Programming Jabber

Identifying ldapr in the browsing hierarchy

This is exactly where our reflector service, in the form of a script called ldapr, will fit in. In the same way as we described our RSS news agent (newsagent) in the JSM configuration’s <browse/> section, we’ll now describe ldapr. We add it, like this:

<browse>
  <conference type='public' jid='conf.cicero' name='Public Chat'/>
  <service type='x-ldap' jid='ldap.cicero' name='LDAP Reflector'/>
</browse>

There are a couple of things to note in the definition:

service/x-ldap

The LDAP reflector is a service, so we use the service category for the tag name used to describe it. While there are already many subtypes defined within the jabber:iq:browse namespace (such as irc, aim, and jud), none of them matches what this service is going to offer, so in the same way as we invent Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) subtypes in the x- space, we specify x-ldap for the type attribute here.

ldap.cicero

Each component has a JID. In browsing, the JID is the key to navigation. When the icon representing this service is clicked, it’s to this JID that the browse request is sent. To provide a smooth navigational path through the hierarchy, it’s up to the component to return browse data items that are identified by JIDs appropriate for further navigation. We’ll see what this means in the next section.