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3.1.4.7 Ambiguous Name Resolution

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Ambiguous name resolution (ANR) is a process by which a server maps a string to a specific object in a specific address book container. The string is provided by the client and is interpreted by the server as specified in section 3.1.4.3.

The specific algorithm used to map the string to an object is not prescribed by this protocol and is left to each server instance to define as local policy. The intended usage is an end user of a computer program entering free-form text and finding a unique object in an address book most closely matching the user's requirements. The specific result of an ANR process is a Minimal Entry ID. There are three possible outcomes to the ANR process:

  1. If the server is unable to map the string to any objects in the address book, the result of the ANR process is the Minimal Entry ID with the value MID_UNRESOLVED.

  2. If the server is able to map the string to more than one object in the address book, the result of the ANR process is the Minimal Entry ID with the value MID_AMBIGUOUS.

  3. If the server is able to map the string to exactly one object in the address book, the result of the ANR process is the Minimal Entry ID with the value MID_RESOLVED.

The server MUST map the NULL string to the Minimal Entry ID MID_UNRESOLVED.

The server MUST map a zero-length string to the Minimal Entry ID MID_UNRESOLVED.