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List:       kde-pim
Subject:    Re: Netscape drops vCard.
From:       Don Sanders <dsanders () cch ! com ! au>
Date:       1999-07-04 15:27:36
[Download RAW message or body]

On Sat, 03 Jul 1999, Rik Hemsley wrote:
> Looks like between Communicator 4.5 and 4.6 Netscape have switched to a format
> called 'ldif' for their default. I'm not quite sure what this is - perhaps it's
> the format that LDAP uses ? 'LDAP Directory Information Format' ?
> 
..
> If this is true then it's got to be a Good Thing to use the same format.
I'll go along with whatever you think is best.
 
> /me gets very upset at the prospect of killing off the
> nearly-finished-and-already-working vCard parser. I think the formats look
> similar though.
My sympathies
 
> Anyone know what ldif is and where to find the spec ?
Looks like a very new format. On the bright side this whole LDAP thing looks
friendly check out www.openldap.org sometime.

LDIF doesn't seem to be an addressbook specific format. Here is what I found
out.

http://search.ietf.org:80/search/cgi-bin/BrokerQuery.pl.cgi?broker=internet-drafts&que \
ry=ldif&caseflag=on&wordflag=off&errorflag=0&maxlineflag=50&maxresultflag=1000&descflag=on&sort=by-NML&verbose=on&maxobjflag=25


 1. http URL:draft-andersen-isss-ws-dir-ldifext-00.txt
    Summary
    Title: The Extended LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIFext) Technical   Sp...


  2. http URL:draft-rharrison-bulkldif-00.txt
    Summary
    Title: LDAP v3 Extensions for Bulk Transfer of LDIF Data


  3. http URL:draft-good-ldap-ldif-04.txt
    Summary
    Title: The LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF) - Technical Specification

3. http://search.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-good-ldap-ldif-04.txt

title:  The LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF) - Technical Specification
author: G.   Good
date:   06/22/1999
id:     draft-good-ldap-ldif-04.txt
abstract:
    This document describes a file format suitable for describing directory
    information or modifications made to directory information.
    The file format, known as LDIF, for LDAP Data Interchange Format, is
    typically used to import and export directory information between
    LDAP-based directory servers, or to describe a set of changes which
    are to be applied to a directory.

   Additionally, by using a well-defined interchange format, development
   of data import tools from legacy systems is facilitated.  A fairly
   simple set of tools written in awk or perl can, for example, convert
   a database of personnel information into an LDIF file. This file can
   then be imported into a directory server, regardless of the internal
   database representation the target directory server uses.

   The LDIF format was originally developed and used in the University
   of Michigan LDAP implementation.  The first use of LDIF was in
   describing directory entries.  Later, the format was expanded to
   allow representation of changes to directory entries.

   Relationship to the application/directory MIME content-type:

   The application/directory MIME content-type [1] is a general
   framework and format for conveying directory information, and is
   independent of any particular directory service.  The LDIF format is
   a simpler format which is perhaps easier to create, and may also be
   used, as noted, to describe a set of changes to be applied to a
   directory.

   The key words "MUST", "MAY", and "SHOULD" used in this document are
   to be interpreted as described in [7].

   The LDIF format is used to convey directory information, or a
   description of a set of changes made to directory entries.  An LDIF
   file consists of a series of records separated by line separators.  A
   record consists of a sequence of lines describing a directory entry,
   or a sequence of lines describing a set of changes to a directory
   entry.  An LDIF file specifies a set of directory entries, or a set
   of changes to be applied to directory entries, but not both.

   There is a one-to-one correlation between LDAP operations that modify
   the directory (add, delete, modify, and modrdn), and the types of
   changerecords described below ("add", "delete", "modify", and
   "modrdn" or "moddn").  This correspondence is intentional, and
   permits a straightforward translation from LDIF changerecords to
   protocol operations.

   The following definition uses the augmented Backus-Naur Form
   specified in RFC 822 [2].

   ldif-file            = ldif-content / ldif-changes


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