Insert pictures in a SharePoint Document Library into a Word document¶

Author: Joseph Velliah

This PowerShell script shows how to download and insert many pictures in a SharePoint Document Library into a Word document in a two-column table with file name using CLI for Microsoft 365 commands and PowerShell Script.

Customers have multiple pictures in a SharePoint Document Library, and they need to automatically insert the pictures in Word as it will take a lot of time if operating from UI. So, they need a script to accomplish that.

Prerequisites:

Windows 10
Windows PowerShell
CLI for Microsoft 365
Office 2007 or Higher version
SharePoint Online Site
Document Library with some images
Folder to download the images
Blank Word document to add the images

PowerShell

Write-Host "Execution started"

$imagesDownloadFolderPath = "C:\Users\username\Downloads\Temp\images"
$targetWordDocumentPath = "C:\Users\username\Downloads\Temp\output\word-document-name.docx"

$siteUrl = "https://tenant-name.sharepoint.com/sites/site-name"
$docLibRootFolderName = "Shared Documents"

# assumption - folder contains only images but feel free to change the filter conditions to limit the items/file types returned from document library
$spolImagesCollection = m365 spo file list --webUrl $siteUrl --folder $docLibRootFolderName -o json | ConvertFrom-Json

if ($spolImagesCollection.Count -gt 0) {
  $numberOfRows = $spolImagesCollection.Count
  $numberOfColumns = 2

  $wordClient = New-Object -comobject word.application
  $wordClient.Visible = $false
  $wordDoc = $wordClient.Documents.Add()
  $range = $wordDoc.Range()
  $wordDoc.Tables.Add($range, $numberOfRows, $numberOfColumns) | Out-Null

  $table = $wordDoc.Tables.item(1)
  $table.Cell(1, 1).Range.Text = "File Name" # column 1 heading
  $table.Cell(1, 2).Range.Text = "Image" # column 2 heading 1

  $rowNumber = 2 # to insert the images from second row

  ForEach ($spolImage in $spolImagesCollection) {
    $targetFilePath = Join-Path $imagesDownloadFolderPath $spolImage.Name
    $docServerRelativeUrl = $spolImage.ServerRelativeUrl

    Write-Host "Processing: $docServerRelativeUrl"

    m365 spo file get --webUrl $siteUrl --url $docServerRelativeUrl --asFile --path $targetFilePath
    Write-Host "File downloaded: " $docServerRelativeUrl

    $table.Cell($rowNumber, 1).Range.Text = $spolImage.Name
    $table.Cell($rowNumber, 2).Range.InlineShapes.AddPicture($targetFilePath) | Out-Null
    Write-Host "Added image in temp document table row " $rowNumber

    $rowNumber++
  }

  [ref]$saveFormat = "microsoft.office.interop.word.WdSaveFormat" -as [type]
  $wordDoc.saveas([ref] $targetWordDocumentPath, [ref]$saveFormat::wdFormatDocumentDefault)
  $wordDoc.close()
  $wordClient.quit()

  [System.Runtime.Interopservices.Marshal]::ReleaseComObject($wordDoc) | Out-Null
  [System.Runtime.Interopservices.Marshal]::ReleaseComObject($wordClient) | Out-Null
  [System.Runtime.Interopservices.Marshal]::ReleaseComObject($range) | Out-Null
  [System.Runtime.Interopservices.Marshal]::ReleaseComObject($table) | Out-Null
  Remove-Variable wordDoc, wordClient, range, table
  [gc]::collect()
  [gc]::WaitForPendingFinalizers()

  Write-Host "Open the document located in $targetWordDocumentPath and check the images in the table"
}
else {
  Write-Host "No files in this document library"
}

Write-Host "Execution completed"