Hope someone can help me determine why there is a difference in my data between v2 and v3 of Powershell. I do my development on my laptop which has version 3 installed, but the script is executed on a server which has version 2 installed.

#create directory searcher object and set it's porperties
  $searcher = New-Object DirectoryServices.DirectorySearcher
  # (!userAccountControl:1.2.840.113556.1.4.803:=2) - Filters out disabled accounts
  $searcher.Filter = '(&(objectCategory=person)(objectClass=user)(!samaccountname=ITS-*)(!userAccountControl:1.2.840.113556.1.4.803:=2))'
  $searcher.PageSize = 5
  $searcher.SearchRoot = "LDAP://OU=District Offices,DC=myDomain,DC=com"
  
  #load only the following properties
  $params = @("samaccountname","sn","givenname","mail","physicaldeliveryofficename","department","title","manager","distinguishedname")
  
  foreach($param in $params)
  {
    $searcher.PropertiesToLoad.Add($param) | Out-Null
  }

try
  {
    $found = $searcher.FindAll()
	$found | ForEach-Object {
	  if (($_.Properties["distinguishedname"] -notlike "*,OU=Generic User Accounts*") -and ($_.Properties["title"] -notlike "*Consultant*") `
	    -and ($_.Properties["title"] -notlike "*Commissioner*") -and ($_.Properties["title"] -notlike "*Security Guard*") `
		-and ($_.Properties["title"] -notlike "*OSC*") -and ($_.Properties["title"] -notlike "*DCC*Temp*") -and ($_.Properties["samaccountname"] -ne "tbjohn") `
		-and (($_.Properties["mail"] -ne "")))
	  {
	    $filtered += $_
	  }
	}
  }

Running this script on my machine produces the data that the user is looking for. When I run it on the server, there are users in the data file that should not be. In the filter statement if I change

-and (($_.Properties["mail"] -ne "")))

#TO BE

-and (($_.Properties["mail"] -ne $null)))

Try usinga simple and straighforward method. 

$searcher=[adsisearcher]'(&(objectCategory=person)(objectClass=user)(mail=*)(!samaccountname=ITS-*)(!userAccountControl:1.2.840.113556.1.4.803:=2))'
$searcher.PageSize=500
$searcher.SearchRoot='LDAP://OU=District Offices,DC=myDomain,DC=com'
$props=@("samaccountname","sn","givenname","mail","physicaldeliveryofficename","department","title","manager","distinguishedname")
$searcher.FindAll() | 
    Where-Object{
	    $_.Properties['distinguishedname'][0] -notmatch ',OU=Generic User Accounts'
        -and $_.Properties["title"][0] -notmatch 'Consultant|Commissioner|Security Guard|OSC|DCC.*Temp'
        -and $_.Properties["samaccountname"][0] -ne 'tbjohn'
    }

Notice that this uses much less code and is easier to read.  Put the mail filter in the search filter. (mail=*) - says only include objects with a mail address that is not blank or null.   This executes ont eh AD server and not on the client so Powerhellll versiosn will not behave differently.

Thanks jrv, I like the consolidation of the code, does make it easier to read, and adding the mail to the searcher object. That did solve my issue for the mail part of things, although I had to modify your code, because I kept receiving cannot index into a null array, when I tried it your way. I changed it to be

$found = $searcher.FindAll()

    $found | ForEach-Object {
	  if ($_.Properties["distinguishedname"] -notmatch ",OU=Generic User Accounts" `
	  -and $_.Properties["title"] -notmatch "Consultant|Commissioner|Security Guard|OCS|DCC.*Temp" `
	  -and $_.Properties["samaccountname"] -ne "tbjohn")
	  {
	    $filtered += $_
	  }
	}

You cannot match something that doesn't exist.  You say that the DON'T have "consultant" in the title. I\f that is true then they will show up unless thaey are excluded for one of the other reasons.

The result makes not difference onV2 or V3.  The query is simple. 

You cannot match something that doesn't exist.  You say that the DON'T have "consultant" in the title. I\f that is true then they will show up unless thaey are excluded for one of the other reasons.

The result makes not difference onV2 or V3.  The query is simple. 

Don't use PowerGui.  Just use plain Powersshell.

Just use my copy of the code and nothing else.

Check all of these criteria on the missing accounts.

Your IF code is wrong which is why I rewrote it.

$searcher.PageSize=500
$searcher.SearchRoot='LDAP://OU=District Offices,DC=myDomain,DC=com'
$props=@("samaccountname","sn","givenname","mail","physicaldeliveryofficename","department","title","manager","distinguishedname")
$searcher.FindAll() | 
    Where-Object{
	    $_.Properties['distinguishedname'][0] -notmatch 'Generic User Accounts'
        -and $_.Properties["title"][0] -notmatch 'Consultant|Commissioner|Security Guard|OSC|DCC.*Temp'
        -and $_.Properties["samaccountname"][0] -ne 'tbjohn'
    }

Reove one filter component at a time until you see the missing accounts. I gurantee you that that is sthe reason.  YOu IF logic does not work the way you think it does.

I always simpllify commplex logix as much as possible.  Once it is very readable then it is easier to see logic issues and it is easier to cut and papste to test incrementally.

Look carefull at you if and you will see more than one subtle issue.

jrv, with your modifications, things look to be going great, but again I am having an issue between version 3 and version 2 of powershell

I have the following code in a file

$searcher = New-Object DirectoryServices.DirectorySearcher
$searcher.Filter = '(&(objectCategory=person)(objectClass=user)(mail=*)(!samaccountname=ITS-*)(!userAccountControl:1.2.840.113556.1.4.803:=2))'
$searcher.PageSize = 5
$searcher.SearchRoot = "LDAP://OU=District Offices,DC=MyDomain,DC=com"
  
#load only the following properties
$params = @("samaccountname","sn","givenname","mail","physicaldeliveryofficename","department","title","manager","distinguishedname")

foreach($param in $params)
{
  $searcher.PropertiesToLoad.Add($param) | Out-Null
}
  
# Filtered results to exclude certain OU's
$filtered = @()

try
{
  $filtered += $searcher.FindAll() | Where {
    $_.Properties["distinguishedname"][0] -notmatch ",OU=Generic User Accounts" `
    -and $_.Properties["title"][0] -notmatch "Consultant|Commissioner|Security Guard|OCS|DCC.*Temp" `
    -and $_.Properties["samaccountname"][0] -ne "tbjohn"
  }

  $filtered.Count
}
catch
{
  Write-Host "Error occured $_"
  exit
}

I then did two different tests. In a command window I run the following

C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowershell\v1.0\powershell.exe -Version 3.0 -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -File F:\PS_Scripts\ADTest.ps1

The results here return the count of 2485, yet if I force it to use version two with the following command

C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowershell\v1.0\powershell.exe -Version 2.0 -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -File F:\PS_Scripts\ADTest.ps1

The results returned is an error stating "Cannot index into a null array", is there a difference in the DirectorySearcher object in version 2.0 compared to versio

I believe I have corrected the issue, it seems to have been your Where-Object code, as you have

$searcher.FindAll() | Where {
    $_.Properties["distinguishedname"][0] -notmatch ",OU=Generic User Accounts" `
    -and $_.Properties["title"][0] -notmatch "Consultant|Commissioner|Security Guard|OCS|DCC.*Temp" `
    -and $_.Properties["samaccountname"][0] -ne "tbjohn"

After $searcher.FindAll() executes, it in fact creates a collection. You should just have to pipe the results over to Where-Object, and it loops through the collection one object at a time, but reading the code says to me that you are passing an array over to Where-Object and you just want to look at the first item "[0]"

If I remove the "[0]" from the code after the Where-Object, everything seems to be running as it should now.

I believe I have corrected the issue, it seems to have been your Where-Object code, as you have

$searcher.FindAll() | Where {
    $_.Properties["distinguishedname"][0] -notmatch ",OU=Generic User Accounts" `
    -and $_.Properties["title"][0] -notmatch "Consultant|Commissioner|Security Guard|OCS|DCC.*Temp" `
    -and $_.Properties["samaccountname"][0] -ne "tbjohn"

After $searcher.FindAll() executes, it in fact creates a collection. You should just have to pipe the results over to Where-Object, and it loops through the collection one object at a time, but reading the code says to me that you are passing an array over to Where-Object and you just want to look at the first item "[0]"

If I remove the "[0]" from the code after the Where-Object, everything seems to be running as it shoul

$searcher.FindAll() is returning a collection, and if I loop through that collection, an object has a Path and a Properties, which Path is the LDAP path of the object and properties is a collection of the properties returned, if I do a GetType() on the properties it is of type ResultPropertyCollection which is a dictionary based collection.

So by doing $_.Properties["samaccountname"] I am directly accessing that particular property within the properties collection, so I do not need to do $_.Properties["samaccountname"][0], but for some reason $_.Properties["samaccountname"][0] works without any issues in version 3.0, but will produce an error in versi

The PSTeam already told us: if you have an old script, run it in old PowerShell.

I'd like to add to this: ... and develop this script in the old PowerShell, because language features vary.

Test this in PowerShell 3 or above:

$a=123

$a # prints 123

$a.count # prints 1

$a[0] # prints 123

$a[-1] # prints 123

-

Test this in PowerShell 2:

$a=123

$a # prints 123

$a.count # prints nothing - it is null

$a[0] # prints error msg

$a[-1] # prints error msg

Moreover, what is v3? What is v2? If v3 is already nothing, imagine v2...

Open you PowerShell application and run this:

        help about_win*

Do you see any reference to v3 or v2?

Try to find any on technet.com...

Ok - I will byte.

Is there some reason to expect anything different or are you just wasting my time?

Your move.

Hope someone can help me determine why there is a difference in my data between v2 and v3 of Powershell. I do my development on my laptop which has version 3 installed, but the script is executed on a server which has version 2 installed.

#create directory searcher object and set it's porperties
  $searcher = New-Object DirectoryServices.DirectorySearcher
  # (!userAccountControl:1.2.840.113556.1.4.803:=2) - Filters out disabled accounts
  $searcher.Filter = '(&(objectCategory=person)(objectClass=user)(!samaccountname=ITS-*)(!userAccountControl:1.2.840.113556.1.4.803:=2))'
  $searcher.PageSize = 5
  $searcher.SearchRoot = "LDAP://OU=District Offices,DC=myDomain,DC=com"
  
  #load only the following properties
  $params = @("samaccountname","sn","givenname","mail","physicaldeliveryofficename","department","title","manager","distinguishedname")
  
  foreach($param in $params)
  {
    $searcher.PropertiesToLoad.Add($param) | Out-Null
  }

try
  {
    $found = $searcher.FindAll()
	$found | ForEach-Object {
	  if (($_.Properties["distinguishedname"] -notlike "*,OU=Generic User Accounts*") -and ($_.Properties["title"] -notlike "*Consultant*") `
	    -and ($_.Properties["title"] -notlike "*Commissioner*") -and ($_.Properties["title"] -notlike "*Security Guard*") `
		-and ($_.Properties["title"] -notlike "*OSC*") -and ($_.Properties["title"] -notlike "*DCC*Temp*") -and ($_.Properties["samaccountname"] -ne "tbjohn") `
		-and (($_.Properties["mail"] -ne "")))
	  {
	    $filtered += $_
	  }
	}
  }

Running this script on my machine produces the data that the user is looking for. When I run it on the server, there are users in the data file that should not be. In the filter statement if I change

-and (($_.Properties["mail"] -ne "")))

#TO BE

-and (($_.Properties["mail"] -ne $null)))

Then those users are removed, but then other users are included and I haven't figured out why yet. Why would there be a difference, with the above script? I would think that should work in any version but obviously that is not true.

The PSTeam already told us: if you have an old script, run it in old PowerShell.

I'd like to add to this: ... and develop this script in the old PowerShell, because language features vary.

Test this in PowerShell 3 or above:

$a=123

$a # prints 123

$a.count # prints 1

$a[0] # prints 123

$a[-1] # prints 123

-

Test this in PowerShell 2:

$a=123

$a # prints 123

$a.count # prints nothing - it is null

$a[0] # prints error msg

$a[-1] # prints error msg

Moreover, what is v3? What is v2? If v3 is already nothing, imagine v2...

Open you PowerShell application and run this:

        help about_win*

Do you see any reference to v3 or v2?

Try to find any on technet.com...

Ok - I will byte.

Is there some reason to expect anything different or are you just wasting my time?

Your move.