public abstract class SearchTerm
extends java.lang.Object
implements java.io.Serializable

Search criteria are expressed as a tree of search-terms, forming a parse-tree for the search expression.

Search-terms are represented by this class. This is an abstract class; subclasses implement specific match methods.

Search terms are serializable, which allows storing a search term between sessions. Warning: Serialized objects of this class may not be compatible with future Jakarta Mail API releases. The current serialization support is appropriate for short term storage.