Package com.unboundid.ldap.sdk

Class Filter

java.lang.Object
com.unboundid.ldap.sdk.Filter
All Implemented Interfaces:
Serializable
@NotMutable @ThreadSafety(level=COMPLETELY_THREADSAFE) public final class Filter extends Object implements Serializable
This class provides a data structure that represents an LDAP search filter. It provides methods for creating various types of filters, as well as parsing a filter from a string. See RFC 4515 for more information about representing search filters as strings.

The following filter types are defined:
  • AND -- This is used to indicate that a filter should match an entry only if all of the embedded filter components match that entry. An AND filter with zero embedded filter components is considered an LDAP TRUE filter as defined in RFC 4526 and will match any entry. AND filters contain only a set of embedded filter components, and each of those embedded components can itself be any type of filter, including an AND, OR, or NOT filter with additional embedded components.
  • OR -- This is used to indicate that a filter should match an entry only if at least one of the embedded filter components matches that entry. An OR filter with zero embedded filter components is considered an LDAP FALSE filter as defined in RFC 4526 and will never match any entry. OR filters contain only a set of embedded filter components, and each of those embedded components can itself be any type of filter, including an AND, OR, or NOT filter with additional embedded components.
  • NOT -- This is used to indicate that a filter should match an entry only if the embedded NOT component does not match the entry. A NOT filter contains only a single embedded NOT filter component, but that embedded component can itself be any type of filter, including an AND, OR, or NOT filter with additional embedded components.
  • EQUALITY -- This is used to indicate that a filter should match an entry only if the entry contains a value for the specified attribute that is equal to the provided assertion value. An equality filter contains only an attribute name and an assertion value.
  • SUBSTRING -- This is used to indicate that a filter should match an entry only if the entry contains at least one value for the specified attribute that matches the provided substring assertion. The substring assertion must contain at least one element of the following types:
    • subInitial -- This indicates that the specified string must appear at the beginning of the attribute value. There can be at most one subInitial element in a substring assertion.
    • subAny -- This indicates that the specified string may appear anywhere in the attribute value. There can be any number of substring subAny elements in a substring assertion. If there are multiple subAny elements, then they must match in the order that they are provided.
    • subFinal -- This indicates that the specified string must appear at the end of the attribute value. There can be at most one subFinal element in a substring assertion.
    A substring filter contains only an attribute name and subInitial, subAny, and subFinal elements.
  • GREATER-OR-EQUAL -- This is used to indicate that a filter should match an entry only if that entry contains at least one value for the specified attribute that is greater than or equal to the provided assertion value. A greater-or-equal filter contains only an attribute name and an assertion value.
  • LESS-OR-EQUAL -- This is used to indicate that a filter should match an entry only if that entry contains at least one value for the specified attribute that is less than or equal to the provided assertion value. A less-or-equal filter contains only an attribute name and an assertion value.
  • PRESENCE -- This is used to indicate that a filter should match an entry only if the entry contains at least one value for the specified attribute. A presence filter contains only an attribute name.
  • APPROXIMATE-MATCH -- This is used to indicate that a filter should match an entry only if the entry contains at least one value for the specified attribute that is approximately equal to the provided assertion value. The definition of "approximately equal to" may vary from one server to another, and from one attribute to another, but it is often implemented as a "sounds like" match using a variant of the metaphone or double-metaphone algorithm. An approximate-match filter contains only an attribute name and an assertion value.
  • EXTENSIBLE-MATCH -- This is used to perform advanced types of matching against entries, according to the following criteria:
    • If an attribute name is provided, then the assertion value must match one of the values for that attribute (potentially including values contained in the entry's DN). If a matching rule ID is also provided, then the associated matching rule will be used to determine whether there is a match; otherwise the default equality matching rule for that attribute will be used.
    • If no attribute name is provided, then a matching rule ID must be given, and the corresponding matching rule will be used to determine whether any attribute in the target entry (potentially including attributes contained in the entry's DN) has at least one value that matches the provided assertion value.
    • If the dnAttributes flag is set, then attributes contained in the entry's DN will also be evaluated to determine if they match the filter criteria. If it is not set, then attributes contained in the entry's DN (other than those contained in its RDN which are also present as separate attributes in the entry) will not be examined.
    An extensible match filter contains only an attribute name, matching rule ID, dnAttributes flag, and an assertion value.


There are two primary ways to create a search filter. The first is to create a filter from its string representation with the create(String) method, using the syntax described in RFC 4515. For example: 
   Filter f1 = Filter.create("(objectClass=*)");
   Filter f2 = Filter.create("(uid=john.doe)");
   Filter f3 = Filter.create("(|(givenName=John)(givenName=Johnathan))");


Creating a filter from its string representation is a common approach and seems to be relatively straightforward, but it does have some hidden dangers. This primarily comes from the potential for special characters in the filter string which need to be properly escaped. If this isn't done, then the search may fail or behave unexpectedly, or worse it could lead to a vulnerability in the application in which a malicious user could trick the application into retrieving more information than it should have. To avoid these problems, it may be better to construct filters from their individual components rather than their string representations, like: 
   Filter f1 = Filter.present("objectClass");
   Filter f2 = Filter.equals("uid", "john.doe");
   Filter f3 = Filter.or(
                    Filter.equals("givenName", "John"),
                    Filter.equals("givenName", "Johnathan"));
In general, it is recommended to avoid creating filters from their string representations if any of that string representation may include user-provided data or special characters including non-ASCII characters, parentheses, asterisks, or backslashes.
See Also:

  • Field Details

  • Method Details

    • and

      @NotNull public static Filter and(@NotNull Filter... andComponents)
      Creates a new AND search filter with the provided components.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createANDFilter(Filter...), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      andComponents - The set of filter components to include in the AND filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created AND search filter.

    • and

      @NotNull public static Filter and(@NotNull Collection<Filter> andComponents)
      Creates a new AND search filter with the provided components.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createANDFilter(Collection), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      andComponents - The set of filter components to include in the AND filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created AND search filter.

    • createANDFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createANDFilter(@NotNull Filter... andComponents)
      Creates a new AND search filter with the provided components.
      Parameters:
      andComponents - The set of filter components to include in the AND filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created AND search filter.

    • createANDFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createANDFilter(@NotNull List<Filter> andComponents)
      Creates a new AND search filter with the provided components.
      Parameters:
      andComponents - The set of filter components to include in the AND filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created AND search filter.

    • createANDFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createANDFilter(@NotNull Collection<Filter> andComponents)
      Creates a new AND search filter with the provided components.
      Parameters:
      andComponents - The set of filter components to include in the AND filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created AND search filter.

    • or

      @NotNull public static Filter or(@NotNull Filter... orComponents)
      Creates a new OR search filter with the provided components.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createORFilter(Filter...), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      orComponents - The set of filter components to include in the OR filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created OR search filter.

    • or

      @NotNull public static Filter or(@NotNull Collection<Filter> orComponents)
      Creates a new OR search filter with the provided components.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createORFilter(Collection), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      orComponents - The set of filter components to include in the OR filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created OR search filter.

    • createORFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createORFilter(@NotNull Filter... orComponents)
      Creates a new OR search filter with the provided components.
      Parameters:
      orComponents - The set of filter components to include in the OR filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created OR search filter.

    • createORFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createORFilter(@NotNull List<Filter> orComponents)
      Creates a new OR search filter with the provided components.
      Parameters:
      orComponents - The set of filter components to include in the OR filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created OR search filter.

    • createORFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createORFilter(@NotNull Collection<Filter> orComponents)
      Creates a new OR search filter with the provided components.
      Parameters:
      orComponents - The set of filter components to include in the OR filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created OR search filter.

    • not

      @NotNull public static Filter not(@NotNull Filter notComponent)
      Creates a new NOT search filter with the provided component.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createNOTFilter(Filter), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      notComponent - The filter component to include in this NOT filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created NOT search filter.

    • createNOTFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createNOTFilter(@NotNull Filter notComponent)
      Creates a new NOT search filter with the provided component.
      Parameters:
      notComponent - The filter component to include in this NOT filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created NOT search filter.

    • equals

      @NotNull public static Filter equals(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String assertionValue)
      Creates a new equality search filter with the provided information.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createEqualityFilter(String,String), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this equality filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this equality filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created equality search filter.

    • equals

      @NotNull public static Filter equals(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[] assertionValue)
      Creates a new equality search filter with the provided information.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createEqualityFilter(String,byte[]), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this equality filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this equality filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created equality search filter.

    • createEqualityFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createEqualityFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String assertionValue)
      Creates a new equality search filter with the provided information.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this equality filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this equality filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created equality search filter.

    • createEqualityFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createEqualityFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[] assertionValue)
      Creates a new equality search filter with the provided information.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this equality filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this equality filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created equality search filter.

    • substring

      @NotNull public static Filter substring(@NotNull String attributeName, @Nullable String subInitial, @Nullable String[] subAny, @Nullable String subFinal)
      Creates a new substring search filter with the provided information. At least one of the subInitial, subAny, and subFinal components must not be null.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createSubstringFilter(String,String,String[],String), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subInitial - The subInitial component for this substring filter. It may be null if there is no subInitial component, but it must not be empty.
      subAny - The set of subAny components for this substring filter. It may be null or empty if there are no subAny components.
      subFinal - The subFinal component for this substring filter. It may be null if there is no subFinal component, but it must not be empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • substring

      @NotNull public static Filter substring(@NotNull String attributeName, @Nullable byte[] subInitial, @Nullable byte[][] subAny, @Nullable byte[] subFinal)
      Creates a new substring search filter with the provided information. At least one of the subInitial, subAny, and subFinal components must not be null.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createSubstringFilter(String,byte[],byte[][],byte[]), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subInitial - The subInitial component for this substring filter. It may be null if there is no subInitial component, but it must not be empty.
      subAny - The set of subAny components for this substring filter. It may be null or empty if there are no subAny components.
      subFinal - The subFinal component for this substring filter. It may be null if there is no subFinal component, but it must not be empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • createSubstringFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createSubstringFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @Nullable String subInitial, @Nullable String[] subAny, @Nullable String subFinal)
      Creates a new substring search filter with the provided information. At least one of the subInitial, subAny, and subFinal components must not be null.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subInitial - The subInitial component for this substring filter. It may be null if there is no subInitial component, but it must not be empty.
      subAny - The set of subAny components for this substring filter. It may be null or empty if there are no subAny components.
      subFinal - The subFinal component for this substring filter. It may be null if there is no subFinal component, but it must not be empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • createSubstringFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createSubstringFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @Nullable byte[] subInitial, @Nullable byte[][] subAny, @Nullable byte[] subFinal)
      Creates a new substring search filter with the provided information. At least one of the subInitial, subAny, and subFinal components must not be null.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subInitial - The subInitial component for this substring filter. It may be null if there is no subInitial component, but it must not be empty.
      subAny - The set of subAny components for this substring filter. It may be null or empty if there are no subAny components.
      subFinal - The subFinal component for this substring filter. It may be null if there is no subFinal component, but it must not be empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • subInitial

      @NotNull public static Filter subInitial(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String subInitial)
      Creates a new substring search filter with only a subInitial (starts with) component.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createSubInitialFilter(String,String), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subInitial - The subInitial component for this substring filter. It must not be null or empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • subInitial

      @NotNull public static Filter subInitial(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[] subInitial)
      Creates a new substring search filter with only a subInitial (starts with) component.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createSubInitialFilter(String,byte[]), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subInitial - The subInitial component for this substring filter. It must not be null or empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • createSubInitialFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createSubInitialFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String subInitial)
      Creates a new substring search filter with only a subInitial (starts with) component.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subInitial - The subInitial component for this substring filter. It must not be null or empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • createSubInitialFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createSubInitialFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[] subInitial)
      Creates a new substring search filter with only a subInitial (starts with) component.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subInitial - The subInitial component for this substring filter. It must not be null or empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • subAny

      @NotNull public static Filter subAny(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String... subAny)
      Creates a new substring search filter with only a subAny (contains) component.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createSubAnyFilter(String,String...), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subAny - The subAny values for this substring filter. It must not be null or empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • subAny

      @NotNull public static Filter subAny(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[]... subAny)
      Creates a new substring search filter with only a subAny (contains) component.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createSubAnyFilter(String,byte[][]), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subAny - The subAny values for this substring filter. It must not be null or empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • createSubAnyFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createSubAnyFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String... subAny)
      Creates a new substring search filter with only a subAny (contains) component.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subAny - The subAny values for this substring filter. It must not be null or empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • createSubAnyFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createSubAnyFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[]... subAny)
      Creates a new substring search filter with only a subAny (contains) component.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subAny - The subAny values for this substring filter. It must not be null or empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • subFinal

      @NotNull public static Filter subFinal(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String subFinal)
      Creates a new substring search filter with only a subFinal (ends with) component.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createSubFinalFilter(String,String), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subFinal - The subFinal component for this substring filter. It must not be null or empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • subFinal

      @NotNull public static Filter subFinal(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[] subFinal)
      Creates a new substring search filter with only a subFinal (ends with) component.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createSubFinalFilter(String,byte[]), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subFinal - The subFinal component for this substring filter. It must not be null or empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • createSubFinalFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createSubFinalFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String subFinal)
      Creates a new substring search filter with only a subFinal (ends with) component.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subFinal - The subFinal component for this substring filter. It must not be null or empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • createSubFinalFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createSubFinalFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[] subFinal)
      Creates a new substring search filter with only a subFinal (ends with) component.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this substring filter. It must not be null.
      subFinal - The subFinal component for this substring filter. It must not be null or empty.
      Returns:
      The created substring search filter.

    • greaterOrEqual

      @NotNull public static Filter greaterOrEqual(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String assertionValue)
      Creates a new greater-or-equal search filter with the provided information.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createGreaterOrEqualFilter(String,String), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this greater-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this greater-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created greater-or-equal search filter.

    • greaterOrEqual

      @NotNull public static Filter greaterOrEqual(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[] assertionValue)
      Creates a new greater-or-equal search filter with the provided information.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createGreaterOrEqualFilter(String,byte[]), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this greater-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this greater-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created greater-or-equal search filter.

    • createGreaterOrEqualFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createGreaterOrEqualFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String assertionValue)
      Creates a new greater-or-equal search filter with the provided information.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this greater-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this greater-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created greater-or-equal search filter.

    • createGreaterOrEqualFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createGreaterOrEqualFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[] assertionValue)
      Creates a new greater-or-equal search filter with the provided information.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this greater-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this greater-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created greater-or-equal search filter.

    • lessOrEqual

      @NotNull public static Filter lessOrEqual(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String assertionValue)
      Creates a new less-or-equal search filter with the provided information.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createLessOrEqualFilter(String,String), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this less-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this less-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created less-or-equal search filter.

    • lessOrEqual

      @NotNull public static Filter lessOrEqual(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[] assertionValue)
      Creates a new less-or-equal search filter with the provided information.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createLessOrEqualFilter(String,byte[]), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this less-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this less-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created less-or-equal search filter.

    • createLessOrEqualFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createLessOrEqualFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String assertionValue)
      Creates a new less-or-equal search filter with the provided information.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this less-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this less-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created less-or-equal search filter.

    • createLessOrEqualFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createLessOrEqualFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[] assertionValue)
      Creates a new less-or-equal search filter with the provided information.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this less-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this less-or-equal filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created less-or-equal search filter.

    • present

      @NotNull public static Filter present(@NotNull String attributeName)
      Creates a new presence search filter with the provided information.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createPresenceFilter(String), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this presence filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created presence search filter.

    • createPresenceFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createPresenceFilter(@NotNull String attributeName)
      Creates a new presence search filter with the provided information.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this presence filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created presence search filter.

    • approximateMatch

      @NotNull public static Filter approximateMatch(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String assertionValue)
      Creates a new approximate match search filter with the provided information.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createApproximateMatchFilter(String,String), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this approximate match filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this approximate match filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created approximate match search filter.

    • approximateMatch

      @NotNull public static Filter approximateMatch(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[] assertionValue)
      Creates a new approximate match search filter with the provided information.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createApproximateMatchFilter(String,byte[]), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this approximate match filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this approximate match filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created approximate match search filter.

    • createApproximateMatchFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createApproximateMatchFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull String assertionValue)
      Creates a new approximate match search filter with the provided information.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this approximate match filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this approximate match filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created approximate match search filter.

    • createApproximateMatchFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createApproximateMatchFilter(@NotNull String attributeName, @NotNull byte[] assertionValue)
      Creates a new approximate match search filter with the provided information.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this approximate match filter. It must not be null.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this approximate match filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created approximate match search filter.

    • extensibleMatch

      @NotNull public static Filter extensibleMatch(@Nullable String attributeName, @Nullable String matchingRuleID, boolean dnAttributes, @NotNull String assertionValue)
      Creates a new extensible match search filter with the provided information. At least one of the attribute name and matching rule ID must be specified, and the assertion value must always be present.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createExtensibleMatchFilter(String,String,boolean,String), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this extensible match filter.
      matchingRuleID - The matching rule ID for this extensible match filter.
      dnAttributes - Indicates whether the match should be performed against attributes in the target entry's DN.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this extensible match filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created extensible match search filter.

    • extensibleMatch

      @NotNull public static Filter extensibleMatch(@Nullable String attributeName, @Nullable String matchingRuleID, boolean dnAttributes, @NotNull byte[] assertionValue)
      Creates a new extensible match search filter with the provided information. At least one of the attribute name and matching rule ID must be specified, and the assertion value must always be present.

      This method does exactly the same thing as createExtensibleMatchFilter(String,String,boolean,byte[]), but with a shorter method name for convenience.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this extensible match filter.
      matchingRuleID - The matching rule ID for this extensible match filter.
      dnAttributes - Indicates whether the match should be performed against attributes in the target entry's DN.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this extensible match filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created extensible match search filter.

    • createExtensibleMatchFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createExtensibleMatchFilter(@Nullable String attributeName, @Nullable String matchingRuleID, boolean dnAttributes, @NotNull String assertionValue)
      Creates a new extensible match search filter with the provided information. At least one of the attribute name and matching rule ID must be specified, and the assertion value must always be present.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this extensible match filter.
      matchingRuleID - The matching rule ID for this extensible match filter.
      dnAttributes - Indicates whether the match should be performed against attributes in the target entry's DN.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this extensible match filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created extensible match search filter.

    • createExtensibleMatchFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter createExtensibleMatchFilter(@Nullable String attributeName, @Nullable String matchingRuleID, boolean dnAttributes, @NotNull byte[] assertionValue)
      Creates a new extensible match search filter with the provided information. At least one of the attribute name and matching rule ID must be specified, and the assertion value must always be present.
      Parameters:
      attributeName - The attribute name for this extensible match filter.
      matchingRuleID - The matching rule ID for this extensible match filter.
      dnAttributes - Indicates whether the match should be performed against attributes in the target entry's DN.
      assertionValue - The assertion value for this extensible match filter. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The created extensible match search filter.

    • create

      @NotNull public static Filter create(@NotNull String filterString) throws LDAPException
      Creates a new search filter from the provided string representation.
      Parameters:
      filterString - The string representation of the filter to create. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The search filter decoded from the provided filter string.
      Throws:
      LDAPException - If the provided string cannot be decoded as a valid LDAP search filter.

    • writeTo

      public void writeTo(@NotNull ASN1Buffer buffer)
      Writes an ASN.1-encoded representation of this filter to the provided ASN.1 buffer.
      Parameters:
      buffer - The ASN.1 buffer to which the encoded representation should be written.

    • encode

      @NotNull public ASN1Element encode()
      Encodes this search filter to an ASN.1 element suitable for inclusion in an LDAP search request protocol op.
      Returns:
      An ASN.1 element containing the encoded search filter.

    • readFrom

      @NotNull public static Filter readFrom(@NotNull ASN1StreamReader reader) throws LDAPException
      Reads and decodes a search filter from the provided ASN.1 stream reader.
      Parameters:
      reader - The ASN.1 stream reader from which to read the filter.
      Returns:
      The decoded search filter.
      Throws:
      LDAPException - If an error occurs while reading or parsing the search filter.

    • decode

      @NotNull public static Filter decode(@NotNull ASN1Element filterElement) throws LDAPException
      Decodes the provided ASN.1 element as a search filter.
      Parameters:
      filterElement - The ASN.1 element containing the encoded search filter.
      Returns:
      The decoded search filter.
      Throws:
      LDAPException - If the provided ASN.1 element cannot be decoded as a search filter.

    • getFilterType

      public byte getFilterType()
      Retrieves the filter type for this filter.
      Returns:
      The filter type for this filter.

    • getComponents

      @NotNull public Filter[] getComponents()
      Retrieves the set of filter components used in this AND or OR filter. This is not applicable for any other filter type.
      Returns:
      The set of filter components used in this AND or OR filter, or an empty array if this is some other type of filter or if there are no components (i.e., as in an LDAP TRUE or LDAP FALSE filter).

    • getNOTComponent

      @Nullable public Filter getNOTComponent()
      Retrieves the filter component used in this NOT filter. This is not applicable for any other filter type.
      Returns:
      The filter component used in this NOT filter, or null if this is some other type of filter.

    • getAttributeName

      @Nullable public String getAttributeName()
      Retrieves the name of the attribute type for this search filter. This is applicable for the following types of filters:
      • Equality
      • Substring
      • Greater or Equal
      • Less or Equal
      • Presence
      • Approximate Match
      • Extensible Match
      Returns:
      The name of the attribute type for this search filter, or null if it is not applicable for this type of filter.

    • getAssertionValue

      @Nullable public String getAssertionValue()
      Retrieves the string representation of the assertion value for this search filter. This is applicable for the following types of filters:
      • Equality
      • Greater or Equal
      • Less or Equal
      • Approximate Match
      • Extensible Match
      Returns:
      The string representation of the assertion value for this search filter, or null if it is not applicable for this type of filter.

    • getAssertionValueBytes

      @Nullable public byte[] getAssertionValueBytes()
      Retrieves the binary representation of the assertion value for this search filter. This is applicable for the following types of filters:
      • Equality
      • Greater or Equal
      • Less or Equal
      • Approximate Match
      • Extensible Match
      Returns:
      The binary representation of the assertion value for this search filter, or null if it is not applicable for this type of filter.

    • getRawAssertionValue

      @Nullable public ASN1OctetString getRawAssertionValue()
      Retrieves the raw assertion value for this search filter as an ASN.1 octet string. This is applicable for the following types of filters:
      • Equality
      • Greater or Equal
      • Less or Equal
      • Approximate Match
      • Extensible Match
      Returns:
      The raw assertion value for this search filter as an ASN.1 octet string, or null if it is not applicable for this type of filter.

    • getSubInitialString

      @Nullable public String getSubInitialString()
      Retrieves the string representation of the subInitial element for this substring filter. This is not applicable for any other filter type.
      Returns:
      The string representation of the subInitial element for this substring filter, or null if this is some other type of filter, or if it is a substring filter with no subInitial element.

    • getSubInitialBytes

      @Nullable public byte[] getSubInitialBytes()
      Retrieves the binary representation of the subInitial element for this substring filter. This is not applicable for any other filter type.
      Returns:
      The binary representation of the subInitial element for this substring filter, or null if this is some other type of filter, or if it is a substring filter with no subInitial element.

    • getRawSubInitialValue

      @Nullable public ASN1OctetString getRawSubInitialValue()
      Retrieves the raw subInitial element for this filter as an ASN.1 octet string. This is not applicable for any other filter type.
      Returns:
      The raw subInitial element for this filter as an ASN.1 octet string, or null if this is not a substring filter, or if it is a substring filter with no subInitial element.

    • getSubAnyStrings

      @NotNull public String[] getSubAnyStrings()
      Retrieves the string representations of the subAny elements for this substring filter. This is not applicable for any other filter type.
      Returns:
      The string representations of the subAny elements for this substring filter, or an empty array if this is some other type of filter, or if it is a substring filter with no subFinal element.

    • getSubAnyBytes

      @NotNull public byte[][] getSubAnyBytes()
      Retrieves the binary representations of the subAny elements for this substring filter. This is not applicable for any other filter type.
      Returns:
      The binary representations of the subAny elements for this substring filter, or an empty array if this is some other type of filter, or if it is a substring filter with no subFinal element.

    • getRawSubAnyValues

      @NotNull public ASN1OctetString[] getRawSubAnyValues()
      Retrieves the raw subAny values for this substring filter. This is not applicable for any other filter type.
      Returns:
      The raw subAny values for this substring filter, or an empty array if this is some other type of filter, or if it is a substring filter with no subFinal element.

    • getSubFinalString

      @Nullable public String getSubFinalString()
      Retrieves the string representation of the subFinal element for this substring filter. This is not applicable for any other filter type.
      Returns:
      The string representation of the subFinal element for this substring filter, or null if this is some other type of filter, or if it is a substring filter with no subFinal element.

    • getSubFinalBytes

      @Nullable public byte[] getSubFinalBytes()
      Retrieves the binary representation of the subFinal element for this substring filter. This is not applicable for any other filter type.
      Returns:
      The binary representation of the subFinal element for this substring filter, or null if this is some other type of filter, or if it is a substring filter with no subFinal element.

    • getRawSubFinalValue

      @Nullable public ASN1OctetString getRawSubFinalValue()
      Retrieves the raw subFinal element for this filter as an ASN.1 octet string. This is not applicable for any other filter type.
      Returns:
      The raw subFinal element for this filter as an ASN.1 octet string, or null if this is not a substring filter, or if it is a substring filter with no subFinal element.

    • getMatchingRuleID

      @Nullable public String getMatchingRuleID()
      Retrieves the matching rule ID for this extensible match filter. This is not applicable for any other filter type.
      Returns:
      The matching rule ID for this extensible match filter, or null if this is some other type of filter, or if this extensible match filter does not have a matching rule ID.

    • getDNAttributes

      public boolean getDNAttributes()
      Retrieves the dnAttributes flag for this extensible match filter. This is not applicable for any other filter type.
      Returns:
      The dnAttributes flag for this extensible match filter.

    • matchesEntry

      public boolean matchesEntry(@NotNull Entry entry) throws LDAPException
      Indicates whether this filter matches the provided entry. Note that this is a best-guess effort and may not be completely accurate in all cases. All matching will be performed using case-ignore string matching, which may yield an unexpected result for values that should not be treated as simple strings. For example:
      • Two DN values which are logically equivalent may not be considered matches if they have different spacing.
      • Ordering comparisons against numeric values may yield unexpected results (e.g., "2" will be considered greater than "10" because the character "2" has a larger ASCII value than the character "1").

      In addition to the above constraints, it should be noted that neither approximate matching nor extensible matching are currently supported.
      Parameters:
      entry - The entry for which to make the determination. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      true if this filter appears to match the provided entry, or false if not.
      Throws:
      LDAPException - If a problem occurs while trying to make the determination.

    • matchesEntry

      public boolean matchesEntry(@NotNull Entry entry, @Nullable Schema schema) throws LDAPException
      Indicates whether this filter matches the provided entry. Note that this is a best-guess effort and may not be completely accurate in all cases. If provided, the given schema will be used in an attempt to determine the appropriate matching rule for making the determinations, but some corner cases may not be handled accurately. Neither approximate matching nor extensible matching are currently supported.
      Parameters:
      entry - The entry for which to make the determination. It must not be null.
      schema - The schema to use when making the determination. If this is null, then all matching will be performed using a case-ignore matching rule.
      Returns:
      true if this filter appears to match the provided entry, or false if not.
      Throws:
      LDAPException - If a problem occurs while trying to make the determination.

    • simplifyFilter

      @NotNull public static Filter simplifyFilter(@NotNull Filter filter, boolean reOrderElements)
      Attempts to simplify the provided filter to allow it to be more efficiently processed by the server. The simplifications it will make include:
      • Any AND or OR filter that contains only a single filter component will be converted to just that embedded filter component to eliminate the unnecessary AND or OR wrapper. For example, the filter "(&(uid=john.doe))" will be converted to just "(uid=john.doe)".
      • Any AND components inside of an AND filter will be merged into the outer AND filter. Any OR components inside of an OR filter will be merged into the outer OR filter. For example, the filter "(&(objectClass=person)(&(givenName=John)(sn=Doe)))" will be converted to "(&(objectClass=person)(givenName=John)(sn=Doe))".
      • Any AND filter that contains an LDAP false filter will be converted to just an LDAP false filter.
      • Any OR filter that contains an LDAP true filter will be converted to just an LDAP true filter.
      • If reOrderElements is true, then this method will attempt to re-order the elements inside AND and OR filters in an attempt to ensure that the components which are likely to be the most efficient come earlier than those which are likely to be the least efficient. This can speed up processing in servers that process filter components in a left-to-right order.


      The simplification will happen recursively, in an attempt to generate a filter that is as simple and efficient as possible.
      Parameters:
      filter - The filter to attempt to simplify.
      reOrderElements - Indicates whether this method may re-order the elements in the filter so that, in a server that evaluates the components in a left-to-right order, the components which are likely to be more efficient to process will be listed before those which are likely to be less efficient.
      Returns:
      The simplified filter, or the original filter if the provided filter is not one that can be simplified any further.

    • hashCode

      public int hashCode()
      Generates a hash code for this search filter.
      Overrides:
      hashCode in class Object
      Returns:
      The generated hash code for this search filter.

    • equals

      public boolean equals(@Nullable Object o)
      Indicates whether the provided object is equal to this search filter.
      Overrides:
      equals in class Object
      Parameters:
      o - The object for which to make the determination.
      Returns:
      true if the provided object can be considered equal to this search filter, or false if not.

    • toString

      @NotNull public String toString()
      Retrieves a string representation of this search filter.
      Overrides:
      toString in class Object
      Returns:
      A string representation of this search filter.

    • toString

      public void toString(@NotNull StringBuilder buffer)
      Appends a string representation of this search filter to the provided buffer.
      Parameters:
      buffer - The buffer to which to append a string representation of this search filter.

    • toNormalizedString

      @NotNull public String toNormalizedString()
      Retrieves a normalized string representation of this search filter.
      Returns:
      A normalized string representation of this search filter.

    • toNormalizedString

      public void toNormalizedString(@NotNull StringBuilder buffer)
      Appends a normalized string representation of this search filter to the provided buffer.
      Parameters:
      buffer - The buffer to which to append a normalized string representation of this search filter.

    • encodeValue

      @NotNull public static String encodeValue(@NotNull String value)
      Encodes the provided value into a form suitable for use as the assertion value in the string representation of a search filter. Parentheses, asterisks, backslashes, null characters, and any non-ASCII characters will be escaped using a backslash before the hexadecimal representation of each byte in the character to escape.
      Parameters:
      value - The value to be encoded. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The encoded representation of the provided string.

    • createSubstringAssertion

      @NotNull public static String createSubstringAssertion(@Nullable String subInitial, @Nullable String[] subAny, @Nullable String subFinal)
      Creates the string representation of a substring assertion with the provided components.
      Parameters:
      subInitial - The subInitial component for this substring filter. It may be null if there is no subInitial component, but it must not be empty.
      subAny - The set of subAny components for this substring filter. It may be null or empty if there are no subAny components.
      subFinal - The subFinal component for this substring filter. It may be null if there is no subFinal component, but it must not be empty.
      Returns:
      The string representation of a substring assertion with the provided components.

    • createSubstringAssertion

      @NotNull public static String createSubstringAssertion(@Nullable byte[] subInitial, @Nullable byte[][] subAny, @Nullable byte[] subFinal)
      Creates the string representation of a substring assertion with the provided components.
      Parameters:
      subInitial - The subInitial component for this substring filter. It may be null if there is no subInitial component, but it must not be empty.
      subAny - The set of subAny components for this substring filter. It may be null or empty if there are no subAny components.
      subFinal - The subFinal component for this substring filter. It may be null if there is no subFinal component, but it must not be empty.
      Returns:
      The string representation of a substring assertion with the provided components.

    • encodeValue

      @NotNull public static String encodeValue(@NotNull byte[] value)
      Encodes the provided value into a form suitable for use as the assertion value in the string representation of a search filter. Parentheses, asterisks, backslashes, null characters, and any non-ASCII characters will be escaped using a backslash before the hexadecimal representation of each byte in the character to escape.
      Parameters:
      value - The value to be encoded. It must not be null.
      Returns:
      The encoded representation of the provided string.

    • encodeValue

      public static void encodeValue(@NotNull ASN1OctetString value, @NotNull StringBuilder buffer)
      Appends the assertion value for this filter to the provided buffer, encoding any special characters as necessary.
      Parameters:
      value - The value to be encoded.
      buffer - The buffer to which the assertion value should be appended.

    • toCode

      public void toCode(@NotNull List<String> lineList, int indentSpaces, @Nullable String firstLinePrefix, @Nullable String lastLineSuffix)
      Appends a number of lines comprising the Java source code that can be used to recreate this filter to the given list. Note that unless a first line prefix and/or last line suffix are provided, this will just include the code for the static method used to create the filter, starting with "Filter.createXFilter(" and ending with the closing parenthesis for that method call.
      Parameters:
      lineList - The list to which the source code lines should be added.
      indentSpaces - The number of spaces that should be used to indent the generated code. It must not be negative.
      firstLinePrefix - An optional string that should precede the static method call (e.g., it could be used for an attribute assignment, like "Filter f = "). It may be null or empty if there should be no first line prefix.
      lastLineSuffix - An optional suffix that should follow the closing parenthesis of the static method call (e.g., it could be a semicolon to represent the end of a Java statement). It may be null or empty if there should be no last line suffix.