PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables

wrx7m

Import-Module ActiveDirectory
$GivenName = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter First Name"
$Surname = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter Last Name"
$SecurePW = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter a Password" -AsSecureString
$DisplayName = "$GivenName $Surname"
New-ADUser -Name $DisplayName `

Results in this error

New-ADUser : A positional parameter cannot be found that accepts argument '+'.
At \\FP02\it\Scripts\AD\AD-InitialUserCreationVariables.ps1:6 char:1
+ New-ADUser -Name $DisplayName `
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidArgument: (:) [New-ADUser], ParameterBindingException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PositionalParameterNotFound,Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.Commands.NewADUser

wrx7m

If I get rid of the attempt to combine the 2 existing variables into a 3rd, I get this error.

New-ADUser : A positional parameter cannot be found that accepts argument '+'.
At \\FP02\it\Scripts\AD\AD-InitialUserCreationVariables.ps1:5 char:1
+ New-ADUser -Name "$GivenName $Surname" `
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidArgument: (:) [New-ADUser], ParameterBindingException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PositionalParameterNotFound,Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.Commands.NewADUser

dafyre

@wrx7m said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

If I get rid of the attempt to combine the 2 existing variables into a 3rd, I get this error.

New-ADUser : A positional parameter cannot be found that accepts argument '+'.
At \\FP02\it\Scripts\AD\AD-InitialUserCreationVariables.ps1:5 char:1
+ New-ADUser -Name "$GivenName $Surname" `
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidArgument: (:) [New-ADUser], ParameterBindingException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PositionalParameterNotFound,Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.Commands.NewADUser

If you did not fix UserPrincipalName and EmailAddress as well, it will still error.

JaredBusch

This is why you run things manually and not in scripts until you know WTF you are doing.

Use the PowerShell ISE, that is what it is for.

You also do not have the Country in quotes. It is a string value.

NerdyDad

@wrx7m said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

What about creating a new variable by combining two existing variables? (For the display name)

$displayName = join ($GivenName," ",$SurName)

NerdyDad

@dafyre said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

@wrx7m said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

@JaredBusch - Well, it didn't work when I used the first 2 together. At least, with the syntax I had. Also, it would be nice to know how to do it. But, I would settle for getting the display name Jon Doe with a space in it using the 2 existing variables.

$DisplayName="$GivenName $SurName" ?

This would result in literally being given $GivenName $SurName whenever you ask for $DisplayName.

dafyre

@NerdyDad said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

@dafyre said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

@wrx7m said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

@JaredBusch - Well, it didn't work when I used the first 2 together. At least, with the syntax I had. Also, it would be nice to know how to do it. But, I would settle for getting the display name Jon Doe with a space in it using the 2 existing variables.

$DisplayName="$GivenName $SurName" ?

This would result in literally being given $GivenName $SurName whenever you ask for $DisplayName.

That's what he wants as I see his code above.

JaredBusch

NerdyDad

@JaredBusch said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

Corrected. Thank you sir.

wrx7m

@JaredBusch said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

This is why you run things manually and not in scripts until you know WTF you are doing.

Use the PowerShell ISE, that is what it is for.

You also do not have the Country in quotes. It is a string value.

I am running it manually and I am running it in ISE.

JaredBusch

@wrx7m said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

@JaredBusch said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

This is why you run things manually and not in scripts until you know WTF you are doing.

Use the PowerShell ISE, that is what it is for.

You also do not have the Country in quotes. It is a string value.

I am running it manually and I am running it in ISE.

Change your New-ADUser to a Write-Host and keep adding to the concatenated line until it breaks.

coliver

@JaredBusch said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

@wrx7m said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

@JaredBusch said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

This is why you run things manually and not in scripts until you know WTF you are doing.

Use the PowerShell ISE, that is what it is for.

You also do not have the Country in quotes. It is a string value.

I am running it manually and I am running it in ISE.

Change your New-ADUser to a Write-Host and keep adding to the concatenated line until it breaks.

Write-host is one of the best debugging tools for poweshell. Does ISE have the ability to report what variable is assigned to what at a given step?

wrx7m

Thanks, everyone. Write-host was a great tool. I have found the following to work from start to finish.

Edit: Added GivenName and Surname parameters

Import-Module ActiveDirectory
$GivenName = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter First Name"
$Surname = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter Last Name"
$SecurePW = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter a Password" -AsSecureString
New-ADUser -GivenName $GivenName `
           -Surname $Surname `
           -Name "$GivenName $Surname" `
           -AccountPassword $SecurePW  `
           -SamAccountName $GivenName `
           -DisplayName "$GivenName $Surname" `
           -PasswordNeverExpires $True `
           -UserPrincipalName "[email protected]" `
           -Country "US" `
           -EmailAddress "[email protected]" `
           -Path "OU=email1.com,OU=User Accounts,DC=upn,DC=com" `
           -Enabled $True
Set-ADUser -Identity "$GivenName" -Add @{Proxyaddresses="SMTP:[email protected]", "smtp:[email protected]", "smtp:[email protected]", "smtp:[email protected]", "smtp:[email protected]", "smtp:[email protected]"}
Add-ADGroupMember -Identity Office365Users -Members $GivenName

JaredBusch

@wrx7m Now you have to make a stupid proof because what if I just had to enter each time and asked me for information?

wrx7m

@JaredBusch said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

@wrx7m Now you have to make a stupid proof because what if I just had to enter each time and asked me for information?

I wonder if it would allow no first and last name before erroring out. It shouldn't be able to create it, because those variables are used to create the UPN. No UPN, no workie. I do know that you have to specify a password that adheres to the domain policy.

PhlipElder

@wrx7m said in PowerShell - Create New AD User Using Prompts and Variables:

If I get rid of the attempt to combine the 2 existing variables into a 3rd, I get this error.

New-ADUser : A positional parameter cannot be found that accepts argument '+'.
At \\FP02\it\Scripts\AD\AD-InitialUserCreationVariables.ps1:5 char:1
+ New-ADUser -Name "$GivenName $Surname" `
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidArgument: (:) [New-ADUser], ParameterBindingException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PositionalParameterNotFound,Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.Commands.NewADUser

Like this I think:

New-ADUser -Name "$($GivenName) $($Surname)"`

From: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/stefan_stranger/2013/09/25/powershell-sub-expressions/