Unique Username

Question

When I build accounts on the WebUI I run the a script to check if the name is unique which works. But the issue is this script adds a 1 if the username is taken. I would like to make it so if Steve Smith with the username SmithS is taken to make the username SmithSt .... SmithSte.... SmithStev... and so forth. What is the best way of doing this. Thanks

My current setup

Import-Module Adaxes
function IsUserNameUnique($username)
{
   $user = Get-AdmUser $username -erroraction silentlycontinue
   return $user -eq $Null
}
# Get the username
$username = $Context.GetModifiedPropertyValue("samAccountName")
# Check if the username is unique
if (IsUserNameUnique($username))
{
    return
}
# If the username is not unique, generate a unique one
$uniqueUsername = $Null
for ($i = 1; $True; $i++)
{
    $uniqueUsername = $username + $i;
    if (IsUserNameUnique($uniqueUsername))
    {
        break
    }
}

# Update User Logon Name (pre-Windows 2000)
$Context.SetModifiedPropertyValue("samAccountName", $uniqueUsername)

# Update User Logon Name
$upnSuffix = $Context.GetObjectDomain("%distinguishedName%")
$userLogonName = $uniqueUsername + "@" + $upnSuffix
$Context.SetModifiedPropertyValue("userPrincipalName", $userLogonName)
$Context.LogMessage("The username has been changed to " + $userLogonName `
  + ".", "Information")

Answer 1

Hello,

This one should work:

Import-Module Adaxes
function IsUserNameUnique($username)
{
   $user = Get-AdmUser $username -erroraction silentlycontinue
   return $user -eq $Null
}

# Get the username
$username = $Context.GetModifiedPropertyValue("samAccountName")

# Check if the username is unique
if (IsUserNameUnique($username))
{
    return
}

# If the username is not unique, generate a unique one
$firstName = $Context.GetModifiedPropertyValue("givenName")
$lastName = $Context.GetModifiedPropertyValue("sn")
$uniqueUsername = $Null
if (($firstName -ne $NULL) -and ($lastName -ne $NULL))
{
    $username = $lastName
    foreach ($char in $firstName.ToCharArray())
    {
        $username = "$username$char"
        if (IsUserNameUnique($username))
        {
            $uniqueUsername = $username
            break
        }
    }
}

if ($uniqueUsername -eq $NULL)
{
    for ($i = 1; $True; $i++)
    {
        $uniqueUsername = $username + $i;
        if (IsUserNameUnique($uniqueUsername))
        {
            break
        }
    }
}

# Update User Logon Name (pre-Windows 2000)
$Context.SetModifiedPropertyValue("samAccountName", $uniqueUsername)

# Update User Logon Name
$upnSuffix = $Context.GetObjectDomain("%distinguishedName%")
$userLogonName = $uniqueUsername + "@" + $upnSuffix
$Context.SetModifiedPropertyValue("userPrincipalName", $userLogonName)
$Context.LogMessage("The username has been changed to " + $userLogonName `
  + ".", "Information")

Comments

That fixed many of the issues with building accounts looks like its almost everything we need. One issue we are running into is when we have an account with the same first and last name we get the error Object already exists on "domain". The username is correct but it just wont build the account. A work around I found if I go to fullname and enter a middle initial in Adaxes will see the account as unique. Is it possible to build the account with the same info as a other user on our network without adding the middle initial? Thanks for all the help

---

Hello,

Actually, the error means that the new user's full name is not unique. Active Directory allows non-unique full names, but not when the users are located within the same OU, because a user's full name is also used as the name of the user's account in AD. Having two objects with the same name within the same OU would make it impossible to unambiguously identify an object.

For this purpose, we suggest using a Business Rule triggered before creating a user that would automatically change the full name if it is not unique within an OU. For information on how to create such a Business Rule, see Example 3 in step 5 of the Validate/Modify User Input Using a Script Tutorial.

---

I know this post is old but, I am running into a new issue with building accounts. So here is the issue we a username that already exists in the system it will not add the next character in the name but the same character. For example we already have a username JohnsonS for Steve Johnson when we try to build Sue Johnson the script makes the username JohnsonSs when we really need to make it JohnsonSu. Any ideas on the issue would be helpful. Thanks

Import-Module Adaxes
$upnSuffix = "site.com" # TODO: modify me

function IsUserNameUnique($username)
{
   $user = Get-AdmUser $username -erroraction silentlycontinue
   return $user -eq $Null
}

# Get the username
$username = $Context.GetModifiedPropertyValue("samAccountName")

# Check if the username is unique
if (IsUserNameUnique($username))
{
    return
}

# If the username is not unique, generate a unique one
$firstName = $Context.GetModifiedPropertyValue("givenName")
$lastName = $Context.GetModifiedPropertyValue("sn")
$uniqueUsername = $Null
if (($firstName -ne $NULL) -and ($lastName -ne $NULL))
{
    $username = $lastName.Substring(0, 7)
    $Context.LogMessage($username, "Information")
    $Context.LogMessage($lastName, "Information")
    foreach ($char in $firstName.ToCharArray())
    {
        $username = "$username$char"
        if (IsUserNameUnique($username))
        {
            $uniqueUsername = $username
            break
        }
    }
}

if ($uniqueUsername -eq $NULL)
{
    for ($i = 1; $True; $i++)
    {
        $uniqueUsername = $username + $i;
        if (IsUserNameUnique($uniqueUsername))
        {
            break
        }
    }
}

# Update User Logon Name (pre-Windows 2000)
$Context.SetModifiedPropertyValue("samAccountName", $uniqueUsername)

# Update User Logon Name
$Context.SetModifiedPropertyValue("userPrincipalName", "$uniqueUsername@$upnSuffix")
$Context.LogMessage("The username has been changed to " + $uniqueUsername `
    + ".", "Information")

$cas = "cas_{"
# Update User mailNickname NOT WORKING
$Context.SetModifiedPropertyValue("mailNickname", $cas)

---

Hello,

We've checked the script in our environment, and it creates usernames correctly. Are you sure that this wasn't a human error and that you didn't specify, for example, Ssue Johnson when creating the user? Do you have other scripts that would correct the username and/or the first and last names?

Also, can you post here or send to support[at]adaxes.com the full description of the operation that created the user. To do this:

1. Access the Management History of the user. For information on how to do that, see the following help article: http://www.adaxes.com/help/?Logging.Vie ... story.html.
2. Locate the log record for the operation that created the user and double-click it.
3. Right-click the operation description at the very top of the dialog box that appears and click Select All.
   
4. Right-click and click Copy.
   
5. Send us or post the copied text.

---

Hello,

You are using a wrong version of the script. Use the version from Unique Username.

Your version of the script doesn't check the length of the last name. Since the length of the last name is less than the length of the string you are trying to receive (last name: 5 characters, you are trying to receive a string of 7 characters), the Exception calling "SubString" with "2" argument(s) error occurs. Because of this, when the script starts building a unique username, the $username variable contains the username specified on the user creation form (JohnsonS) instead of last name only (Johnson). That is, the S character is present from the very beginning.

The script in the post we've mentioned above correctly handles such a situation.