Overview#

An Equality SearchFilter is a type of LDAP SearchFilter is used to determine whether an entry contains a specified attribute value.

If an entry includes the specified value, regardless of whether it has any other values for the target attribute, then that entry will match an equality filter for that value. If an entry does not contain any values for the attribute, or if none of the values matches the target value, then that entry will not match the Equality SearchFilter.

The string representation of an equality filter is constructed as follows:

• An open parenthesis
• The attribute description (potentially including attribute options)
• An equal sign
• The value to compare (aka the assertion Value)
• A close parenthesis

Equality SearchFilter Example#

For example, the Equality SearchFilter "(givenName=John)" will match any entry that contains a givenName attribute with a value of John.

However, this is not necessarily as straightforward as it might sound because there can be multiple ways of representing a given value (e.g., John, john, JOHN, JoHn, etc.). It is the job of an EQUALITY MatchingRule to determine whether two values are equivalent.

More Information#

There might be more information for this subject on one of the following:

• Attribute Value Assertion
• Glossary Of LDAP And Directory Terminology

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• [#1] - Equality Filters - based on information obtained 2015-11-21