How to add Add Groups to a User

Tutorial for Adding Users to a Group with VBScript

This page will show you how take one user and then add them to many groups.  By adding another loop, we could add many users, each to many groups.

I design my scripts for beginners.  In addition, when I create my examples, I keep in mind those of us who need a refresher on a particular command.  For example .PutEx or For Each abc in xyz….. Next.  My point is that I want to make my scripts as simple as possible, yet using real examples that you can trial on your network.

Topics for Adding Users to a Group with VBScript

• Our Goal and Mission
• Example 1: To add multiple groups to one User
• Example 2: Adding multiple groups to multiple users
• Active Directory Permissions Analyzer
• Summary of Adding users to Multiple Groups

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Our Goal and Mission

Most of my group scripts concentrated on the group rather than the user. Therefore on this page I will redress the balance and tackle scripting groups from the user’s point of view.  Our mission is to take one user and add them to multiple groups.

Pre-requisites

This script is designed to work in a domain.  I have not tested it, but it should be possible to run on XP if you change LDAP:// to WinNT://, you would also need to make other adjustments for the workgroup rather than Active Directory.

Important: As a pre-requisite you need to create a few User Accounts in the OU specified by strOU.  You also need to create, in Active Directory, the Global groups specified in your text file (strFile).  As I often say, for the sake of simplicity, each script concentrates on two or three scripting commands.  Therefore, if you want more features in your script, such as creating users, then bolt-on modules from other Ezines.

Example 1: To add multiple groups to one User

Instructions for adding multiple groups to one user

1. Check and then edit all the strXYZ variables, eg strOU, strFile

2. Copy and paste the example script below into notepad or use a VBScript editor. E.g. OnScript.

3. Save the file with a .vbs extension, for example: MultiGrp.vbs 

4. Double click MultiGrp.vbs, then check strOU in Active Directory Users and Computers for the change in account membership.

Learning Points

Note 1:  Seek out the ‘ comments.  Trace how the script is divided into sections.

Note 2:  Just accept that this script requires two CONST statements.  One to open the text file for reading, and one to append users to your groups.

Note 3: The file which stores the plain group names (strFile) is stored on a UNC path, this makes it easier to run the script from several machines on your network.

Note 4:  Observe how we create a file system object to handle the text:
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject").  Alternatively we could have worked from a spreadsheet.

Note 5:  This script employs a ‘Do…. Loop until’ construction.  This cycles through the group names and adds them to one user called "Pete".  The next script does not require strUser and cycles through all the users in a named OU.

Note 6:  In this script trace how ‘ADS_PROPERTY_APPEND’ adds the user to the group.  objGroup.SetInfo is like pressing the OK button in ADUC, (were you to try adding a group to a user manually).

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Example 2: Adding multiple groups to multiple users.

In most respects this script is superior to the first script.  The reason being it does not rely upon you supplying the user’s name via strUser, instead the script cycles through all the users in a named OU and adds each to multiple groups which are stored in strFile.  The only draw back is that you don’t have direct control of which names get added to the groups.  However, you could overcome that limitation by adding filters by way of If statements.

Example 2: Employs a superior strategy for adding groups to a user:

Here is the key section:

For Each objUser In objOU
   If objUser.Class = lcase("User") then
   objGroup.add(objUser.ADsPath)
   intCounter = intcounter +1
   End If
Next

Learning Points

Note 1:  This script has two loops, an outer Do …. Loop until, and an inner For Each…. Next.  The result is that it can cycle through both multiple users (in Active Directory) and multiple Group names stored in strFile.

Summary of Adding users to Multiple Groups

These two examples place the user, rather than the group, at the focus of the script.  What this means is that you can multiple groups to a single user.  Example 2 extends this principle by employing two loops and thus enabling multiple groups to be added to multiple users.

See Also

• Enumerate Groups a User is a MemberOf   • Enumerate a Group to Display its members