DirectoryServices and getting/setting custom Property

I am trying to add a new custom attribute in the driectory entry. When i am committing chnages to it. it gives me error "The specified directory service attribute or value does not exis"

I have created a windows service which is accessign the AD.

When there are no new attributes added then no error comes but when a new attribute is added the error above comes.

for setting teh value of teh attribue i am using follwoing function

Public Function SetAttribute(ByVal oEntry As DirectoryEntry, ByVal sAttributeName As String, ByVal objValue As Object) As Boolean

If oEntry.Properties.Contains(sAttributeName) Then
Try
oEntry.Properties(sAttributeName).Value = objValue
bReturn = True

Catch ex As Exception
EventLogHelper.LogFailureAudit("Error Setting Attribute " + sAttributeName + " " + ex.Message + Environment.NewLine + Environment.NewLine + ex.StackTrace)
End Try

END if

End sub

My path of the directory entry is set like this:

Protected Function Z_CreateDirectoryEntry(ByVal sOU As String) As DirectoryEntry

Dim oDirectoryEntry As DirectoryEntry = Nothing
Dim sPath As System.Text.StringBuilder = New System.Text.StringBuilder("")

If m_sServer.Length <> 0 And m_sDomain.Length <> 0 Then
sPath.AppendFormat("LDAP://{0}/", m_sServer)
If sOU.Length <> 0 Then
sPath.Append(sOU)
sPath.AppendFormat(",{0}", m_sDomain)
Else
sPath.Append(m_sDomain)
End If
End If

If sPath.Length <> 0 Then
If m_sUserName <> "" Then
oDirectoryEntry = New DirectoryEntry(sPath.ToString, m_sUserName, m_sPassword)
Else
oDirectoryEntry = New DirectoryEntry(sPath)
End If

If m_iAuthenticationType <> -1 Then
oDirectoryEntry.AuthenticationType = m_iAuthenticationType
End If

End If

Return oDirectoryEntry

End Function

The path comes something like this

"LDAP://ipaddress of Server/DC=DEV,DC=COM"

Authetication type is delgations

Please assist where it si going wrong.

Re: DirectoryServices and getting/setting custom Property

If the propery is not populated on the object then it will not exist. So in the following code you have it check for that property before trying to change it. But if it currenlty does not have a value then the code will skip trying to modify it.

If oEntry.Properties.Contains(sAttributeName) Then
'....
End If

If it does not matter if the property is already populated then remove Properties.Contains If/Else amd just set the value. You may also want to check to make sure you are using the correct property name. If you have access to ADUC, browse to an object of the same type (user or computer) and view its properties. There will be an Attribute Editor tab listing all properties the object has, populated or not. And you can check the name of the attribute there. You must browse for the obect, if you try to search for it in ADUC that tab will not show.