Send Welcome Email to New User using the Scripting Agent

Question

Hi
I require some assistance please.  I have found a number of scripts online to send a Welcome Email to new users whereby they make use of the ScriptingAgent.xml file.
I like the way the scripts have been configured and have mashed up one or two scripts together for my desired result however when testing in my lab (Exchange 2013) I have found tow problems.
The problems are:
1. When creating a new user and mailbox (New-Mailbox) via the ECP the script throws out an error which I will post later in this post. The mailbox is created fine but it does not send out a welcome email.  When a user is created in ADUC and then a mailbox
is created (Enable-Mailbox) the welcome email is sent out correctly.
2. In the script i have a section to check for NewUser00 in the HTML file and replace that with the Users Name and Surname, however this does not work correctly, I just come up blank:
The Script:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Configuration version="1.0">
<Feature Name="WelcomeEmail" Cmdlets="New-Mailbox,Enable-Mailbox">
<ApiCall Name="OnComplete">
if($succeeded) {
# Waiting for synchronization after mailbox has been created.
Set-ADServerSettings -ViewEntireForest $true
Start-Sleep -s 10
# New-Mailbox triggered. Taking SamAccountName parameter.
if ($provisioningHandler.UserSpecifiedParameters.Contains("SamAccountName") -eq $true) {
$UsrSamAccountName = $provisioningHandler.UserSpecifiedParameters["SamAccountName"]
$USRdfirst = $provisioningHandler.UserSpecifiedParameters["FirstName"]
$USRdlast = $provisioningHandler.UserSpecifiedParameters["LastName"]
$UsrAlias = (Get-Mailbox -Filter {SamAccountName -eq $UsrSamAccountName}).Alias.ToString()
$USRdname = $USRdfirst + " " + $USRdlast
# Enable-Mailbox triggered. Taking Identity parameter, this is the only one avalaible in this case.
if ($provisioningHandler.UserSpecifiedParameters.Contains("Identity") -eq $true) {
$UsrIdentity = $provisioningHandler.UserSpecifiedParameters["Identity"].ToString()
$USRdfirst=$provisioningHandler.UserSpecifiedParameters["FirstName"]
$USRdlast=$provisioningHandler.UserSpecifiedParameters["LastName"]
$UsrAlias = (Get-Mailbox -Identity $UsrIdentity).Alias.ToString()
$USRdname= $USRdfirst + " " + $USRdlast
# Defining variables.
$UsrAddr = (Get-Mailbox -Filter {Alias -eq $UsrAlias}).PrimarySmtpAddress.ToString()
$UsrOU = (Get-Mailbox -Filter {Alias -eq $UsrAlias}).OrganizationalUnit
# Sending email notification to the user in specific OU.
if ($UsrOU -match "Contoso.com") {
# HR #
$fromHR="[email protected]"
$SubjectHR="'Welcome to Contoso'"
$BodyHR = [string] (get-content ("c:\welcome\WelcomeMSG.htm"))
$BodyHR = $BodyHR -replace "NewUser00",$USRdname
$fileHR = "c:\welcome\WelcomeMSG.htm"
$smtp="192.168.x.x"
Send-MailMessage -From $fromHR -To $UsrAddr -Subject $SubjectHR -Body $BodyHR -BodyAsHtml -Encoding ([System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8) -SmtpServer $Smtp
# Clearing variables. Each one in its own line in order to prevent error messages from being shown on EMC.
if ($UsrAlias) { Remove-Variable UsrAlias }
if ($UsrAddr) { Remove-Variable UsrAddr }
if ($UsrOU) { Remove-Variable UsrOU }
if ($UsrMsg) { Remove-Variable UsrMsg }
if ($UsrIdentity) { Remove-Variable UsrIdentity }
if ($UsrSamAccountName) { Remove-Variable UsrSamAccountName }
</ApiCall>
</Feature>
</Configuration>
The Error for issue 1:
The cmdlet extension agent with the index 5 has thrown an exception in OnComplete().
The exception is: Microsoft.Exchange.Provisioning.ProvisioningException: ScriptingAgent:
Exception thrown while invoking scriptlet for OnComplete API: You cannot call a method on a
null-valued expression.. ---> System.Management.Automation.RuntimeException:
You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression. at CallSite.Target(Closure , CallSite , Object ) at
System.Dynamic.UpdateDelegates.UpdateAndExecute1[T0,TRet](CallSite site, T0 arg0) at
System.Management.Automation.Interpreter.DynamicInstruction`2.Run(InterpretedFrame frame) at
System.Management.Automation.Interpreter.EnterTryCatchFinallyInstruction.Run(InterpretedFrame frame)
--- End of inner exception stack trace --- at Microsoft.Exchange.ProvisioningAgent.ScriptingAgentHandler.OnComplete(Boolean succeeded, Exception e)
at Microsoft.Exchange.Provisioning.ProvisioningLayer.OnCompleteImpl(Task task, Boolean succeeded, Exception exception)
Any assistance in resolving these two issues will be really appreciated

Answer 1

Ok I am gonna to answer my own question.
I have persevered through the day and have resolved my two issues.  I hope this assist others within the community.
Script:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Configuration version="1.0">
<Feature Name="WelcomeEmail" Cmdlets="New-Mailbox,Enable-Mailbox">
<ApiCall Name="OnComplete">
if($succeeded) {
# Waiting for synchronization after mailbox has been created.
Start-Sleep -s 30
Set-ADServerSettings -ViewEntireForest $true
# New-Mailbox triggered. Taking SamAccountName parameter.
if ($provisioningHandler.UserSpecifiedParameters.Contains("Name") -eq $true) {
$UsrSamAccountName = $provisioningHandler.UserSpecifiedParameters["Name"]
$Usrname = (Get-Mailbox -identity $UsrSamAccountName | Select Name | foreach { $_.Name})
$UsrString = $Usrname | Out-String
$UsrAlias = (Get-Mailbox -Filter {Name -eq $UsrSamAccountName}).Alias.ToString()
# Enable-Mailbox triggered. Taking Identity parameter, this is the only one avalaible in this case.
if ($provisioningHandler.UserSpecifiedParameters.Contains("Identity") -eq $true) {
$UsrIdentity = $provisioningHandler.UserSpecifiedParameters["Identity"].ToString()
$Usrname = (Get-Mailbox -identity $UsrIdentity | Select Name | foreach { $_.Name})
$UsrString = $Usrname | Out-String
$UsrAlias = (Get-Mailbox -Identity $UsrIdentity).Alias.ToString()
# Defining variables.
$UsrAddr = (Get-Mailbox -Filter {Alias -eq $UsrAlias}).PrimarySmtpAddress.ToString()
$UsrOU = (Get-Mailbox -Filter {Alias -eq $UsrAlias}).OrganizationalUnit
# Sending email notification to the user in specific OU.
if ($UsrOU -match "contoso.com") {
# HR #
$fromHR="[email protected]"
$SubjectHR="'Welcome to CONTOSO'"
$BodyHR = [string] (get-content ("c:\welcome\WelcomeMSG.htm"))
$BodyHR = $BodyHR -replace "NewUser00",$UsrString
$fileHR = "c:\welcome\WelcomeMSG.htm"
$smtp="x.x.x.x"
Send-MailMessage -From $fromHR -To $UsrAddr -Subject $SubjectHR -Body $BodyHR -BodyAsHtml -Encoding ([System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8) -SmtpServer $Smtp
# Clearing variables. Each one in its own line in order to prevent error messages from being shown on EMC.
if ($UsrAlias) { Remove-Variable UsrAlias }
if ($UsrAddr) { Remove-Variable UsrAddr }
if ($UsrOU) { Remove-Variable UsrOU }
if ($UsrMsg) { Remove-Variable UsrMsg }
if ($UsrIdentity) { Remove-Variable UsrIdentity }
if ($UsrSamAccountName) { Remove-Variable UsrSamAccountName }
</ApiCall>
</Feature>
</Configuration>