Module java.naming

Package javax.naming.directory

Extends the javax.naming package to provide functionality for accessing directory services.

This package defines the directory operations of the Java Naming and Directory Interface™ (JNDI).   JNDI provides naming and directory functionality to applications written in the Java programming language. It is designed to be independent of any specific naming or directory service implementation. Thus a variety of services--new, emerging, and already deployed ones--can be accessed in a common way.

This package allows applications to retrieve and update attributes associated with objects stored in a 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 , or directory entry as it is sometimes called.

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 in the javax.naming package. This means that any directory object can also provide a naming context. For example, the directory object for a person might contain the attributes of that person, and at the same time provide a context for naming objects relative to that person such as his printers and home directory.

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. There are other overloaded forms of search() that support more sophisticated search filters .

Package Specification

The JNDI API Specification and related documents can be found in the JNDI documentation .
Since:
1.3