14.2 Configuring the Search List portlet

To configure the Search List portlet, follow the steps in Table 14-3.

Table 14-3 Search List Portlet Configuration Steps

Step

Task

Description

1

Define:

  • The entities and attributes you allow users to search.

  • How you display the results list.

You can use the predefined Directory Search action that gets installed with the Identity Manager User Application as-is. You can modify it, or you can create your own.

For more information, see Setting Search List preferences.

2

Verify that the set of entities and attributes for searching are defined in the directory abstraction layer.

For more information, see Section 1.2.2, Directory Abstraction Layer.

3

Determine how you want users to access the portlet.

Do you want users to launch this portlet from an existing or a new page?

For more information about pages, see Section 6.0, Page Administration.

4

Set preferences for the portlet.

Preferences for the search list portlet let you define:

  • The attributes displayed for each results list format.

  • The results list display format that a search produces.

  • The default sort order for the results list formats.

For more information, see Section 14.2.2, Setting Search List preferences.

5

Test your settings.

Verify that the results lists show the desired attributes.

6

Set eDirectory™ rights and establish any indexes needed to enhance performance.

eDirectory rights:

To execute a search:

  • The user performing the search needs Browse rights to any users or objects being searched.

To save a search (for non-Administrative users):

  • Trustee of the organizational unit and the organization where they will be executing the search.

  • User requires write, self, and supervisor rights.

Performance enhancement. The performance of the search can be improved by adding an eDirectory value index to the attribute on which the search is based.

For more information on defining different results list display formats, see Section 14.2.2, Setting Search List preferences.

14.2.1 Directory Abstraction Layer Setup

The entities and attributes that can be selected from the search criteria drop-down list and data returned from the Identity Vault searches must be defined in the directory abstraction layer. Table 14-4 shows the properties that you should set for the entities and attributes used by search list.

Table 14-4 Search List Entities and Attributes

Definition Type

Setting

Directory Abstraction Layer Value

entity

view

Selected (true)

attribute

enable

Selected (true).

search

Selected (true).

Any attribute that you want to appear in the list of available search criteria must have search=true. When false, you cannot define a search on this attribute or include it in a results list format.

hide

Unselected (false).

Any attribute that you want to include in the results list must have hide=false.

Other Directory abstraction layer settings. The directory abstraction layer data type, format type, filters, and search scope also impact the Search List portlet. The data type and format type affect the appearance; the filter and search scope affect how much data is returned.

For more information, see Identity Manager User Application: Design Guide.

14.2.2 Setting Search List preferences

You can define two types of preferences:

Search preferences

The search preferences are contained in a single preference page:

Illustration

The search preferences are defined in Table 14-5.

Table 14-5 Search List Portlet Preferences

Preference

What to Do

Default Mode

Specify how you want the portlet to display when a user first accesses it. Values are:

Basic Search. Allows users to enter a single search criteria. For example:


First Name starts with A

Advanced search. Allows users to define multiple search criteria in one or more search blocks. Users can use the and and or logical operators within the search criteria or among the search blocks. For example, users can create a search like this:


(First Name starts with A or First Name starts with B) and (Region = Northeast or Region = Southeast)

OR


(First Name starts with A and Last Name starts with B) or (First Name starts with B and Last Name starts with A)

My Saved Searches. Displays a list of searches saved by the currently logged in user. The searches are saved in the user’s srvprvQueryList attribute.

NOTE:Users can access any of these modes at runtime by executing or editing a search or clicking a button at the bottom of the portlet.

Pagination

The maximum number of rows shown at a time.

Results Limit

The maximum number of matches returned by the search. If set to 0, then the maximum defers to the directory abstraction layer setting.

Search and List complex preference

Click to refine the

  • Entities to search

  • Result set type

  • Attributes to include in the pages and the order in which they appear

Results List format preferences

The complex preferences page lets you define the entities to include in the search and how to format the results list. The default preferences page looks like this:

Illustration

The complex preferences are listed in Table 14-6.

Table 14-6 Search List Portlet: Complex Preferences

Preference

What to Do

Entity Definition

Each object that is valid for searching (view=true) has a corresponding Entity Definition block on this preferences page. Use these preferences to:

  • Define the objects included in the search.

  • Modify the results list format definitions (such as adding and removing the attributes that are displayed and their default sort order).

  • Remove any objects that you do not want included in the search by clicking Delete, shown on the Entity Definition line. This deletes the entire entity definition block.

You can add the object back to the search later by clicking Add Entity Definition (located at the bottom of the page) and completing the wizard selection panels.

HINT:If an object does not appear in this list, but is listed in the directory abstraction layer, check the view modifier (on the entity object). If it is set to false, then the entity cannot be used by the identity portlets.

Show email as Icon

When set to True and an e-mail attribute is specified in the results list, it displays as an icon. When set to False, the e-mail attribute displays the full e-mail address. The e-mail attribute (whether text or icon) is a clickable mailto: link.

Results List Types (default)

Specifies the results list default format for the current entity. The default is used only when a different format is not selected by the current user.

Results List display format block

Specifies the display format (such as Identity, Location, or Organizational pages) and includes the set of attributes to include for the type.

To remove a Results List Type:

  • Click Delete next to the Results List Type.

This deletes the page type and all of its associated attributes from the search.

To add a result set page:

  • Click Expand and select the result set format from the list of choices.

Attributes

Specifies the set of attributes that will be displayed for the particular display format.

To add or remove an attribute:

  • Click the Modify attributes button.

  • To add an attribute, select it (from the list of Available attributes).

  • Click the arrow to move it to the Selected list. Do the reverse to remove an attribute from the Results List.

  • To reorder the attributes list, click the up and down arrows to the right of the selected list.

  • Click Submit.

Attributes and data types. The attribute’s data type affects the way it is displayed. For example, if an attribute is defined as a sub-type of local list or global list then possible values are displayed in a drop-down list box in the Basic or Advanced Search Criteria screens. If the type is DN then a finder and history button are displayed to allow users to select a value in the Basic or Advanced Search Criteria screens, and the DN are resolved to a user-friendly display in the results list. The data type and sub-type also restrict the comparison operator displayed for the user to ensure that only valid comparisons are constructed.

For more information, see Section 1.2.2, Directory Abstraction Layer.

Results List display format block Sort

The sort order for the Results List is based on this attribute. The default sort order only takes effect if the Result Set Type is not the display format for the current user session.

Multi-valued attributes and single-valued attributes. The number of records displayed in a results list varies depending on whether the sort attribute is single- or multi-valued. Sorting on multi-value attributes generally appears to result in more records, although the total number of matches remains the same. This is because each value of a multi-valued attribute is shown on a line by itself.

Completing the Preferences Panel

To verify that you have submitted valid entries, click Submit. If an entry is invalid, you will see an error message displayed at the top of the preferences page. When you are able to resolve all of the errors, click Return to List View, then click Save Preferences.