Horde Group API

This document is intended to clarify the Horde Group API, and to provide a solid target for applications to move toward for Horde4. Motivation for this document was spurred from the conversation between the Bens on IRC regarding the "proper" way to handle groups with LDAP.

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Abstract

In its simplest terms a group consists of an ID and a Name. The ID is unique to that group and is unchanging. The name is a human-friendly name that can be changed as desired. The source and/or format of the group ID should not be of concern to the application using it, and should always be obtained/modified/stored through the group API calls. The group ID is the only acceptable method as to refer to a group, as it is guaranteed to be unique (uniqueness being the job of the driver). The group name is strictly for interface use.

A group can also have a parent and multiple children. All references to parents and children are to be made through API calls. Again, it is of no concern to the application how these relationships are maintained, but only that they exist and are free to be used.

For Horde4, we will move away from the object-oriented method of managing groups in favor of a Horde_Groups class which will act as a group manager. This should alleviate some of the confusion between the different drivers, and eliminate some of the OO overhead.

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Standards

In order to help keep concepts straight, the following standards should be used

• $gid -- Group ID
  • $group -- Group Object
  • $name -- Group Name
  • $parent -- ID of Group's Parent

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API

Group

addGroup($group|$name, $parent)

Add handlers for $name and $parent parameters from newGroup()

renameGroup($group|$gid, $newName)

removeGroup($group|$gid, $force = false)

getGroupName($gid)

getGUID($group|$gid)

exists($group|$gid)

getGroupParent($gid)

Add support to take over getGroupParentList()

listGroups($refresh = false)

listUsers($gid)

Add support to take over listAllUsers()

getGroupMembership($user, $parentGroups = false)

userIsInGroup($user, $gid, $subgroups = true)

addUser($username, $gid)

new function -- no longer using group objects.

Should be able to handle arrays for both parameters.

removeUser($username, $gid)

new function -- no longer using group objects.

Should be able to handle arrays for both parameters.

updateGroup($group)

deprecated? -- should we always update the backend?

getLevel($gid)

deprecated -- is this used?

getAuditLog($gid)

new function -- do we need this?

clearAuditLog($gid)

new function -- do we need this?

newGroup($name, $parent = DATATREE_ROOT)

deprecated in favor of using addGroup()

getGroup($gid)

deprecated -- no longer using group objects.

getGroupById($gid)

deprecated -- no longer using group objects.

getGroupShortName($group)

deprecated -- no need for short names...they're just confusing (K.I.S.S)

getGroupId($group)

deprecated -- no longer using group objects.

getGroupParents($gid)

deprecated in favor of always using flat lists.

getGroupParentList($gid)

deprecated in favor of getGroupParent()

listAllUsers($gid)

deprecated in favor of listUsers()

DatatreeObject_Group

All DatatreeObject_Group functionality has been moved to Group (Horde_Groups) to eliminate OO overhead.

setGroupOb(&$groupOb)

getId()

save()

addUser($username, $update = true)

removeUser($username, $update = true)

listUser()

listAllUsers()

getAuditLog()

clearAuditLog()