Question

In AD here at work, we have some security groups that are mail enabled. I am using the System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement namespace like so:

        List<GroupPrincipal> result = new List<GroupPrincipal>();            
        using (PrincipalContext domain = new PrincipalContext(ContextType.Domain, userinfo[0]))
        using (UserPrincipal user = UserPrincipal.FindByIdentity(domain, username))
        {

            if (user != null)
            {
                PrincipalSearchResult<Principal> groups = user.GetAuthorizationGroups();

                int totalGroupCounter = 0;
                StringBuilder output = new StringBuilder();
                List<GroupPrincipal> securityGroups = new List<GroupPrincipal>();
                List<GroupPrincipal> distributionGroups = new List<GroupPrincipal>();

                foreach (Principal group in groups)
                {
                    totalGroupCounter++;

                    if (((GroupPrincipal)group).IsSecurityGroup.Value)                        
                        securityGroups.Add((GroupPrincipal)group);                        
                    else                        
                        distributionGroups.Add((GroupPrincipal)group);                        
                }                
            }
        }

Armed with this info, what’s the correct way to find the group’s email address?

Answer 1

I consider marc_s an expert on active directory topics, but, I too had a security group that had an e-mail address associated with it. Here is how I was able to fetch the e-mail from it:

private void GetGroupEmail() {
    using (var searcher = new DirectorySearcher()) {
        searcher.Filter = "(&(objectClass=group))";
        searcher.SearchRoot = entry;
        searcher.PropertiesToLoad.Add("mail");

        foreach (SearchResult sr in searcher.FindAll()) {
            var email = GetSearchResultProperty(sr, "mail");
        }
    }
}

private string GetSearchResultProperty(SearchResult sr, string propertyName) {
    var property = sr.Properties[propertyName];

    if (property != null && property.Count > 0) {
        return (string)property[0];
    } else {
        return null;
    }
}