ldap_explode_dn

(PHP 3, PHP 4, PHP 5)

ldap_explode_dn -- Splits DN into its component parts

Description

array ldap_explode_dn ( string dn, int with_attrib )

ldap_explode_dn() function is used to split the DN returned by ldap_get_dn() and breaks it up into its component parts. Each part is known as Relative Distinguished Name, or RDN. ldap_explode_dn() returns an array of all those components. with_attrib is used to request if the RDNs are returned with only values or their attributes as well. To get RDNs with the attributes (i.e. in attribute=value format) set with_attrib to 0 and to get only values set it to 1.


add a note add a note User Contributed Notes
DavidSmith at byu dot net
16-Sep-2003 12:06
[ Editor's Note: The segfault has been fixed and will not occur in PHP 4.3.4 or PHP 5.0.0 when they are released.  However, it is still important to escape special characters as detailed below. ]

If your DN contains < or > characters, you must escape them with a backslash or ldap_explode_dn() will give you a "wrong parameter count" error or even a segmentation fault.

For example, these calls will fail with a "wrong parameter count" or a seg fault:

  ldap_explode_dn( "cn=<bob>,dc=example,dc=com", 0 );
  ldap_explode_dn( 'cn=<bob>,dc=example,dc=com', 0 );

But this will succeed

  ldap_explode_dn( "cn=\<bob\>,dc=example,dc=com", 0 );

Notice also that the < and > are escaped with hex codes as noted above. This function is a nice wrapper that properly formats all DNs and can safely be called with < and > characters, and UTF-8 characters:

function my_explode_dn( $dn, $with_attributes=0 )
{
       $dn = addcslashes( $dn, "<>" );
       $result = ldap_explode_dn( $dn, $with_attributes );
       //translate hex code into ascii again
       foreach( $result as $key => $value )
               $result[$key] = preg_replace("/\\\([0-9A-Fa-f]{2})/e", "''.chr(hexdec('\\1')).''", $value);
       return $result;
}

I am using php 4.3.1. Good luck!
gabriel at hrz dot uni-marburg dot de
05-Aug-2003 05:27
Keep attention on UTF8 encoded DNs. Since openLDAP >=2.1.2
ldap_explode_dn turns unprintable chars (in the ASCII sense, UTF8
encoded) into \<hexcode>.

Example:

$dn="ou=Universitt ,c=DE";
var_dump(ldap_explode_dn($dn,0));

//returns

array(3) {
  ["count"]=>
  int(2)
  [0]=>
  string(19) "ou=Universit\C3\A4t"
  [1]=>
  string(4) "c=DE"
}

Unfortunately, PHP don't support the ldap functions ldap_str2dn and
ldap_dn2str, but by means of preg_replace a workaround is possible to
recover the old behaviour of ldap_explode_dn

// workaround
function myldap_explode_dn($dn,$with_attribute){

$result=ldap_explode_dn ($dn, $with_attrib);
 //translate hex code into ascii again
   foreach($result as $key=>$value){
         $result[$key]=preg_replace("/\\\([0-9A-Fa-f]{2})/e", "''.chr(hexdec('\\1')).''", $value);
   }
   return($result);

}
//
//then follows for the example

$dn="ou=Universitt ,c=DE";
var_dump(myldap_explode_dn($dn,0));

//returns

array(3) {
  ["count"]=>
  int(2)
  [0]=>
  string(15) "ou=Universitt"
  [1]=>
  string(4) "c=DE"
}
bs at muekno dot de
23-Oct-2001 07:02
Copying is much better than typing!!!!
Just modify the constants.
Best wishes (and thanX 4 this helpfull site),
Bernd Schwaegerl
Mueller-Knoche GmbH, Systemhaus fuer EDV-Loesungen

# Example:

$HOST = "Yourhostname";
$USER_DN = "Yourldapuser_dn";
$PWD = "Ldapuserpassword";
$BASE_DN = "o=Your_organisation";
$SEARCH_OBJECT="sn=YOUR_SEARCH_PERSON_OBJECTS_SN";

$ldap_handle=ldap_connect($HOST);
$bind_result=ldap_bind($ldap_handle,$USER_DN,$PWD);

$search_result=ldap_search($ldap_handle,$BASE_DN,$SEARCH_OBJECT);
$result=ldap_get_entries($ldap_handle,$search_result);
$result_array=ldap_get_entries($ldap_handle,$result);
$whole_dn=$result_array[0]["dn"];

$dn_parts=ldap_explode_dn($whole_dn,0);