path: root/man/eudc.texi

\input texinfo.tex
@c %**start of header
@setfilename ../info/eudc
@settitle Emacs Unified Directory Client (EUDC) Manual
@iftex
@afourpaper
@end iftex
@c %**end of header

@footnotestyle end

@ifinfo
@dircategory Emacs
@direntry
* EUDC: (eudc).   A client for directory servers (LDAP, PH)
@end direntry

This file documents EUDC v1.30b

EUDC is part of Emacs.

EUDC is the Emacs Unified Directory Client, a common interface to
directory servers using various protocols such as LDAP or the CCSO white
pages directory system (PH/QI)

Copyright @copyright{} 1998, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim
copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and
this permission notice are preserved on all copies.
     
@ignore
Permission is granted to process this file through TeX
and print the results, provided the printed document
carries a copying permission notice identical to this
one except for the removal of this paragraph (this
paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
@end ignore

Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified
versions of this manual under the conditions for
verbatim copying and the terms of the ``GNU General
Public License'', and provided that the entire
resulting derived work is distributed under the terms
of a permission notice identical to this one.
     
Permission is granted to copy and distribute
translations of this manual into another language,
under the above conditions for modified versions,
except that this permission notice may be stated in a
translation approved by the Free Software Foundation.
@end ifinfo

@titlepage
@title{EUDC Manual}
@subtitle{The Emacs Unified Directory Client}
@author by Oscar Figueiredo
@code{1.30b}

@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1fill
     Copyright @copyright{} 1998, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

     Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim
     copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and
     this permission notice are preserved on all copies.
     
     @ignore
     Permission is granted to process this file through TeX
     and print the results, provided the printed document
     carries a copying permission notice identical to this
     one except for the removal of this paragraph (this
     paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
     
     @end ignore

     Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified
     versions of this manual under the conditions for
     verbatim copying and the terms of the ``GNU General 
     Public License'', and provided that the entire
     resulting derived work is distributed under the terms
     of a permission notice identical to this one.
     
     Permission is granted to copy and distribute
     translations of this manual into another language,
     under the above conditions for modified versions,
     except that this permission notice may be stated in a
     translation approved by the Free Software Foundation.
@end titlepage

@ifinfo
@node     Top, Overview, (dir), (dir)
@comment  node-name,  next,         previous, up


This manual documents EUDC v1.30b, the Emacs Unified Directory Client.

A common interface to directory servers using various protocols such as
LDAP or the CCSO white pages directory system (PH/QI)

@end ifinfo

@menu
* Overview::                    Summary of EUDC features
* Installation::                How to install EUDC
* Usage::                       The various usage possibilities explained
* Credits::                     Who's done what
* Variables Index::             
@end menu





@node     Overview, Installation, Top, Top
@comment  node-name,   next,  previous,  up
@chapter Overview

EUDC, the Emacs Unified Directory Client, provides a common user
interface to access directory servers using different directory
protocols. 

Currently supported back-ends are:

@itemize @bullet
@item
LDAP, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
@item
CCSO PH/QI
@item
BBDB, Big Brother's Insiduous Database
@end itemize

The main features of the EUDC interface are:

@itemize @bullet
@item 
Queries using a customizable form
@item
Inline query expansion (for instance you can expand a name
to an email address in a mail message buffer using a server as an
address book)
@item
Multiple servers can be tried in turn until a match is found for an
inline query
@item
Fast minibuffer queries for email addresses and phone numbers
@item
Interface to BBDB to let you insert server records into your own BBDB database
(@pxref{Top,,BBDB,bbdb,BBDB Manual})
@end itemize

@menu
* LDAP::                        What is LDAP ?
* CCSO PH/QI::                  What is CCSO, PH, QI ?
* BBDB::                        What is BBDB ?
@end menu



@node LDAP, CCSO PH/QI, Overview, Overview
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section LDAP

LDAP, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, is a communication
protocol for directory applications defined in RFC 1777.

Quoted from RFC 1777:

@quotation
[LDAP] is designed to provide access to the X.500 Directory while not
incurring the resource requirements of the Directory Access Protocol
(DAP). This protocol is specifically targeted at simple management
applications and browser applications that provide simple read/write
interactive access to the X.500 Directory, and is intended to be a
complement to the DAP itself.
@end quotation

LDAP servers usually store (but are not limited to) information about
people such as their name, phone number, email address, office
location, etc@enddots{} More information about LDAP can be found at
@url{http://www.openldap.org/}

EUDC requires external support to access LDAP directory servers
(@pxref{LDAP Requirements})


@node CCSO PH/QI, BBDB, LDAP, Overview
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section CCSO PH/QI

The Central Computing Services Office (CCSO) of the University of
Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) created and freely distributes a
directory system that is currently in use in more than 300 organizations
around the world.  The system records information about people such as
their address, phone number, email, academic information or any other
details it was configured to.

The system consists of two parts: a database server traditionally called
@samp{qi} and a command-line client called @samp{ph}.
@url{ftp://uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu/pub/packages/ph} is the main
distribution site.  @url{http://www.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/ph/lookup?Query=.}
provides a listing of the active @samp{qi} servers.

The original command-line @samp{ph} client that comes with the
@samp{ph/qi} distribution provides additional features like the
possibility to communicate with the server in login-mode which makes it
possible to change records in the database.  This is not implemented in
EUDC.


@node BBDB,  , CCSO PH/QI, Overview
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section BBDB

BBDB is the Big Brother's Insiduous Database, a package for Emacs
originally written by Jamie Zawinski which provides rolodex-like
database functionality featuring tight integration with the Emacs mail
and news readers.

It is often used as an enhanced email address book.

EUDC considers BBDB as a directory server backend just like LDAP or
PH/QI servers though BBDB has no client/server protocol and thus always
resides locally on your machine.  The point in this is not to offer an
alternate way to query your BBDB database (BBDB itself provides much
more flexible ways to do that) but rather to offer an interface to your
local directory that is consistent with the interface to external
directories (LDAP, PH/QI).  This is particularly interesting when
performing queries on multiple servers.

EUDC also offers a means to insert results from directory queries into
your own local BBDB (@pxref{Creating BBDB Records})

@node Installation, Usage, Overview, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@chapter Installation

Add the following to your @file{.emacs} init file:
@lisp
(require 'eudc)
@end lisp
This will install EUDC at startup.

After installing EUDC you will find (the next time you launch Emacs) a
new @code{Directory Search} submenu in the @samp{Tools} menu that will
give you access to EUDC.

You may also find it useful to add the following to your @file{.emacs}
initialization file to add a shortcut for email address expansion in
email composition buffers (@pxref{Inline Query Expansion})

@lisp
(eval-after-load 
 "message"
 '(define-key message-mode-map [(control ?c) (tab)] 'eudc-expand-inline))
(eval-after-load 
 "sendmail"
 '(define-key mail-mode-map [(control ?c) (tab)] 'eudc-expand-inline))
@end lisp

@menu
* LDAP Requirements::           EUDC needs external support for LDAP
@end menu

@node LDAP Requirements,  , Installation, Installation
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section LDAP Requirements

LDAP support is added by means of @file{ldap.el} which is part of Emacs.
@file{ldap.el} needs an external command line utility named
@file{ldapsearch} which is available as part of LDAP toolkits.  above.

@itemize @bullet
@item
Open LDAP Libraries
(@url{http://www.openldap.org/})
@item
University of Michigan's LDAP Client software
(@url{http://www.umich.edu/~dirsvcs/ldap/})
@end itemize


@node Usage, Credits, Installation, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@chapter Usage

This chapter describes the usage of EUDC.  Most functions and
customization options are available through the @samp{Directory Search}
submenu of the @samp{Tools} submenu.

@menu
* Querying Servers::            How queries are performed and handled 
* Query Form::                  How to use and customize the query form
* Display of Query Results::    Controlling how query results are presented
* Inline Query Expansion::      How to use and customize inline queries
* The Server Hotlist::          How to use and manage the server hotlist
* Multi-server Queries::        How to query multiple servers sucessively
* Creating BBDB Records::       How to insert query results into your BBDB
* Server/Protocol Locals::      Customizing on a per server/protocol basis
@end menu


@node Querying Servers, Query Form, Usage, Usage
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Querying Servers

EUDC's basic functionality is to let you query a directory server and
return the results back to you.  There are several things you may want
to customize in this process.


@menu
* Selecting a Server::          The first thing to do
* Return Attributes::           Configuring what the server should return
* Duplicate Attributes::        What to do when records have duplicate attributes
@end menu

@node Selecting a Server, Return Attributes, Querying Servers, Querying Servers
@subsection Selecting a Server

Before doing any query you will need to set the directory server.  You
need to specify the name of the host machine running the server software
and the protocol to use. If you do not set the server in any fashion,
EUDC will ask you for one when you make your first query.

You can set the server by selecting one from your hotlist of servers
(@pxref{The Server Hotlist}) available in the @samp{Server} submenu or
by selecting @samp{New Server} in that same menu.

LDAP servers generally require some configuration before you can perform
queries on them.  In particular, the @dfn{search base} must be
configured.  If the server you select has no configured search base then
EUDC will propose you to configure it at this point.  A customization
buffer will be displayed where you can edit the search base and other
parameters for the server.

@defvar eudc-server
The name or IP address of the remote directory server. A TCP port number
may be specified by appending a colon and a number to the name of the
server. You will not need this unless your server runs on a port other
than the default (which depends on the protocol).
If the directory server resides on your own computer (which is the case
if you use the BBDB backend) then `localhost' is a reasonable value but
it will be ignored anyway.
@end defvar

@defvar eudc-protocol
The directory protocol to use to query the server.  Currently supported
protocols in this version of EUDC are @code{ph}, @code{ldap} and @code{bbdb}.
@end defvar

@deffn Command eudc-set-server
This command accessible from @samp{Server} submenu lets you specify a
new directory server and protocol.
@end deffn

@node Return Attributes, Duplicate Attributes, Selecting a Server, Querying Servers
@subsection Return Attributes

Directory servers may be configured to return a default set of
attributes for each record matching a query if the query specifies none.
The variable @code{eudc-default-return-attributes} controls the return
attributes you want to see, if different from the server defaults.

@defvar eudc-default-return-attributes
A list of the default attributes to extract from directory entries.  If
set to the symbol @code{all} then all available attributes are
returned. A value of @code{nil}, the default, means to return the
default attributes as configured in the server.
@end defvar

The server may return several matching records to a query. Some of the
records may however not contain all the attributes you requested. You can
discard those records.

@defopt eudc-strict-return-matches
If non-@code{nil}, entries that do not contain all the requested return
attributes are ignored.  Default is @code{t}.
@end defopt

@node Duplicate Attributes,  , Return Attributes, Querying Servers
@subsection Duplicate Attributes

Directory standards may authorize different instances of the same
attribute in a record. For instance the record of a person may contain
several email fields containing different email addresses. When using
a QI directory server this is difficult to distinguish from attributes
having multi-line values such as the postal address that may contain a
line for the street and another one for the zip code and city name. In
both cases, EUDC will consider the attribute duplicated.

EUDC has several methods to deal with duplicated attributes. The
available methods are:

@table @code
@item list
Makes a list with the different values of the duplicate attribute. The
record is returned with only one instance of the attribute with a list
of all the different values as a value. This is the default method that
is used to handle duplicate fields for which no other method has been
specified.
@item first
Discards all the duplicate values of the field keeping only the first
one.
@item concat
Concatenates the different values using a newline as a separator. The
record keeps only one instance of the field the value of which is a
single multi-line string.
@item duplicate
Duplicates the whole record into as many instances as there are different
values for the field. This is the default for the email field. Thus a
record containing 3 different email addresses is duplicated into three
different records each having a single email address. This is
particularly useful in combination with @code{select} as the method to
handle multiple matches in inline expansion queries (@pxref{Inline Query
Expansion}) because you are presented with the 3 addresses in a
selection buffer
@end table

Because a method may not be applicable to all fields, the variable
@code{eudc-duplicate-attribute-handling-method} lets you specify either a
default method for all fields or a method for each individual field.

@defvar eudc-duplicate-attribute-handling-method
A method to handle entries containing duplicate attributes.  This is
either an alist @code{(@var{attr} . @var{method})} or a symbol
@var{method}.  The alist form of the variable associates a method to an
individual attribute name, the second form specifies a method applicable
to all attribute names. Available methods are: @code{list},
@code{first}, @code{concat}, @code{duplicate} (see above).  Defaults to
@code{list}.
@end defvar



@node Query Form, Display of Query Results, Querying Servers, Usage
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Query Form

The simplest way to query your directory server is to use the query
form. You display the query form with the @samp{Query with Form} menu
item or by invoking the command @kbd{M-x eudc-query-form}. The attribute
names presented in this form are defined by the
@code{eudc-query-form-attributes} variable (unless a non-@code{nil}
argument is supplied to @code{eudc-query-form}).

Since the different directory protocols to which EUDC interfaces may
use different names for equivalent attributes, EUDC defines its own set
of attribute names and a mapping between these names and their
protocol-specific equivalent through the variable
@code{eudc-protocol-attributes-translation-alist}.  Names currently
defined by EUDC are @code{name}, @code{firstname}, @code{email} and
@code{phone}.

@defvar eudc-query-form-attributes
A list of attributes presented in the query form.  Attribute names in
this list should be either EUDC attribute names or valid attribute
names.  You can get a list of valid attribute names for the current
protocol with the @samp{List Valid Attribute Names} menu item or the
@kbd{M-x eudc-get-attribute-list} command. Defaults to @code{name},
@code{email} and @code{phone}.
@end defvar

@deffn Command eudc-query-form get-fields-from-server
Display a form to query the directory server.  If given a non-@code{nil}
argument the function first queries the server for the existing fields
and displays a corresponding form.  Not all protocols may support a
non-@code{nil} argument here.
@end deffn

Since the names of the fields may not be explicit enough or adapted to
be directly displayed as prompt strings in the form, the variable
@code{eudc-user-attribute-names-alist} lets you define more explicit
names for directory attribute names.  This variable is ignored if
@code{eudc-use-raw-directory-names} is non-@code{nil}.

@defvar eudc-user-attribute-names-alist
This is an alist of user-defined names for the directory attributes used in
query/response forms. Prompt strings for attributes that are not in this
alist are derived by splitting the attribute name at underscores and
capitalizing the individual words.
@end defvar

@defvar eudc-use-raw-directory-names
If non-@code{nil}, use attributes names as defined in the directory.
Otherwise, directory query/response forms display the user attribute
names defined in @code{eudc-user-attribute-names-alist}.
@end defvar

@node Display of Query Results, Inline Query Expansion, Query Form, Usage
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Display of Query Results

Upon successful completion of a form query, EUDC will display a buffer
containing the results of the query.

The fields that are returned for each record
are controlled by @code{eudc-default-return-attributes} (@pxref{Return
Attributes}).  

The display of each individual field can be performed by an arbitrary
function which allows specific processing for binary values like images
or audio samples as well as values with computer semantics like URLs.

@defvar eudc-attribute-display-method-alist
An alist specifying methods to display attribute values.  Each member of
the list is of the form @code{(@var{name} . @var{func})} where
@var{name} is a lowercased string naming a directory attribute
(translated according to @code{eudc-user-attribute-names-alist} if
@code{eudc-use-raw-directory-names} is non-nil) and @var{func} a
function that will be passed the corresponding attribute values for
display.
@end defvar

This variable has protocol-local definitions (see @pxref{Server/Protocol
Locals}).  For instance, it is defined as follows for LDAP:

@lisp
(eudc-protocol-set 'eudc-attribute-display-method-alist 
                   '(("jpegphoto" . eudc-display-jpeg-inline)
                     ("labeledurl" . eudc-display-url)
                     ("audio" . eudc-display-sound)
                     ("labeledurl" . eudc-display-url)
                     ("url" . eudc-display-url)) 
                   'ldap)
@end lisp

EUDC provides a set of built-in functions to display binary value types:

@defun eudc-display-generic-binary data
Display a button for unidentified binary @var{data}.
@end defun

@defun eudc-display-url url
Display URL and make it clickable.
@end defun

@defun eudc-display-sound data
Display a button to play the sound @var{data}.
@end defun

@defun eudc-display-jpeg-inline data
Display the JPEG @var{data} inline at point if possible.
@end defun

@defun eudc-display-jpeg-as-button data
Display a button for the JPEG @var{data}.
@end defun

Right-clicking on a binary value button pops up a contextual menu with
options to process the value.  Among these are saving the attribute
value to a file or sending it to an external viewer command.  External
viewers should expect the value on their standard input and should
display it or perform arbitrary processing on it.  Messages sent to
standard output are discarded.  External viewers are listed in the
variable @code{eudc-external-viewers} which you can customize.

@defvar eudc-external-viewers
This is a list of viewer program specifications.  Each specification is
a list whose first element is a string naming the viewer for unique
identification, the second element is the executable program which
should be invoked and the following elements are arguments that should
be passed to the program.
@end defvar


@node Inline Query Expansion, The Server Hotlist, Display of Query Results, Usage
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Inline Query Expansion

Inline query expansion is a powerful method to get completion from your
directory server. The most common usage is for expanding names to email
addresses in mail message buffers. The expansion is performed by the
command @kbd{M-x eudc-expand-inline} which is available from the
@samp{Directory Search} menu but can also be conveniently bound to a key
shortcut (@pxref{Installation})  The operation is controlled by the
variables @code{eudc-inline-expansion-format},
@code{eudc-inline-query-format},
@code{eudc-expanding-overwrites-query} and
@code{eudc-multiple-match-handling-method}.

If the query fails for a server, other servers may be tried successively 
until one of them finds a match (@pxref{Multi-server Queries}).

@deffn Command eudc-expand-inline replace-p
Query the server and expand the query string before point.  The query
string consists of the buffer substring from the point back to the
preceding comma, colon or beginning of
line. @code{eudc-inline-query-format} controls how individual words
are mapped onto directory attribute names.  After querying the server
for the given string, the expansion specified by
@code{eudc-inline-expansion-format} is inserted in the buffer at
point. If @var{replace-p} is @code{t} then this expansion replaces the
query string in the buffer.  If @code{eudc-expanding-overwrites-query}
is non-@code{nil} then the meaning of @var{replace-p} is negated.
@end deffn

@defvar eudc-inline-query-format
Format of an inline expansion query.  
This is actually a list of @var{format}s.  A @var{format} is a list of
one or more EUDC attribute names.  A @var{format} applies if it contains
as many attributes as individual words in the inline query string.  If
several @var{format}s apply then they are tried in order until a match
is found.  If @code{nil} all the words will be mapped onto the default
server/protocol attribute name (generally @code{name}).

For instance, use the following 
@lisp
(setq eudc-inline-query-format '((name)
                                 (firstname)
                                 (firstname name)))
@end lisp
to indicate that single word expansion queries are to be considered as
surnames and if no match is found then they should be tried as first
names.  Inline queries consisting of two words are considered as
consisting of a first name followed by a surname.  If the query consists 
of more than two words, then the first one is considered as the first
name and the remaining words are all considered as surname constituents.

@var{format}s are in fact not limited to EUDC attribute names, you can
use server or protocol specific names in them.  It may be safer if you
do so, to set the variable @code{eudc-inline-query-format} in a protocol
or server local fashion (see @pxref{Server/Protocol Locals}).

For instance you could use the following to match up to three words
against the @code{cn} attribute of LDAP servers:
@lisp
(eudc-protocol-set 'eudc-inline-query-format
                   '((cn)
                     (cn cn)
                     (cn cn cn))
                   'ldap)
@end lisp
@end defvar

@defvar eudc-inline-expansion-format
This variable lets you control exactly what is inserted into the buffer
upon an inline expansion request. It is a list whose first element is a
string passed to @code{format}. Remaining elements are symbols
corresponding to directory attribute names.  The corresponding attribute
values are passed as additional arguments to @code{format}. Default is
@code{("%s" email)} but you may want to consider a value like @code{("%s
<%s>" name email)}
@end defvar

@defvar eudc-multiple-match-handling-method
This variable controls what to do when multiple entries match a query
for an inline expansion.  Possible values are:
@table @code
@item first
The first match is considered as being the only one, the others are
discarded.
@item select
A selection buffer pops up where you can choose a particular match. This 
is the default value of the variable.
@item all
The expansion uses all records successively
@item abort
An error is signaled. The expansion aborts.
@end table


Defaults to @code{select}
@end defvar



@node The Server Hotlist, Multi-server Queries, Inline Query Expansion, Usage
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section The Server Hotlist

EUDC lets you maintain a list of frequently used servers so that you 
can easily switch from one to another. This hotlist appears in the
@samp{Server} submenu. You select a server in this list by clicking on
its name. You can add the current server to the list with the command
@kbd{M-x eudc-bookmark-current-server}. The list is contained in the variable
@code{eudc-server-hotlist} which is stored in and retrieved from the file
designated by @code{eudc-options-file}.  EUDC also provides a facility to
edit the hotlist interactively (@pxref{The Hotlist Edit Buffer}).

The hotlist is also used to make queries on multiple servers
successively (@pxref{Multi-server Queries}). The order in which the
servers are tried is the order they appear in the hotlist, therefore it
is important to sort the hotlist appropriately.

@deffn Command eudc-bookmark-server server
Add @var{server} to the hotlist of servers
@end deffn

@deffn Command eudc-bookmark-current-server
Add the current server to the hotlist of servers
@end deffn

@defvar eudc-options-file
The name of a file where EUDC stores its internal variables
(the hotlist and the current server). EUDC will try to load 
that file upon initialization so, if you choose a file name
different from the defaults @file{~/.eudc-options}, be sure to set this
variable to the appropriate value @emph{before} EUDC is itself
loaded.
@end defvar

@menu
* The Hotlist Edit Buffer::     An interactive hotlist editing facility
@end menu

@node The Hotlist Edit Buffer,  , The Server Hotlist, The Server Hotlist
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@subsection The Hotlist Edit Buffer

The hotlist edit buffer offers a means to manage a list of frequently
used servers.  Commands are available in the context pop-up menu
generally bound to the right mouse button.  Those commands also have
equivalent keybindings.

@deffn Command eudc-hotlist-add-server
Bound to @kbd{a}.
Add a new server to the hotlist on the line after point
@end deffn

@deffn Command eudc-hotlist-delete-server
Bound to @kbd{d}.
Delete the server on the line point is on
@end deffn

@deffn Command eudc-hotlist-select-server
Bound to @kbd{s}.
Select the server the point is on as the current directory server for
the next queries
@end deffn

@deffn Command eudc-hotlist-transpose-servers
Bound to @kbd{t}.
Bubble up the server the point is on to the top of the list
@end deffn

@deffn Command eudc-hotlist-quit-edit
Bound to @kbd{q}.
Save the changes and quit the hotlist edit buffer.  Use @kbd{x} or
@kbd{M-x kill-buffer} to exit without saving.
@end deffn


@node Multi-server Queries, Creating BBDB Records, The Server Hotlist, Usage
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Multi-server Queries

When using inline query expansion (@pxref{Inline Query Expansion}), EUDC
can try to query successively a sequence of directory servers until one
of them successfully finds a match for the query.

@defvar eudc-inline-expansion-servers
This variable controls which servers are tried and in which order when
trying to perform an inline query. Possible values are:
@table @code
@item current-server
Only the current directory server is tried
@item hotlist
The servers in the hotlist are tried in order until one finds a match
for the query or `eudc-max-servers-to-query' is reached
@item server-then-hotlist
The current server then the servers in the hotlist are tried in the
order they appear in the hotlist until one of them finds a match or
`eudc-max-servers-to-query' is reached.  This is the default.
@end table
@end defvar

@defvar eudc-max-servers-to-query
This variable indicates the maximum number of servers to query when
performing a multi-server query. The default, @code{nil}, indicates
that all available servers should be tried.
@end defvar



@node Creating BBDB Records, Server/Protocol Locals, Multi-server Queries, Usage
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Creating BBDB Records

With EUDC, you can automatically create BBDB records
(@pxref{Top,,BBDB,bbdb,BBDB Manual}) from records you get from a
directory server. You do this by moving point to the appropriate
record in a query result display buffer and invoking the command
@kbd{M-x eudc-insert-record-at-point-into-bbdb} with the
keyboard binding @kbd{b} @footnote{This keybinding does not actually
call @code{eudc-insert-record-at-point-into-bbdb} but uses
@code{eudc-try-bbdb-insert} instead.}, or with the menu. EUDC
cannot update an existing BBDB record and will signal an error if you
try to insert a record matching an existing one.

It is also possible to export to BBDB the whole batch of records
contained in the directory query result with the command
@kbd{M-x eudc-batch-export-records-to-bbdb}.

Because directory systems may not enforce a strict record format, local
server installations may use different attribute names and have
different ways to organize the information. Furthermore BBDB has its own
record structure. For these reasons converting a record from its
external directory format to the BBDB format is a highly customizable
process.

@defvar eudc-bbdb-conversion-alist
The value of this variable should be a symbol naming an alist defining a
mapping between BBDB field names onto directory attribute names records.
This is a protocol-local variable and is initialized upon protocol
switch (@pxref{Server/Protocol Locals})  The alist is made of cells of the
form @code{(@var{bbdb-field} . @var{spec-or-list})}. 
@var{bbdb-field} is the name of a field
that must be defined in your BBDB environment (standard field names are
@code{name}, @code{company}, @code{net}, @code{phone}, @code{address}
and @code{notes}). 
@var{spec-or-list} is either a single mapping specification or a list of
mapping specifications. Lists of mapping specifications are valid for
the @code{phone} and @code{address} BBDB fields only. @var{spec}s are
actually s-expressions which are evaluated as follows:

@table @asis
@item a string 
evaluates to itself
@item a symbol
evaluates to the symbol value. Symbols corresponding to directory
attribute names present in the record evaluate to the value of the field
in the record
@item a form
is evaluated as a function. The argument list may contain attribute 
names which evaluate to the corresponding values in the record. The form
evaluation should return something appropriate for the particular
@var{bbdb-field} (see @code{bbdb-create-internal}).
@code{eudc-bbdbify-phone} and @code{eudc-bbdbify-address} are provided as
convenience functions to parse phones and addresses.
@end table
@end defvar

The default value of the PH-specific value of that variable is
@code{eudc-ph-bbdb-conversion-alist}:

@lisp
((name . name)
 (net . email)
 (address . (eudc-bbdbify-address address "Address"))
 (phone . ((eudc-bbdbify-phone phone "Phone")
           (eudc-bbdbify-phone office_phone "Office Phone"))))
@end lisp

This means that:

@itemize @bullet
@item 
the @code{name} field of the BBDB record gets its value
from the @code{name} attribute of the directory record
@item
the @code{net} field of the BBDB record gets its value
from the @code{email} attribute of the directory record
@item
the @code{address} field of the BBDB record is obtained by parsing the
@code{address} attribute of the directory record with the function
@code{eudc-bbdbify-address}
@item
two @code{phone} fields are created (when possible) in the BBDB record.
The first one has @cite{Phone} for location and its value is obtained by
parsing the @code{phone} attribute of the PH/QI record with the function
@code{eudc-bbdbify-phone}. The second one has @cite{Office Phone} for location
its value is obtained by parsing the @code{office_phone} attribute of the
PH/QI record with the function @code{eudc-bbdbify-phone}.
@end itemize

@defun eudc-bbdbify-phone phone location
This is a convenience function provided for use in
@code{eudc-bbdb-conversion-alist}. It parses @var{phone} into a vector
compatible with @code{bbdb-create-internal}. @var{phone} is either a string
supposedly containing a phone number or a list of such strings which are
concatenated. @var{location} is used as the phone location for BBDB.
@end defun

@defun eudc-bbdbify-address addr location
This is a convenience function provided for use in
@code{eudc-bbdb-conversion-alist}. It parses @var{addr} into a vector
compatible with @code{bbdb-create-internal}. @var{addr} should be an
address string of no more than four lines or a list of lines. The last
line is searched for the zip code, city and state name. @var{location}
is used as the phone location for BBDB.
@end defun

Note that only a subset of the attributes you selected with
@code{eudc-default-return-attributes} and that are actually displayed may
actually be inserted as part of the newly created BBDB record.


@node Server/Protocol Locals,  , Creating BBDB Records, Usage
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Server/Protocol Locals

EUDC can be customized independently for each server or directory
protocol.  All variables can be given local bindings that are activated
when a particular server and/or protocol becomes active. This is much
like buffer-local bindings but on a per server or per protocol basis.

@menu
* Manipulating local bindings::  Functions to set and query local bindings
@end menu

@node Manipulating local bindings,  , Server/Protocol Locals, Server/Protocol Locals
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@subsection Manipulating local bindings

EUDC offers functions that let you set and query variables on a per
server or per protocol basis.

The following predicates allow you to test the existence of
server/protocol local bindings for a particular variable.

@defun eudc-server-local-variable-p var
Return non-@code{nil} if @var{var} has server-local bindings
@end defun

@defun eudc-protocol-local-variable-p var
Return non-@code{nil} if @var{var} has protocol-local bindings
@end defun

The following functions allow you to set the value of a variable with
various degrees of localness.

@defun eudc-default-set var val
Set the EUDC default value of @var{var} to @var{val}.
The current binding of @var{var} (if local to the current server or
protocol) is not changed.
@end defun

@defun eudc-protocol-set var val &optional protocol
Set the binding of @var{var} local to @var{protocol} to @var{val}.  If
omitted, @var{protocol} defaults to the current value of
@code{eudc-protocol}.  The current binding of @var{var} is changed only
if @var{protocol} is omitted.
@end defun

@defun eudc-server-set var val &optional server
Set the binding of @var{var} local to @var{server} to @var{val}.  If
omitted, @var{server} defaults to the current value of
@code{eudc-server}.  The current binding of @var{var} is changed only if
@var{server} is omitted.
@end defun

@defun eudc-set var val
Set the most local (server, protocol or default) binding of @var{var} to
@var{val}.  The current binding of @var{var} is also set to @var{val}.
@end defun

The following variables allow you to query the various bindings of a
variable (local or non-local).

@defun eudc-variable-default-value var
Return the default binding of @var{var} (outside of a particular server
or protocol local binding).
Return @code{unbound} if @var{var} has no EUDC default value.
@end defun

@defun eudc-variable-protocol-value var &optional protocol
Return the value of @var{var} local to @var{protocol}.  Return
@code{unbound} if @var{var} has no value local to @var{protocol}.
@var{protocol} defaults to @code{eudc-protocol}.
@end defun

@defun eudc-variable-server-value var [server]
Return the value of @var{var} local to @var{server}.  
Return @code{unbound} if @var{var} has no value local to @var{server}.
@var{server} defaults to @code{eudc-server}.
@end defun


Changing a protocol-local or server-local value of a variable has no
effect on its current value.  The following command is used to
synchronize the current values of variables with their local values
given the current @code{eudc-server} and @code{eudc-protocol}:

@defun eudc-update-local-variables
Update all EUDC variables according to their local settings.
@end defun



@node Credits, Variables Index, Usage, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@chapter Credits

EUDC was written by Oscar Figueiredo based on @file{ph.el} by the 
same author.

Thanks to Soren Dayton for his suggestions, his enthusiasm and his help
in testing and proofreading the code and docs of @file{ph.el}.

@node Variables Index,  , Credits, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@unnumbered Variables Index

@printindex vr

@setchapternewpage odd
@contents
@bye