PowerShell Bulk update Active Directory Managers field [duplicate] - powershell

Question

This question already has an answer here:
You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression
(1 answer)
Closed 5 years ago.
I'm trying to update our managers field in our active directory and have a script
the input file looks like this
Firstname.LastnameEmployee;firstname.lastnameManager
Here is the script I'm using...
This is the error I'm getting
You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At line:26 char:5
+ $ObjSearchemployee.Filter = "(&(objectCategory=person)(objectClass=user)(sAM ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull
You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At line:31 char:9
+ $ObjSearchmanager.Filter = "(&(objectCategory=person)(objectClass=user)( ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull
###############################################################
# Update_Manager_v1.0.ps1
# input : n/a
# output : none (logs)
# Version 1.
# Changelog : n/a
# MALEK Ahmed - 02 / 06 / 2013
###################
##################
#--------Config
##################
$adPath="LDAP://DC=local,DC=com"
##################
#--------Main
##################
#LDAP connection
$objDomain=New-Object System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry($adPath)
#Doing an LDAP search
$ObjSearchemployee=New-Object System.DirectoryServices.DirectorySearcher($ObjDomain)
$ObjSearchmanager=New-Object System.DirectoryServices.DirectorySearcher($ObjDomain)
#Operations on user accounts
Import-Csv .\input.csv -Delimiter ';' | Foreach-Object {
$ObjSearchemployee.Filter = "(&(objectCategory=person)(objectClass=user)(sAMAccountName="+ $_.employee.trim() +"))"
$allSearchResultemployee = $ObjSearchemployee.FindAll()
foreach ($objSearchResultemployee in $allSearchResultemployee)
{
$objUseremployee=New-Object System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry($objSearchResultemployee.Path)
$ObjSearchmanager.Filter = "(&(objectCategory=person)(objectClass=user)(sAMAccountName="+ $_.manager.trim() +"))"
$allSearchResultmanager = $ObjSearchmanager.FindAll()
foreach ($objSearchResultmanager in $allSearchResultmanager)
{
$objUsermanager=New-Object System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry($objSearchResultmanager.Path)
$objUseremployee.manager = $objUsermanager.distinguishedname
}
$objUseremployee.CommitChanges()
"" + $objUsermanager.displayName + " is now the manager of " + $objUseremployee.displayName + ""
}
}

Answer 1

$.Employee.trim() is the problem since you do not have a column header of "Employee" as per your source example. See You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
Assuming your first column is for the samaccountname then you should change that to $_.Firstname.LastnameEmployee.trim() else you need to redefine how your search is being done or update your source file to contain the relevant information and get your code to match.
As the error suggests you will have the same problem with $_.Manager.trim()