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3.2 Query Form

The simplest way to query your directory server is to use the query form. You display the query form with the ‘Query with Form’ menu item or by invoking the command M-x eudc-query-form. The attribute names presented in this form are defined by the eudc-query-form-attributes variable (unless a non-nil argument is supplied to eudc-query-form).

Since the different directory protocols to which EUDC interfaces may use different names for equivalent attributes, EUDC defines its own set of attribute names and a mapping between these names and their protocol-specific equivalent through the variable eudc-protocol-attributes-translation-alist. Names currently defined by EUDC are name, firstname, email and phone.

— Variable: eudc-query-form-attributes

A list of attributes presented in the query form. Attribute names in this list should be either EUDC attribute names or valid attribute names. You can get a list of valid attribute names for the current protocol with the ‘List Valid Attribute Names’ menu item or the M-x eudc-get-attribute-list command. Defaults to name, email and phone.

— Command: eudc-query-form get-fields-from-server

Display a form to query the directory server. If given a non-nil argument the function first queries the server for the existing fields and displays a corresponding form. Not all protocols may support a non-nil argument here.

Since the names of the fields may not be explicit enough or adapted to be directly displayed as prompt strings in the form, the variable eudc-user-attribute-names-alist lets you define more explicit names for directory attribute names. This variable is ignored if eudc-use-raw-directory-names is non-nil.

— Variable: eudc-user-attribute-names-alist

This is an alist of user-defined names for the directory attributes used in query/response forms. Prompt strings for attributes that are not in this alist are derived by splitting the attribute name at underscores and capitalizing the individual words.

— Variable: eudc-use-raw-directory-names

If non-nil, use attributes names as defined in the directory. Otherwise, directory query/response forms display the user attribute names defined in eudc-user-attribute-names-alist.