Question

How can I pass multiple AD objects as vbscript Arguments?

Asked by: zoofan

I am attempting to create a vbscript for use with an Active Directory Users And Computers modification to extend the abilities of the context menu of the user object.  The schema has already been edited and a script created and tested.

Upon selection of a single user, right clicking the user brings up the context menu with the custom entry, which when selected executes the script functioning correctly without error or issue however, my question is...

When selecting multiple users why does the script not receive any of the user objects selected as multiple arguments. (tested using both 2000 AD and 2003 AD same results)

What am I doing wrong here?


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have a premodified ADUC you can test this script below which does nothing but display the agruments passed to the script.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Testing while selecting one single user object displays 2 arguments, the users distinguishedName and the object class ('user' in this case)
     Testing while selecting two or more user objects and executing results in no output at all,--> arguments.count = null (no msgbox on line 7 no error)


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you do not have a premodified ADUC Instructions to edit a test domain for the purpose testing the script are as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    from http://www.2000trainers.com/windows-scripting/extend-aduc-vbscript/
   1. Open ADSI Edit (located in the Support Tools folder of the Windows Server 2003 CD)
   2. Expand the CN=Configuration node and navigate to CN=DisplaySpecifiers, CN=409. Select the 409 node in the left hand pane.
   3. In the right-hand pane, select the CN=user-Display object. Right click and select Properties.
   4. Select the adminContextMenu attribute and click Edit.
   5. We now need to add the value that will be used to create the additional menu item and direct it to the MultiArgs.vbs script. The syntax is very important.
        Be sure to include the comma at the beginning and after the menu name (Mutli_args). Add the following syntax to the Value to Add: line:
        ,&Multi-Args,c:\multiargs.vbs
   6. Change the servername and sharename items to reflect your current environment and then click Add.
   7. Click OK to accept the changes and close ADSI Edit.
   8. Allow some time for replication to populate the changes throughout the directory.
   9. Open ADUC and select a user. Right click on the user and notice the new menu item now available.
  10. Select Employee-ID to launch the script from within the ADUC
  11. From here we can either enter a new value for the employeeID attribute for the user or hit Cancel to leave the current value intact.
        (Note: If no value is present in the field, then the attribute value is empty for that user.)


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If the answer is "You can't",  I can (sadly)accept that, still grading an 'A' with supporting documentation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks in advance,

zf

'save as c:\multiargs.vbs
Option Explicit
Const intFirstArg = 0
Dim intLastArg
Dim intArgIndex
Dim arrArgumentList
                Set arrArgumentList = WScript.Arguments
                MsgBox arrArgumentList.Count
                        If arrArgumentList.count > 0 Then
                        intLastArg = arrArgumentList.Count -1
                                For intArgIndex = intFirstArg To intLastArg
                                        MsgBox arrArgumentList(intArgIndex)
                                Next
                        End If
                Set arrArgumentList = Nothing                   
WScript.Quit(0)
                                  
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Asked On
2008-08-08 at 23:22:04ID23634674
Topics

VB Script

,

Windows 2000 Server

,

Programming Languages

Participating Experts
1
Points
500
Comments
7

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Answers

 

by: RobSampsonPosted on 2008-08-10 at 22:50:49ID: 22202019

Hi, as far as I can tell, the script is not capable of accepting more than two parameters.
This site:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms808917.aspx

states that
The selected object's distinguished name and class are passed as the first and second arguments, respectively.

and has no mention of multiple objects or more than two paramaters.

Regards,

Rob.

 

by: zoofanPosted on 2008-08-10 at 23:14:33ID: 22202099

I was affraid of that!

lol as you well know there is something some where that accepts more then one object, we can disable 1000 accounts at a time etc...wish they had seen fit to give access to it.
Sorry done ranting,



Thank you again for your help, time and esp. the documentation.


zf

*If you dont mind I will leave this open one more day.  I dont expect to get a better answer, but always hopeful........

 

by: zoofanPosted on 2008-08-10 at 23:22:29ID: 31485127

Changed my mind on leaving it open, as any solution provided will not be implementable in a script, time to find that ever elusive api  :-)
Thank you again for your time and help.


zf

 

by: RobSampsonPosted on 2008-08-10 at 23:26:55ID: 22202128

Thanks for the grade.  I'm not sure, but perhaps you'd have better luck with the Shell context menu? I've never used it, nor sure if it accepts more than object, but maybe.....

Rob.

 

by: zoofanPosted on 2008-08-10 at 23:38:22ID: 22202166

Will dig further into it.



Thanks again,

zf

 

by: RobSampsonPosted on 2008-08-10 at 23:43:33ID: 22202188

The other option I guess (and the long option) is that you make a user interface that enumerates the AD and an end-user can select multiple objects, then you run a script against each object....a HTA maybe...

 

by: zoofanPosted on 2008-08-11 at 00:02:01ID: 22202271

:-)  actually I did already create standalone apps for the added abilities I needed in both vb6 and dot net that do exactly this via a list and a loop and I prefer them to the aduc as they feel and flow to my needs(they better lol).  This one was actually to assist in another question that I was helping with and having the ability to create custom context items for multiple objects peaked my curiosity.( the fact that I could not get it to work in the past is what forced me into the standalone's which I am happier to have now. so no loss, no gain I guess)

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Programming/Misc/Q_23629121.html


were only two pieces left, the multi select and deleteing an 07 exchange mailbox(which still baffels me in vbs)



Thanks again for all your help and tips.


zf

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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