How to Trap ADSI Errors

VBScript only offers one way to trap errors: inline error handling. An inline error handler begins with the On Error Resume Next statement. Since On Error Resume Next will prevent any errors from stopping execution of the script until the end of the scope from which On Error is called, you must check the value of Err at every point after the On Error Resume Next statement where you expect an error might occur. The following example demonstrates inline error handling in an ADSI script:

On Error Resume Next

Set myComputer = GetObject(computerPath)
If Err Then AdsiErr()

' Create the new user account
Set newUser = myComputer.Create("user", username)
newUser.SetInfo
If Err Then AdsiErr()

Sub AdsiErr()
	Dim s
	Dim e

	If Err.Number = &H800708B0 Then
		WScript.Echo "The user " & username & " already exists."
	Elseif Err.Number = &H80070035 Then
		WScript.Echo "Computer " & computerPath & " not found.  Check the ADsPath and try again."
	Else
		e = Hex(Err.Number)
		WScript.Echo "Unexpected Error " & e & "(" & Err.Number & ")"
	End If
	WScript.Quit(1)

End Sub

After each location where the script is likely to encounter an error, there is an If Err statement. The Err object contains the error code of the last error that occurred during execution of the script; if no error has occurred, Err will always be zero (0). In the previous example, an error will cause execution to jump to the AdsiErr subroutine, which checks the value of Err.Number for expected errors. Instead of dying with a cryptic error message, the script will give a somewhat better explanation for why it stopped running.

Remember that within the scope in which On Error Resume Next is called, any error that occurs after the On Error call will be ignored. This can actually make a script harder to debug if you forget to check the value of Err in appropriate locations. Wherever you expect an error to be likely, be sure to check the value of Err.

(When you are initially debugging the script you may want to simply let the script halt its execution and display the offending line number on an error, then add the error handlers after the basic program flow is correct.)