Active Directory, 3rd Edition

Attributes (attributeSchema Objects)

Just as class information is stored in Active Directory as instances of the class called classSchema, attributes are represented by instances of the class called attributeSchema. As with all objects, the attributeSchema class has a number of attributes that can be set when specifying a new instance. The attributeSchema class inherits attributes from the class called top. However, most of the top attributes are not really relevant here. Table 4-1 shows the defining attributes of an instance of the attributeSchema class (i.e., an attribute) that can be set.

Table 4-1. The defining attributes of an attributeSchema object instance

Attribute	Syntax	Mandatory	Multivalued	Description
accessCategory	Integer	No	No	Used by the system.
attributeId	OID	Yes	No	The OID that uniquely identifies this attribute.
attributeSecurityGUID	GUID	No	No	GUID used to tie an attribute to a property set.
attributeSyntax	OID	Yes	No	Half of a pair of properties that define the syntax of an attribute. This one is an OID.
classDisplayName	Unicode string	No	No	The name displayed when viewing instances of the attribute.
cn	Unicode string	Yes	No	The Relative Distinguished Name (RDN).
defaultHidingValue	Boolean	No	No	Whether the object is to be hidden or displayed within tools by default.
description	Unicode string	No	No	A description of the attribute.
extendedCharsAllowed	Boolean	No	No	Whether extended ...