Office365-REST-Python-Client

Warnings

• breaking Username and password authentication (with_user_credentials) may fail or require frequent re-authentication in MFA-enabled environments. In version 2.6.0, support for automatically renewing authentication cookies for `with_user_credentials` was added, which mitigates some issues but does not resolve all MFA challenges.
  Fix: For unattended scripts, prefer Azure AD application-only authentication using client secrets or certificates (ClientContext.with_client_credentials or GraphClient.with_client_secret/with_certificate). For interactive scenarios, consider interactive authentication flows if supported by your organization's policies.
• gotcha API calls are often queued and not executed until `execute_query()` is explicitly called. Forgetting this can lead to unexpected behavior or no data being retrieved.
  Fix: Always call `.execute_query()` after building your API requests (e.g., after loading properties or calling methods that interact with the server).
• gotcha Incorrect or insufficient Azure AD application permissions (e.g., 'Sites.Read.All', 'Mail.Send', 'Files.ReadWrite.All') or missing admin consent will result in 401 Unauthorized or 403 Forbidden errors when accessing resources.
  Fix: Verify that your Azure AD app registration has all necessary API permissions for Microsoft Graph or SharePoint, and ensure that 'Grant admin consent for [your tenant]' has been clicked in the Azure Portal for application permissions.
• gotcha When working with SharePoint, ensure the `sharepoint_site_url` points to the correct site collection or subsite. Using a generic tenant URL for operations on a specific subsite can lead to 'File Not Found' or permission-related errors.
  Fix: Provide the full and exact URL to the SharePoint site or subsite you intend to interact with in the `ClientContext` constructor.
• gotcha Retrieving items from large collections (e.g., lists, document libraries) may require explicit pagination handling. While the library offers `paged()` methods, older approaches or custom queries might miss items if the collection exceeds the default page size.
  Fix: For large collections, use the `.paged()` method available on item collections or ensure your iteration logic correctly handles continuation tokens for full retrieval.
• gotcha Updating SharePoint lookup columns requires passing a `FieldLookupValue` object, not just the lookup item's ID directly. Direct assignment of an ID will fail.
  Fix: Use `from office365.sharepoint.field_value import FieldLookupValue` and set the property like `item_to_update.set_property('Department', FieldLookupValue(lookup_id=1)).update().execute_query()`.

Install

• pip install Office365-REST-Python-Client Install with pip

Imports

• ClientContext

  from office365.sharepoint.client_context import ClientContext

  Used for interacting with SharePoint (legacy REST API).
• GraphClient

  from office365.graph_client import GraphClient

  Used for interacting with Microsoft Graph API.
• ClientCredential

  from office365.runtime.auth.client_credential import ClientCredential

  Used for app-only authentication with client ID and client secret.
• UserCredential

  from office365.runtime.auth.user_credential import UserCredential

  Used for username/password authentication (note: less secure and often problematic with MFA).
• AzureEnvironment

  from office365.azure_env import AzureEnvironment

  Used to specify Azure cloud environments (e.g., US Government).

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to connect to a SharePoint site using application (client ID and secret) authentication via the `ClientContext`. It retrieves and prints the site's URL and title. Ensure your Azure AD application is registered with appropriate permissions (e.g., 'Sites.Read.All' or 'Sites.FullControl.All') and that admin consent is granted in the Azure Portal. It's recommended to use environment variables for sensitive credentials.

import os
from office365.sharepoint.client_context import ClientContext
from office365.runtime.auth.client_credential import ClientCredential

# --- Configuration (replace with your actual values or set as environment variables) ---
sharepoint_site_url = os.environ.get('SHAREPOINT_SITE_URL', 'https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite')
client_id = os.environ.get('M365_CLIENT_ID', '')
client_secret = os.environ.get('M365_CLIENT_SECRET', '')

if not all([sharepoint_site_url, client_id, client_secret]):
    print("Error: Please set SHAREPOINT_SITE_URL, M365_CLIENT_ID, and M365_CLIENT_SECRET environment variables.")
    exit(1)

try:
    # Initialize ClientContext with app-only credentials
    ctx = ClientContext(sharepoint_site_url).with_credentials(ClientCredential(client_id, client_secret))
    
    # Load the web object and execute the query
    ctx.load(ctx.web)
    ctx.execute_query()
    
    print(f"Successfully connected to SharePoint site: {ctx.web.url}")
    print(f"Web title: {ctx.web.title}")

except Exception as e:
    print(f"An error occurred: {e}")
    print("Ensure your Azure AD application is registered, has the necessary API permissions (e.g., 'Sites.Read.All' or 'Sites.FullControl.All'), and admin consent has been granted.")