In my last masterpiece, Tackling SharePoint's 5000 Item Limit with PowerShell and Search, I show how to use PowerShell with Search to return more than 5000 items from a SharePoint list or library, even if SharePoint refuses to return more than 5000 items. Pretty impressive, right? When demonstrating something like that you need a list or library with more than 5000 items. There are are a lot of scripts out there that can create test data, but I needed something specific. So, I opened up a new windows in VS Code and got to coding.
The PowerShell function I wrote is Add-AttorneyFiles, which is designed to streamline the creation of attorney files and case folders. Lots and lots of them.
This function has a few parameters to tailor the files and folders it creates. It accepts two mandatory parameters, AttorneyCount and CaseCount, specifying the number of attorneys and case folders to create for each attorney.
There are also a few switch parameters that allow you to customize the function's behavior further. You can choose to create a file in each case folder using the CreateStaticFile switch, or specify that only closed or client case folders should be created with the OnlyClosedCases and OnlyClientCases switches.
You can also specify the name of the static file created using the StaticFileName parameter. If no name is provided, the function will default to creating a file named "readme.txt".
The function starts by checking if a connection to a SharePoint site exists. If it does, the function creates attorney files and case folders in a SharePoint directory. The names for these attorney files are generated randomly from a list of common first and last names. This randomness helps to create a more realistic environment for testing.
Once the list of attorney names is created, the function will loop through each attorney, creating the appropriate case folders, either client case folders, closed case folders, or both, based on the parameters passed in.
The function gives the folders and files it creates a randomly generated last and first name, along with a random case number, for a more realistic setup.
If the CreateStaticFile switch is present, a static file will be created in each case folder. The content of these static files is a random selection of words, downloaded from a free online dictionary. This randomization also contributes to a more realistic testing environment.
Here's an example of how you might use this function:
Add-AttorneyFiles -AttorneyCount 10 -CaseCount 5 –CreateStaticFile
This will create 10 attorney folders, each with 5 case folders. A static file named "readme.txt" will be created in each case folder. For my blog a created a whole lot of autorun.inf files.
By automating the setup of this testing environment, I was able to generate a high volume of test data, with a format that accurately represented my client’s data, without exposing any of it.
I’ve uploaded the code to GitHub. Check it out.
Happy PowerShelling, and as always, feel free to drop any questions or comments below!
tk
ShortURL: https://www.toddklindt.com/PoshAttorneyFiles