LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF) Syntax

The standardized file format for directory entries is as follows:

dn: distinguished_name
attribute_type: attribute_value
.

.

.
objectClass: object_class_value
.

.

.

Property	Value	Description
dn:	RDN,RDN,RDN,...	Separate RDNs with commas.
attribute_type:	attribute_value	This line repeats for every attribute in the entry, and for every attribute value in multi-valued attributes.
objectClass:	object_class_ value	This line repeats for every object class.

The following example shows a file entry for an employee. The first line contains the DN. The lines that follow the DN begin with the mnemonic for an attribute, followed by the value to be associated with that attribute. Note that each entry ends with lines defining the object classes for the entry.

dn: cn=Suzie Smith,ou=Server Technology,o=Acme, c=US

cn: Suzie Smith

cn: SuzieS

sn: Smith

mail: [e-mail]

telephoneNumber: 69332

photo: /ORACLE_HOME/empdir/photog/ssmith.jpg

objectClass: organizationalPerson

objectClass: person
objectClass: top

The next example shows a file entry for an organization:

dn: o=Acme,c=US

o: Acme

ou: Financial Applications

objectClass: organization 
objectClass: top

LDIF Formatting Notes

A list of formatting rules follows. This list is not exhaustive.

• All mandatory attributes belonging to an entry being added must be included with non-null values in the LDIF file.

  Tip: To see the mandatory and optional attribute types for an object class, use Oracle Directory Manager. See "Viewing Properties of Object Classes by Using Oracle Directory Manager".

• Non-printing characters and tabs are represented in attribute values by base-64 encoding.

• The entries in your file must be separated from each other by a blank line.

• A file must contain at least one entry.

• Lines can be continued to the next line by beginning the continuation line with a space or a tab.

• Add a blank line between separate entries.

• Reference binary files, such as photographs, with the absolute address of the file, preceded by a forward slash ("/").

• The DN contains the full, unique directory address for the object.

• The lines listed after the DN contain both the attributes and their values. DNs and attributes used in the input file must match the existing structure of the DIT. Do not use attributes in the input file that you have not implemented in your DIT.

• Sequence the entries in an LDIF file so that the DIT is created from the top down. If an entry relies on an earlier entry for its DN, make sure that the earlier entry is added before its child entry.

• When you define schema within an LDIF file, insert a white space between the opening parenthesis and the beginning of the text, and between the end of the text and the ending parenthesis.

  See Also: The various resources listed in "Related Documentation" for a complete list of LDIF formatting rules "Using Globalization Support with LDIF Files"