The auto entries for attributes of Object (DS-DN) syntax have certain features that are specific to only this category of entries. In this topic, for the sake of brevity, such entries are referred to as DN entries.
Values of an attribute of Object (DS-DN) syntax are strings, each specifying the distinguished name (DN) of a certain directory object. For attributes with this syntax, Active Directory handles attribute values as references to the object identified by the DN and automatically updates the value if the object is moved or renamed. Examples of such attributes are “member”, “managedBy” and “manager”.
A DN entry retrieves DN values from the attribute, looks up for the objects that are identified by the DN values, and displays a list of those objects. By default, the list contains the following information about each object:
-
Name: The value of the name attribute.
-
Description: The value of the description attribute.
-
Object type: The value of the objectClass attribute.
You can configure the list to display values of other attributes: open the Properties page for the entry (see Viewing or modifying a Web Interface entry), and click the Advanced tab. Then, modify the list of names in the Columns box as required. You can type LDAP display names of attributes in the Columns box, separating them by commas, or you can click the button next to the Columns box and select attributes. The list provided by the entry will include one column per each attribute you specify, with each column showing the values of the respective attribute.
A DN entry provides the ability to make changes to the managed attribute, that is, to add or remove DN values from the attribute. For this purpose, a DN entry supplements the list of objects with the Add and Remove controls. The Remove control deletes list entries, consequently removing the respective DN values from the managed attribute. The Add control uses the Select Object dialog box for selecting objects. The entries representing the selected objects are then added to the list, with the DN of each object being eventually appended to the values in the managed attribute.
It is possible to customize the Select Object dialog box that is used by the Add control in a DN entry. For this purpose, a DN entry provides a number of options. These options can be found on the Advanced tab of the Properties page for a DN entry (for instructions on how to access the Properties page, see Viewing or modifying a Web Interface entry):
-
Populate list view when the dialog box opens: When turned off, this option prevents a delay in opening the Select Object dialog box. Since populating the list view in the dialog box implies running a query against the directory service (which may be a lengthy operation), the ability to open the dialog box without initially populating the list view increases responsiveness of the user interface. The user can type and check object names in the dialog box instead of selecting objects from the list. Alternatively, the user can manually start populating the list view by clicking a link in the Select Object dialog box.
-
Display the “Find in” field: When turned on, this option enables the users to view the Find in setting. With this option turned off, the Find in setting is not displayed in the Select Object dialog box.
-
Allow user to change the “Find in” setting: This option prevents the default Find in setting from being modified by the user. With this option turned off, the Find in setting cannot be changed in the Select Object dialog box.
-
Display the “Object name” field: When turned on, this option enables the user to type the names of objects to select instead of clicking objects in the list view in the Select Object dialog box. With this option turned off, the user is forced to make a selection from the list.
-
“Find in” default setting: You can specify a certain container as the default location of the objects for selecting. Click the button next to this option in order to select a container, or type in the distinguished name of a container. The Select Object dialog box will open with that container substituted in the Find in field.
-
LDAP search filter: When populating the list view, the Select Object dialog box applies this setting to the Find in container in order to retrieve the objects that match the filter specified. The list view then displays the objects returned by the query based on this search filter. You should set up a filter string in accordance with LDAP syntax rules.
-
Scope of query: When populating the list view, the Select Object dialog box uses this setting to qualify the query. Select one of the following:
-
Base search: The search filter is applied to the Find in object only. When attribute scope query (ASQ) is used, the search filter is applied to the objects listed in a certain attribute of the Find in object.
-
One-level search: The search filter is applied to the immediate children of the Find in object. The list view is populated with the immediate child objects that match the search filter.
-
Subtree search: The search filter is applied to the Find in object as well as to all objects that exist below it in the directory tree. The list view is populated with all the objects that match the search filter.
-
-
Use attribute scope query (ASQ): When turned on, this option causes the Select Object dialog box to populate the list view with objects that are listed in a certain attribute of the Find in object (target attribute). The LDAP display name of the target attribute must be supplied in the Attribute to search by using ASQ field.
The target attribute must be an attribute that stores distinguished names, such as “member” or “managedBy”. The search is performed against the objects that are identified by the distinguished names found in the target attribute. For example, if the Find in object is a group and “member” is specified as the target attribute, then the search will be performed against all objects that are members of the group and the list view will be populated with the members of the group that match the search filter.