DirectoryContext Class

Definition

The DirectoryContext class identifies a specific directory and the credentials that are used to access the directory.

public ref class DirectoryContext
public class DirectoryContext
type DirectoryContext = class
Public Class DirectoryContext
Inheritance
DirectoryContext

Remarks

A directory context must be created before accessing the methods and properties of a System.DirectoryServices.ActiveDirectory directory object such as a domain or forest.

When creating a directory context, the process' current credentials or alternate credentials can be applied to that context by using the appropriate constructor. These credentials determine the permissions that are in effect when the program accesses directory objects. Because Active Directory Domain Services objects might be protected against retrieval or modification by non-administrative users, the use of alternate credentials with permission to access the target objects is sometimes necessary for proper program functionality.

The following table contains a list of the target types that are allowed and a description of the format of the target string.

Target type DirectoryContextType member Target name format
Domain Controller DirectoryServer The DNS name of the domain controller.
AD LDS Instance DirectoryServer The DNS name of the AD LDS server and the LDAP port number, for example, ad_lds_instance.fabrikam.com:389.
Domain Domain The DNS name of the domain, for example, sales.corp.fabrikam.com.
Forest Forest The DNS name of the forest, for example, corp.fabrikam.com.
Application Partition ApplicationPartition The DNS name of the application partition.
AD LDS Configuration Set ConfigurationSet One of the keywords that is associated with the service connection point registered by AD LDS instances for the configuration set.

Constructors

DirectoryContext(DirectoryContextType)

Initializes a new instance of the DirectoryContext class of the specified type that contains the credentials of the current user context.

DirectoryContext(DirectoryContextType, String)

Initializes a new instance of the DirectoryContext class of the specified type that contains the specified name and the credentials of the current user context.

DirectoryContext(DirectoryContextType, String, String)

Initializes a new instance of the DirectoryContext class of the specified type that contains the specified user name and password.

DirectoryContext(DirectoryContextType, String, String, String)

Initializes a new instance of the DirectoryContext class of the specified type that contains the specified target, user name, and password.

Properties

ContextType

Gets the type of the context object.

Name

Gets the name of the context.

UserName

Gets the user name of the context.

Methods

Equals(Object)

Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object.

(Inherited from Object)
GetHashCode()

Serves as the default hash function.

(Inherited from Object)
GetType()

Gets the Type of the current instance.

(Inherited from Object)
MemberwiseClone()

Creates a shallow copy of the current Object.

(Inherited from Object)
ToString()

Returns a string that represents the current object.

(Inherited from Object)

Applies to