Option for extra filters

[adeutscher]

I pondered that some methods could use the option for additional filters.

For example, isObjectOfClass (which is used by isObjectUser and in turn getGroupMembers) could also filter by another criteria provided by the user (for example, account creation date or Active Directory's passwdLastSet property). Since these core methods supplement other classes, this would benefit a large number of methods.

To avoid monstrous complexity and allow maximum customization, this argument would be provided by the user as an LDAP query string (e.g. (passwdLastSet < 130459741190000000)). The extra filter would be added onto the existing query as either an AND or an OR statement.

This has implications for caching:

• An OR statement added onto an isObjectOfClass call would invalidate either a cached positive or negative result unless you also cached the entire query.
• An AND statement added onto an isObjectOfClass call would not invalidate a successful result. A false result would be just as invalid as an OR statement - we wouldn't be able tell if the query failed because of the main check or the extra query.

[adeutscher]

Starting on this ticket. Confirming the methods that I'm looking at.

Main methods:

• getMultiAttributes
• getObjectAttribute

Indirect methods (may update later):

• getSingleAttribute
• isObjectOfClass
• getGroupMembers

[adeutscher]

Argh. Shelving for the moment.

My main reason for filing this was be able to filter out group members in group searches. However, I had forgotten that I don't actually touch the user object in the group search (memberOf can't be relied on to be there, so as awesome as it can be I don't make use of it).

Perhaps a filterObjects method that will take a list of UIDs and double-check them for attributes? Seems very messy, probably best to just stick with individual calls to get further attributes after getting a member list. It would go like this:

• Get members in group X.
• For each member in group X, retrieve required properties. Process/omit as required for the situation.