LDAP Programming with Java™

Deleting an Entry

The data in an LDAP directory must be kept up-to-date and valid. Eventually an entry will need to be removed. Deleting an entire entry from the directory is a simple process:

      String theDN = "uid=bjensen, ou=People, o=airius.com";
      try {
          ld.delete(theDN);
      } catch ( LDAPException e ) {
      }

The LDAPConnection.delete method takes a single argument: the DN of the record to be deleted. All that is needed to delete a leaf node is the DN and the proper authorization to delete the record. An ou or o entry may be deleted using the code just given, provided there are no entries underneath in the tree. A node that contains entries underneath it is a branch node, and it cannot be deleted using this method. This constraint is a limitation ...