LDIF: Modify attr if exists; Add if not exists

Question

Is there a way to do one of the following in an LDIF file?

• Ignore error (attr not found) when trying to delete an attribute

Or:

• If attribute exists, modify it
• If it doesn't exist, add it

Answer 1

The right way to do this is simply using the replace action

dn: ...
changetype: modify
replace: attributeName
attributeName: xxx

Answer 2

ldapmodify has a -c flag:

-c         continuous operation mode (do not stop on errors)

... which I guess should take care of your first point.

Answer 3

dn: ...
changetype: modify
add: attributeName
attributeName: xxx
-
delete: attributeName 
attributeName: value
-
delete: attributeOther

May also work for you. This allows multiple operations while listing the DN once.