Staying up-to-date with the latest tools and features is crucial for maximizing productivity and efficiency. One such tool that has become indispensable for many organizations is the PnP (Patterns and Practices) Search.

In previous articles of our PnP series, we explored how to add and configure PnP search in your SharePoint Online environment - plus how to create custom column filters for your PnP search.

In this article, we will explore the value and benefits of keeping an eye on GitHub for PnP Search updates and demonstrate how easy it is to update apps in your Microsoft 365 (M365) tenant.

Let’s get into it!

The Value and Benefits of Checking GitHub for PnP Search Updates

Regularly checking GitHub for new releases of PnP Search can provide significant advantages, ensuring you leverage the latest enhancements and bug fixes. Additional benefits include:

1.      Access to the Latest Features: GitHub is the primary platform where developers release new features and improvements for PnP Search. By regularly checking for updates, you can ensure that your SharePoint Online environment is equipped with the latest updates.

2.      Improved Security and Performance: New releases often include important security patches and performance optimizations.

3.      Easy Integration and Customization: The updates released on GitHub are designed to integrate seamlessly with your existing SharePoint Online setup.

Additionally, there are multiple reasons why having app version history is valuable to administrators and end users compared to removing old apps and replacing them entirely with new app packages. Some of the benefits of app version history include:

1.      Tracking and Management: Track app versions, compare changes, and manage updates.

2.      Rollback and Recovery: Easily revert to previous versions to address issues or errors.

3.      Auditing and Compliance: Maintain an audit trail for compliance and track changes.

4.      Testing and Deployment: Manage testing environments and roll out updates gradually.

Updating apps in your M365 tenant is a straightforward process. With just a few clicks, you can download the latest version of PnP Search from GitHub and deploy it across your SharePoint Online environment.

The following steps will explore how we should proceed with updating PnP and can be applied to other apps as well.

How to Upgrade Your PnP Solution

Firstly, we will check the PnP Releases page on GitHub the releases are sorted chronologically with newest being near the top.

Review the updates to the App and then navigate to the Apps section of the SharePoint Admin Center to see what version your environment is using.

To get to to Apps section go to the Admin Center and select the SharePoint admin center.

Within the SharePoint admin center, select More features and then select Apps to get to the Manage Apps page.

Below we see the version in our environment is 4.12.2 and latest version on GitHub is 4.13.1 so its time to update!

Next, we will see the full name of the application package. The name must identical to the package being uploaded so the version history can be maintained. To see the package name we will (1) select the app (2) select the 3 dots for more details and then (3) select properties from the drop-down menu.

This will open the properties pane and we will see the full package name is “pnp-modern-search-parts-4.8.0” we can either rename the uploaded app or the latest download. Regardless, the names must be identical.

We will navigate back to GitHub download the latest upload and then rename the download to match the name of the app in our environment.

Then we will drag the updated app package into the Manage Apps page of the SharePoint Admin center.

When prompted confirm you want to replace the existing version of the PnP app.

Next review the app permissions and scroll down the right-hand information pane.

Determine if you want to add the app to all sites or just enable the app to be added to site selectively.

We’ll then see the following prompt to approve API access.

Now approve all the permissions.

*Note* when providing API access ensure your account is assigned the Global Admin or App Admin roles otherwise you will get this error message shown below.

Finally, the app has been updated!

Reviewing App Version History

To review the apps version history from the Manage Apps page in the SharePoint Admin Center. (1) select the PnP app (2) select the 3 dots for more details and then (3) select version history from the drop-down menu.

This will open a window where you will be able to view past versions, restore, and delete past versions of the app.

In conclusion, updating PnP Search in your SharePoint environment is vital for maintaining optimal performance and functionality. By following the outlined steps and utilizing app version history, you can easily upgrade your PnP Search app, revert to previous versions if needed, and ensure a reliable and efficient search experience for your users.

For a comprehensive understanding of PnP Search, be sure to check out Parts 1, 2 and 3 of our series to learn how to add PnP Search to your tenant, how to configure a PnP Search on a SharePoint site and how to create custom column filters.

For additional valuable tips and insights on search, SharePoint, and M365, visit the Gravity Union Blog. And if your organization needs additional support, our team of M365 experts at Gravity Union are ready to assist. Contact us to learn how we can help you achieve your goals.