How to install app from app catalog using PowerShell?

Question

Does anybody know a way of installing app from app catalog using PowerShell?

There is an article on MSDN about adding apps: Add apps for SharePoint to a SharePoint 2013 site. It describes the way of adding it using web browser, but the only PowerShell solution in this article is about adding app from a file using Import-SPAppPackage and Install-SPApp. However this way doesn't work with app catalog.

Also it seems there is no information on the Internet. Does anybody know a solution?

Answer 1

The only way I've seen, is the script on this post. It doesn't seem to be 100 % supported, though.

I´ve tried it, and it worked, but for me the app was not granted the access it wanted.

http://blog.robgarrett.com/2016/05/09/deploying-a-sharepoint-add-in-from-the-catalog-via-powershell/

   [CmdletBinding()]param();

if ((Get-PSSnapin -Name "Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) -eq $null) {
    Add-PSSnapin "Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell";
}

$yes = New-Object System.Management.Automation.Host.ChoiceDescription "&Yes","Description."
$no = New-Object System.Management.Automation.Host.ChoiceDescription "&No","Description."
$cancel = New-Object System.Management.Automation.Host.ChoiceDescription "&Cancel","Description."
$options = [System.Management.Automation.Host.ChoiceDescription[]]($yes, $no, $cancel)

$url = "site collection URL here";
$site = Get-SPSite $url;
$web = $site.RootWeb;

Write-Verbose "Getting apps from the catalog";
$json = Invoke-RestMethod -UseDefaultCredentials -Method Get -Uri $url + "/_layouts/15/addanapp.aspx?task=GetMyApps&sort=1&query=&myappscatalog=0&ci=1&vd=1";
$json | ? { $_.Catalog -eq 1 } | % {
    $appId = $_.ID;

    Write-Host -foreground Yellow "Title: $($_.Title)";
    Write-Host -foreground Yellow "AppID: $appId";

    $result = $host.ui.PromptForChoice("App Install", "Install App $($_.Title)", $options, 1)
    if ($result -eq 2) { break; }
    if ($result -eq 0) {

        Write-Verbose "Get the Corporate Catalog Accessor instance";
        $flags = [System.Reflection.BindingFlags]::NonPublic -bor [System.Reflection.BindingFlags]::Instance;
        $asm = [System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("Microsoft.SharePoint");
        $ccaType = $asm.GetType("Microsoft.SharePoint.Marketplace.CorporateCuratedGallery.SPCorporateCatalogAccessor");
        $ccaCtor = $ccaType.GetConstructors($flags) | ? { $_.GetParameters().Count -eq 1; }
        $cca = $ccaCtor.Invoke(@($web));

        Write-Verbose "Getting App Package from the Catalog";
        $method = $ccaType.GetMethods($flags) | ? { $_.Name -ilike "GetAppPackage" -and ($_.GetParameters())[0].ParameterType.Name -eq "String" }
        $stream = $method.Invoke($cca, @($appId));

        Write-Verbose "Installing App from Catalog";
        $spAppType = $asm.GetType("Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPApp");
        $method = $spAppType.GetMethod("CreateAppUsingPackageMetadata", [System.Reflection.BindingFlags]::NonPublic -bor [System.Reflection.BindingFlags]::Static);
        [Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPApp]$spApp = $method.Invoke($null, @($stream, $web, 2, $false, $null, $null));
        $appInstanceId = $spApp.CreateAppInstance($web);
        Write-Host -ForegroundColor Yellow "AppInstanceID: $appInstanceId";
        $appInstance = [Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPAppCatalog]::GetAppInstance($web, $appInstanceId);
        $appInstance.Install();
    }
}

Answer 2

I believe SharePoint 2013 / 2016 PnP Powershell supports the ALM APIs. If so you can use these APIs to install the app in a site.

Use Get-PnPApp -Scope Tenant to find the app you want to install in the farm app catalog and then use Install-PnPApp -Identity <app id> -Scope Tenant to install the app in the target site.

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) APIs

SharePoint PnP Webcast – ALM APIs for SharePoint Framework solutions and add-ins