### Filter Editor dialog

To edit complex and nested filters you could use the filter editor dialog. It provides syntax highlighting, content assistance and a formatter for nested filters.

#### Syntax coloring

Syntax coloring helps you to distinguish the different elements of an LDAP filter. The following colors and fonts are used:

Element | Color
--- | ---
opening and closing parenthesis | black and bold
filter operator (& | !) | green and bold
attribute | violett
filter type | red and bold
assertion value | blue

#### Content assistance and code completion

The filter editor provides the following helpful features when editing an LDAP filter:

- Automatically adds and removes opening and closing parenthesis: just start typing the attribute or filter operator.

- Hit Strg-Space to open a list of available code completions, press Esc to close the list.

- Attribute completion: when typing an attribute, e.g. "tel" a list with attributes that start with the "tel" is opened.

- Object class completion: if the attribute is objectClass a list with available object classes is opened.

- Matching rule completion: for filters with extensible matching a list with available matching rules is provided.

#### Formatting

In the filter editor it is possible to format complex and nested filters. The formatter is invoked by pressing the Format button and formats the filter the following way:

- Each filter item gets its own line.

- Each level of a nested filter is intended according to the level.

When opening the editor the filter is formatted automatically. When pressing OK the line breaks and white-spaces are removed.