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Extends the <tt>javax.naming</tt> package to provide functionality
for accessing directory services.
<p>
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.
<p>
This package allows applications to retrieve and update attributes
associated with objects stored in a directory, and to search for
objects using specified attributes.
<h4>The Directory Context</h4>
The <tt>DirContext</tt>
interface represents a <em>directory context</em>.
It defines methods for examining and updating attributes associated with a
<em>directory object</em>, or <em>directory entry</em> as it is sometimes
called.
<p>
You use <tt>getAttributes()</tt> to retrieve the attributes
associated with a directory object (for which you supply the name).
Attributes are modified using <tt>modifyAttributes()</tt>.
You can add, replace, or remove attributes and/or attribute values
using this operation.
<p>
<tt>DirContext</tt> also behaves as a naming context
by extending the <tt>Context</tt> interface in the <tt>javax.naming</tt> 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.
<h4>Searches</h4>
<tt>DirContext</tt> 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
<tt>search()</tt> method.
There are other overloaded forms of <tt>search()</tt>
that support more sophisticated <em>search filters</em>.
<h2>Package Specification</h2>
The JNDI API Specification and related documents can be found in the
<a href="../../../../technotes/guides/jndi/index.html">JNDI documentation</a>.
@since 1.3
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