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Paging Results Overview

In process of LDAP browsing you may come across a situation when your target entry contains a large number of sub-entries, while all you need is just a minor portion of its contents; or you may want to retrieve the required set of information in small pieces. LDAP Administrator now provides a better view of the multiple entry lists by making use of the specifically designed Virtual List View (VLV) and Simple Paged Result LDAP controls. The main advantage of these controls is that they make sure you retrieve results more quickly without having to wait for thousands of entries to be fetched at a time.

Paging Modes Overview

The Simple Page Result extended control provides a one-way walk through the result set after specifying just the amount of entries to be returned per page, while the Virtual List View control enables result scrolling similar to the one used in application windows. Helped by these controls, LDAP Administrator now offers the following paging modes:

  • None. This mode disables results paging, which means that all sub-entries of an entry will be displayed as is. This mode is set by default.

  • Simple Page. With this mode enabled, you will receive results from a server by portions, each containing the preset number of entries. This is the only mode where the Simple Page Result control is used.

  • Plain VLV. Lets you specify a range of sub-entries to fetch. For example, you may want to receive entries ranging from 10 to 20 in number.

  • Framed VLV. Enables scrolling search results similar to the one used in application windows.

  • Cumulative VLV. Enables getting results from a server by portions, each containing the preset number of entries. The only difference from the Simple Page mode is in using the Virtual List View control.

  • Transparent. This mode has been introduced in order to allow users to display the entire set of subentries at a time, with the only limitation possibly being a user-defined client-side restriction, despite the fact of a server-side restriction imposed, which prevents the return of all subentries upon a single request. The mode can also be used to sort subentries in accordance with a sort mode preset. It automatically determines which of the Simple Paged or Virtual List View controls is actually supported by the server and then uses it to fetch the whole set of subentries.

After you set a preferred mode for an entry, this mode will be propagated to all of the entry's descendants. However, when in the Plain VLV mode, it's just the sort keys that get propagated while the range of entries doesn't, its value remaining at 100% for all descendants. This circumstance leaves you with just an ability to sort descendants on the server side during browsing in the Plain VLV mode set for a profile, which arguably may even be considered an advantage. Learn more about adjusting parameters for each mode.

Sorting Results Overview

An LDAP server may also require a server-side sorting control passed to it when performing a search operation. In the Virtual List View mode, passing a server-side sorting control to the LDAP server is required, while in the Simple Page mode it is only optional for the purposes of better performance. Using this control you can specify sort keys to be used during search. A sort key comprises the following: attribute name, attribute values to be compared, matching rule for comparison and sort order.

When applying the VLV results paging mode, you'll need to specify at least one sort key.

Learn more about how to define sort keys.

Please note: If it turns out that your server does not support the Simple Page Result and/or the Virtual List View LDAP controls, you will not be able to use results paging.

See Also