Using PHP With LDAP (part 1)
(Page 1 of 6 )
One of the reasons for PHP's immense popularity is its support for a wide variety of different Internet technologies. It is this support, coupled with the speed with which new language extensions get added to the source tree, that keeps PHP ahead of other competing languages in the same category, and ensures the continuity (and future growth) of the fan following it currently enjoys.
One such Internet technology is LDAP, the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. In case you're not familiar with LDAP, it is a protocol designed to allow quick, efficient searches of directory services. Built around Internet technologies, LDAP makes it possible to easily update and query directory services over standard TCP/IP connections, and includes a host of powerful features, including security, access control, data replication and support for Unicode.
PHP has shipped with support for LDAP since version 3.x of the language, and today comes with built-in support to connect to LDAP databases, perform queries and process result sets. These capabilities make PHP extremely popular among developers who need to create Web applications that interface with LDAP directories - for example, online address books and Web-based directories and directory search agents. Though these sound like intimidating projects to take on, they're actually pretty simple - as you'll see, PHP makes otherwise complex processes seem almost friendly via its powerful functions and sophisticated capabilities.
Over the next few pages, I'm going to introduce you to the LDAP functions that ship with PHP, demonstrating how they can be used to rapidly create a Web-based interface to an LDAP directory; this interface will allow users to perform queries and add and remove entries from the directory using a standard Web browser. I'll assume here that you have a working knowledge of PHP fundamentals, a development environment with a working PHP build, and a sense of humour. LDAP knowledge would be a bonus, although it is not a requirement - this tutorial does include a brief discussion of LDAP basics.
Got 'em all? Flip the page, and let's get going!
Next: Looking For Answers >>
More PHP Articles
More By Harish Kamath, (c) Melonfire
