error "!deref=secretary: event not found"

[Zhang Weiwu <zhangweiwu@realss.com>]

It seems few use deref overlay. This feature is mentioned on feature listâ, 
but there is no manual for the overlay; only one line is about it in 
ldapsearch(1) manual. In the last years, only one person mentioned it in 
2009 on this mailing list, and his question was unanswered.

I observed this is the way it is supposed to work:

$ ldapsearch -E deref=secretary:sn

Would put the surname of the secretary as the value of 'secretary' attribute.

In reality this search extension errs with a confusing "event not found":

	$ ldapsearch -x -E !deref=secretary:sn cn=Betsy secretary
	bash: !deref=secretary: event not found

A TCP dump shows the surname of the secretary was not mentioned. Here is the 
data I am experimenting with, very minimalism:

	$ ldapsearch -x objectClass=pilotPerson
	# extended LDIF
	#
	# LDAPv3
	# base <dc=example,dc=com> (default) with scope subtree
	# filter: objectClass=pilotPerson
	# requesting: ALL
	#

	# David, editors
	dn: cn=David,ou=editors,dc=example,dc=com
	cn: David
	objectClass: pilotPerson
	objectClass: person
	objectClass: top
	sn: Jones

	# Betsy, editors
	dn: cn=Betsy,ou=editors,dc=example,dc=com
	cn: Betsy
	objectClass: pilotPerson
	objectClass: person
	objectClass: top
	sn: Shwan
	secretary: cn=David,ou=editors,dc=example,dc=com

	# search result
	search: 2
	result: 0 Success

	# numResponses: 3
	# numEntries: 2

Any hint on how to make it work? Or more importantly, was there anyone using 
the overlay at all??

Thanks.

P.S. the email subject intends to guide googlers to land in this discussion.

â http://www.openldap.org/faq/data/cache/645.html