The
javax.naming.directory
package extends the
javax.naming package to provide
functionality for accessing directory services in addition to naming
services. This package allows applications to retrieve
attributes
associated with objects stored in the directory and to
search for objects using specified attributes.
The Directory Context
The
DirContext interface represents a directory context.
It defines methods for examining and updating attributes associated with a
directory object.
You use
getAttributes() to retrieve the attributes
associated with a directory object (for which you supply the name).
Attributes are modified using
modifyAttributes(). You can add, replace, or remove attributes and/or attribute values
using this operation.
DirContext also behaves as a naming context
by extending the
Context interface.
This means that any directory object can also provide
a naming context.
For example, a directory object for a person might contain
attributes about that person as well as provide
a context for naming objects, such as the person's printers and file system
relative to that person directory object.
Searches
DirContext contains methods for
performing content-based searching of the directory.
In the simplest and most common form of usage, the application
specifies a set of attributes--possibly with specific
values--to match and submits this attribute set to the
search() method.
Other overloaded forms of
search() support more sophisticated
search filters.
