Customizing NameFinder

This section covers what you can customize in the NameFinder web application, using only the Java properties files provided. Detailed explanations of individual properties can be found in the WEB-INF/classes/sample.properties file in the directory where you deployed the application.

NameFinder was designed as a Sun internal web application. The default configuration therefore relies on Sun's LDAP schema and directory information tree (DIT). The schema and DIT probably differ from the schema and DIT in use at your organization.

In addition to customizations within the application, you can also customize searches by using options in the search field. Furthermore, you can customize what attributes to display within the browser-based interface. Refer to the NameFinder online help for details.

Connection Properties

As described in Configuring NameFinder to Access Your Directory, you customize the WEB-INF/classes/NameFinder.properties file to allow the application to access your directory.

By convention, connection parameters are included in the first few lines of the Java properties file. You can configure to which host-port combination NameFinder connects. You can also configure whether to use LDAP v2 or v3, and whether to bind as a particular user.

NameFinder connection properties only allow you to configure simple authentication connections to the directory, however. You cannot use connection properties to configure NameFinder to connect using SSL or a SASL mechanism.

Search Attribute Properties

NameFinder lets you configure attributes that define search options, attributes to search, and labels for the values returned. The Java properties definitions for such attributes take the following form:

NameFinder.attr#=optChar|colChar|attr|label|colLabel

#

A decimal number

Do not leave any numbers in the sequence that remain commented out. NameFinder depends on having the numbers in ascending order without gaps.

optChar

An option character for use in searches

For example, P is by default the phone number option. Thus, search for the entry with phone number 1 234 567 8910 by typing -P "1 234 567 8910" in the NameFinder search field.

Do not use F as an option character. This character is reserved to allow you to enter LDAP search filters, such as -F "(telephoneNumber=1 234 567 8910)", directly.

This parameter is called arg1 in WEB-INF/classes/sample.properties.

colChar

A character for use in defining table columns as a parameter to NameFinder

For example, you can use the default configuration. You use the default by passing fields=nfeP as one of the options in the URL to NameFinder for a search that returns multiple entries. NameFinder displays results in a four-column table that has column labels Lastname, Firstname, eMail, and Phone #.

This argument is called arg2 in WEB-INF/classes/sample.properties.

attr

The LDAP attribute to search when using optChar

This argument is called arg3 in WEB-INF/classes/sample.properties.

label

The label to display for the corresponding attr value when showing results for a single LDAP entry

This argument is called arg4 in WEB-INF/classes/sample.properties.

colLabel

The column label to display in the table header for the corresponding attr value when showing results for multiple LDAP entries

This argument is called arg5 in WEB-INF/classes/sample.properties.

You can leave variables blank in search attribute properties definitions.

Other Properties

In addition to connection and search attribute properties, NameFinder allows you to define several other properties in the WEB-INF/classes/NameFinder.properties file. These other properties govern the following:

• The default table layout for displaying results when searches return multiple entries

• Lists of LDAP attributes to search when looking up phone numbers and email addresses

• Which LDAP attributes correspond to NameFinder attribute fields, which allow NameFinder to be abstract from particular LDAP schema

• Table layouts for displaying team views and tables of a manager's direct reports

Refer to WEB-INF/classes/sample.properties for details.