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package javax.naming.ldap;

/**

  * This interface represents an LDAP extended operation response as defined in

  * <A HREF="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2251.txt">RFC 2251</A>.

  * <pre>

  *     ExtendedResponse ::= [APPLICATION 24] SEQUENCE {

  *          COMPONENTS OF LDAPResult,

  *          responseName     [10] LDAPOID OPTIONAL,

  *          response         [11] OCTET STRING OPTIONAL }

  * </pre>

  * It comprises an optional object identifier and an optional ASN.1 BER

  * encoded value.

  *

  *<p>

  * The methods in this class can be used by the application to get low

  * level information about the extended operation response. However, typically,

  * the application will be using methods specific to the class that

  * implements this interface. Such a class should have decoded the BER buffer

  * in the response and should provide methods that allow the user to

  * access that data in the response in a type-safe and friendly manner.

  *<p>

  * For example, suppose the LDAP server supported a 'get time' extended operation.

  * It would supply GetTimeRequest and GetTimeResponse classes.

  * The GetTimeResponse class might look like:

  *<blockquote><pre>

  * public class GetTimeResponse implements ExtendedResponse {

  *     public java.util.Date getDate() {...};

  *     public long getTime() {...};

  *     ....

  * }

  *</pre></blockquote>

  * A program would use then these classes as follows:

  *<blockquote><pre>

  * GetTimeResponse resp =

  *     (GetTimeResponse) ectx.extendedOperation(new GetTimeRequest());

  * java.util.Date now = resp.getDate();

  *</pre></blockquote>

  *

  * @author Rosanna Lee

  * @author Scott Seligman

  * @author Vincent Ryan

  *

  * @see ExtendedRequest

  * @since 1.3

  */

public interface ExtendedResponse extends java.io.Serializable {

    /**

      * Retrieves the object identifier of the response.

      * The LDAP protocol specifies that the response object identifier is optional.

      * If the server does not send it, the response will contain no ID (i.e. null).

      *

      * @return A possibly null object identifier string representing the LDAP

      *         <tt>ExtendedResponse.responseName</tt> component.

      */

    public String getID();

    /**

      * Retrieves the ASN.1 BER encoded value of the LDAP extended operation

      * response. Null is returned if the value is absent from the response

      * sent by the LDAP server.

      * The result is the raw BER bytes including the tag and length of

      * the response value. It does not include the response OID.

      *

      * @return A possibly null byte array representing the ASN.1 BER encoded

      *         contents of the LDAP <tt>ExtendedResponse.response</tt>

      *         component.

      */

    public byte[] getEncodedValue();

    //static final long serialVersionUID = -3320509678029180273L;

}