCmdletPipeBindException
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell.SPCmdletGetWeb

      You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
      At line:27 char:2
      + $file = $web.GetFile($file.File)
      + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      + CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

      Method invocation failed because [System.Management.Automation.PSCustomObject] doesn't contain a method named 'Delete'.
      At line:28 char:2
      + $file.Delete()
      + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      + CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (Delete:String) [], RuntimeException
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : MethodNotFound

      Processing
      You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
      At line:16 char:2
      + $arysiteurl = $file.File.Split('/')
      + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      + CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

      Get-SPWeb : Cannot find an SPSite object that contains the following Id or Url: Empty or Null.
      At line:24 char:9
      + $web = Get-SPWeb $url
      + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      + CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (Microsoft.Share....SPCmdletGetWeb:SPCmdletGetWeb) [Get-SPWeb], SPCmdletPipeBindException
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell.SPCmdletGetWeb

      You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
      At line:27 char:2
      + $file = $web.GetFile($file.File)
      + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      + CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

      Method invocation failed because [System.Management.Automation.PSCustomObject] doesn't contain a method named 'Delete'.
      At line:28 char:2
      + $file.Delete()
      + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      + CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (Delete:String) [], RuntimeException
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : MethodNotFound

      Processing
      You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
      At line:16 char:2
      + $arysiteurl = $file.File.Split('/')
      + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      + CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

      Get-SPWeb : Cannot find an SPSite object that contains the following Id or Url: Empty or Null.
      At line:24 char:9
      + $web = Get-SPWeb $url
      + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      + CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (Microsoft.Share....SPCmdletGetWeb:SPCmdletGetWeb) [Get-SPWeb], SPCmdletPipeBindException
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell.SPCmdletGetWeb

      You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
      At line:27 char:2
      + $file = $web.GetFile($file.File)
      + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      + CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

      Method invocation failed because [System.Management.Automation.PSCustomObject] doesn't contain a method named 'Delete'.
      At line:28 char:2
      + $file.Delete()
      + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      + CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (Delete:String) [], RuntimeException
      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : MethodNotFound

       

       

       

      I am not sure what I am missing. Can you please help me out on this one?

      My website URL: http:/contoso/subsitename

      My Document library name: test

      My csv file: sha.csv

       

      • Matt Weston's avatar
        Matt Weston
        Iron Contributor
        Oct 30, 2018

        Hi Test SharePoint the way those errors are cascading, I think it's purely down to the entries that are coming from the CSV, and that all of the other errors are as a result of single issue. Do you have a header in your CSV? In mine, I had a header of File, so my CSV looked like this:

         

        File

        https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/SiteA/Documents/File1.docx

        https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/SiteA/Documents/File1 Copy.docx

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