Pull Outlook OfficeLocation using Alias - asp.net

Question

While referencing Return list of names and email address from outlook to vb.net listbox I am trying to fill in a ASP:Textbox with the Office Location of the user.
Currently I pull the current logged in user. The user's username on their PC is also their Outlook Alias. With that being said, I am trying to use the username/Alias to pull the Office location within Outlook. I currently have the following issue with my coding:
'get logged in user(works)
Dim username As String
Dim User As System.Security.Principal.IPrincipal
User = System.Web.HttpContext.Current.User
username = User.Identity.Name.Substring(3)
'Office Location of User
Dim itemx As String
'Create an Outlook application.
Dim oApp As Outlook._Application = New Outlook.Application()
'Get the MAPI namespace.
Dim oNS As Outlook.NameSpace = oApp.Session
'Get the Global Address List.
Dim oALs As Outlook.AddressLists = oNS.AddressLists
Dim oGal As Outlook.AddressList = oALs.Item(1)
'Get all the entries.
Dim oEntries As Outlook.AddressEntries = oGal.AddressEntries
For Each entry In oEntries
If oEntries.GetExchangeUser.Alias = username Then
itemx = oEntries.GetExchangeUser.OfficeLocation
End If
Next

Answer 1

Microsoft does not currently recommend, and does not support, Automation of Microsoft Office applications from any unattended, non-interactive client application or component (including ASP, ASP.NET, DCOM, and NT Services), because Office may exhibit unstable behavior and/or deadlock when Office is run in this environment.
If you are building a solution that runs in a server-side context, you should try to use components that have been made safe for unattended execution. Or, you should try to find alternatives that allow at least part of the code to run client-side. If you use an Office application from a server-side solution, the application will lack many of the necessary capabilities to run successfully. Additionally, you will be taking risks with the stability of your overall solution. Read more about that in the Considerations for server-side Automation of Office article in MSDN.
As a workaround you may consider using EWS, see EWS Managed API, EWS, and web services in Exchange for more information. Or just a low-level API on which Outlook is based on - Extended MAPI.

Answer 2

Main thing that I learned was that you need a password and username to access outlook.
Get user ID from PC (Alias for Outlook):
Dim usernameQuery As String
Dim UserQ As System.Security.Principal.IPrincipal
UserQ = System.Web.HttpContext.Current.User
usernameQuery = User.Identity.Name.Substring(3).ToUpper
UserText.Text = usernameQuery
Then:
Call function like so:
'outlook office location **************************************************
LocationText.Text = GetUserInfo(usernameQuery, "physicaldeliveryofficename")
'OTHER OPTIONS YOU CAN QUERY
'Dim svalue As String = GetUserInfo(UserAccount, "mail")
'Dim svalue As String = GetUserInfo(UserAccount, "givenName")
'Dim svalue As String = GetUserInfo(UserAccount, "sn")
'Dim svalue As String = GetUserInfo(UserAccount, "l")
'Dim svalue As String = GetUserInfo(UserAccount, "st")
'Dim svalue As String = GetUserInfo(UserAccount, "streetAddress")
'Dim svalue As String = GetUserInfo(UserAccount, "postalCode")
'Dim svalue As String = GetUserInfo(UserAccount, "telephoneNumber")
'Dim svalue As String = GetUserInfo(useraccount, "co")
'txtName.Text = GetUserInfo(UserAccount, "givenName") & " " & GetUserInfo(UserAccount, "sn")
'txtPhone.Text = GetUserInfo(UserAccount, "telephoneNumber")
'********************************************************************************
Function:
Public Function GetUserInfo(ByVal inSAM As String, ByVal inType As String) As String
Try
Dim sPath As String = "LDAP://"full_path"/DC="path_value",DC="path_value",DC="path_value" "
Dim SamAccount As String = Right(inSAM, Len(inSAM) - InStr(inSAM, "\"))
Dim myDirectory As New DirectoryEntry(sPath, "username", "password") 'pass the user account and password for your Enterprise admin.
Dim mySearcher As New DirectorySearcher(myDirectory)
Dim mySearchResultColl As SearchResultCollection
Dim mySearchResult As SearchResult
Dim myResultPropColl As ResultPropertyCollection
Dim myResultPropValueColl As ResultPropertyValueCollection
'Build LDAP query
mySearcher.Filter = ("(&(objectClass=user)(samaccountname=" & SamAccount & "))")
mySearchResultColl = mySearcher.FindAll()
'I expect only one user from search result
Select Case mySearchResultColl.Count
Case 0
Return "Null"
Exit Function
Case Is > 1
Return "Null"
Exit Function
End Select
'Get the search result from the collection
mySearchResult = mySearchResultColl.Item(0)
''Get the Properites, they contain the usefull info
myResultPropColl = mySearchResult.Properties
If myResultPropColl.Contains(inType) Then
myResultPropValueColl = myResultPropColl.Item(inType)
Return CStr(myResultPropValueColl.Item(0))
End If
'displayname, mail
'Retrieve from the properties collection the display name and email of the user
'myResultPropValueColl = myResultPropColl.Item(inType)
'Return CStr(myResultPropValueColl.Item(0))
Catch ex As System.Exception
End Try
Return "Null"
End Function
FYI-
full_path = "value"."value"."value"