Optimize search external cmdlets by not always retrieving the ExternalConnection

src/Commands/Base/PipeBinds/SearchExternalConnectionPipeBind.cs

@@ -23,6 +23,11 @@ public SearchExternalConnectionPipeBind(string identity)
             _identity = identity;
         }
 
+        public string GetExternalConnectionId(PSCmdlet cmdlet, PnPConnection connection, string accessToken)
+        {
+            return _identity ?? _searchExternalConnection?.Id ?? GetExternalConnection(cmdlet, connection, accessToken)?.Id;
+        }
+
         public Model.Graph.MicrosoftSearch.ExternalConnection GetExternalConnection(PSCmdlet cmdlet, PnPConnection connection, string accessToken)
         {
             if(_searchExternalConnection != null)

src/Commands/Search/GetSearchExternalConnection.cs

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ namespace PnP.PowerShell.Commands.Search
     [OutputType(typeof(Model.Graph.MicrosoftSearch.ExternalConnection))]
     public class GetSearchExternalConnection : PnPGraphCmdlet
     {
-        [Parameter(Mandatory = false)]
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = false, Position = 0, ValueFromPipeline = true)]
         public string Identity;
 
         protected override void ExecuteCmdlet()

src/Commands/Search/GetSearchExternalItem.cs

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ public class GetSearchExternalItem : PnPGraphCmdlet
 
         protected override void ExecuteCmdlet()
         {
-            var externalConnection = ConnectionId.GetExternalConnection(this, Connection, AccessToken);
+            var externalConnectionId = ConnectionId.GetExternalConnectionId(this, Connection, AccessToken) ?? throw new PSArgumentException("No valid external connection specified", nameof(ConnectionId));
 
             var searchQuery = new Model.Graph.MicrosoftSearch.SearchRequests
             {
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ protected override void ExecuteCmdlet()
                         ],
                         ContentSources =
                         [
-                            $"/external/connections/{externalConnection.Id}"
+                            $"/external/connections/{externalConnectionId}"
                         ],
                         Query = new Model.Graph.MicrosoftSearch.SearchRequestQuery
                         {
@@ -59,11 +59,11 @@ protected override void ExecuteCmdlet()
 
             if(hits == null || hits.Count == 0)
             {
-                WriteVerbose($"No external items found{(ParameterSpecified(nameof(Identity)) ? $" with the identity '{Identity}'" : "")} on external connection '{externalConnection.Id}'");
+                WriteVerbose($"No external items found{(ParameterSpecified(nameof(Identity)) ? $" with the identity '{Identity}'" : "")} on external connection '{externalConnectionId}'");
                 return;
             }
 
-            WriteVerbose($"Found {hits.Count} external item{(hits.Count != 1 ? "s" : "")}{(ParameterSpecified(nameof(Identity)) ? $" with the identity '{Identity}'" : "")} on external connection '{externalConnection.Id}'");
+            WriteVerbose($"Found {hits.Count} external item{(hits.Count != 1 ? "s" : "")}{(ParameterSpecified(nameof(Identity)) ? $" with the identity '{Identity}'" : "")} on external connection '{externalConnectionId}'");
 
             var externalItems = hits.Select(s => new Model.Graph.MicrosoftSearch.ExternalItem {  
                 Id = s.Resource.Properties["fileID"].ToString()[(s.Resource.Properties["fileID"].ToString().LastIndexOf(',') + 1)..],

src/Commands/Search/GetSearchExternalSchema.cs

@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ public class GetSearchExternalSchema : PnPGraphCmdlet
 
         protected override void ExecuteCmdlet()
         {
-            var searchExternalConnection = ConnectionId.GetExternalConnection(this, Connection, AccessToken);
-            var graphApiUrl = $"v1.0/external/connections/{searchExternalConnection.Id}/schema";
+            var externalConnectionId = ConnectionId.GetExternalConnectionId(this, Connection, AccessToken) ?? throw new PSArgumentException("No valid external connection specified", nameof(ConnectionId));
+            var graphApiUrl = $"v1.0/external/connections/{externalConnectionId}/schema";
             var result = Utilities.REST.GraphHelper.Get<Model.Graph.MicrosoftSearch.ExternalSchema>(this, Connection, graphApiUrl, AccessToken, additionalHeaders: new System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary<string, string> { { "Prefer", "include-unknown-enum-members" } });
             WriteObject(result, false);
         }

src/Commands/Search/RemoveSearchExternalConnection.cs

@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ public class RemoveSearchExternalConnection : PnPGraphCmdlet
 
         protected override void ExecuteCmdlet()
         {
-            var externalConnection = Identity.GetExternalConnection(this, Connection, AccessToken);
-            Utilities.REST.GraphHelper.Delete(this, Connection, $"v1.0/external/connections/{externalConnection.Id}", AccessToken);
+            var externalConnectionId = Identity.GetExternalConnectionId(this, Connection, AccessToken) ?? throw new PSArgumentException("No valid external connection specified", nameof(Identity));
+            Utilities.REST.GraphHelper.Delete(this, Connection, $"v1.0/external/connections/{externalConnectionId}", AccessToken);
         }
     }
 }

src/Commands/Search/RemoveSearchExternalItem.cs

@@ -21,16 +21,16 @@ public class RemoveSearchExternalItem : PnPGraphCmdlet
 
         protected override void ExecuteCmdlet()
         {
-            var connection = ConnectionId.GetExternalConnection(this, Connection, AccessToken);
+            var externalConnectionId = ConnectionId.GetExternalConnectionId(this, Connection, AccessToken) ?? throw new PSArgumentException("No valid external connection specified", nameof(ConnectionId));
 
             try
             {
-                var response = GraphHelper.Delete(this, Connection, $"beta/external/connections/{connection.Id}/items/{ItemId}", AccessToken);
-                WriteVerbose($"External item with ID '{ItemId}' successfully removed from external connection '{connection.Id}'");
+                var response = GraphHelper.Delete(this, Connection, $"beta/external/connections/{externalConnectionId}/items/{ItemId}", AccessToken);
+                WriteVerbose($"External item with ID '{ItemId}' successfully removed from external connection '{externalConnectionId}'");
             }
             catch (PSInvalidOperationException ex)
             {
-                throw new PSInvalidOperationException($"Removing external item with ID '{ItemId}' from external connection '{connection.Id}' failed with message '{ex.Message}'", ex);
+                throw new PSInvalidOperationException($"Removing external item with ID '{ItemId}' from external connection '{externalConnectionId}' failed with message '{ex.Message}'", ex);
             }
         }
     }

src/Commands/Search/SetSearchExternalConnection.cs

@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@ protected override void ExecuteCmdlet()
             var jsonContent = JsonContent.Create(bodyContent, null, new JsonSerializerOptions { DefaultIgnoreCondition = System.Text.Json.Serialization.JsonIgnoreCondition.WhenWritingNull });
             WriteVerbose($"Constructed payload: {jsonContent.ReadAsStringAsync().GetAwaiter().GetResult()}");
 
-            var externalConnection = Identity.GetExternalConnection(this, Connection, AccessToken);
-            var graphApiUrl = $"v1.0/external/connections/{externalConnection.Id}";
+            var externalConnectionId = Identity.GetExternalConnectionId(this, Connection, AccessToken) ?? throw new PSArgumentException("No valid external connection specified", nameof(Identity));
+            var graphApiUrl = $"v1.0/external/connections/{externalConnectionId}";
             Utilities.REST.GraphHelper.Patch(this, Connection, AccessToken, jsonContent, graphApiUrl);
         }
     }

src/Commands/Search/SetSearchExternalItem.cs

@@ -105,8 +105,8 @@ protected override void ExecuteCmdlet()
             var jsonContent = JsonContent.Create(bodyContent);
             WriteVerbose($"Constructed payload: {jsonContent.ReadAsStringAsync().GetAwaiter().GetResult()}");
 
-            var searchExternalConnection = ConnectionId.GetExternalConnection(this, Connection, AccessToken);
-            var graphApiUrl = $"v1.0/external/connections/{searchExternalConnection.Id}/items/{ItemId}";
+            var externalConnectionId = ConnectionId.GetExternalConnectionId(this, Connection, AccessToken) ?? throw new PSArgumentException("No valid external connection specified", nameof(ConnectionId));
+            var graphApiUrl = $"v1.0/external/connections/{externalConnectionId}/items/{ItemId}";
             var results = Utilities.REST.GraphHelper.Put<Model.Graph.MicrosoftSearch.ExternalItem>(this, Connection, graphApiUrl, AccessToken, jsonContent);
             WriteObject(results, false);
         }

src/Commands/Search/SetSearchExternalSchema.cs

@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ public class SetSearchExternalSchema : PnPGraphCmdlet
 
         protected override void ExecuteCmdlet()
         {
-            var searchExternalConnection = ConnectionId.GetExternalConnection(this, Connection, AccessToken);
+            var externalConnectionId = ConnectionId.GetExternalConnectionId(this, Connection, AccessToken) ?? throw new PSArgumentException("No valid external connection specified", nameof(ConnectionId));
 
             switch(ParameterSetName)
             {
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ protected override void ExecuteCmdlet()
             var jsonContent = new StringContent(SchemaAsText);
             WriteVerbose($"Constructed payload: {jsonContent.ReadAsStringAsync().GetAwaiter().GetResult()}");
 
-            var graphApiUrl = $"v1.0/external/connections/{searchExternalConnection.Id}/schema";
+            var graphApiUrl = $"v1.0/external/connections/{externalConnectionId}/schema";
             var results = Utilities.REST.GraphHelper.Patch(this, Connection, AccessToken, jsonContent, graphApiUrl);
 
             WriteVerbose("Trying to retrieve location header from response which can be used to poll for the status of the schema operation");