[Web-SIG] Pre-PEP: Python Web Container Interface v1.0

[Ng Pheng Siong]

On Mon, Dec 08, 2003 at 09:57:34AM -0500, Phillip J. Eby wrote:
> >+1 for None.
> >
> >Zope is able to use REMOTE_USER if the web server sets it, e.g.,
> 
> But what does it do if it's set to 'None'?  

Let's see...

  ~/pkg/zope262/lib/python/ZPublisher$ egrep -i remote_user *.py

  BaseRequest.py:    elif request.environ.has_key('REMOTE_USER'):
  BaseRequest.py:        name=request.environ['REMOTE_USER']
  HTTPRequest.py:        'REMOTE_USER' : 1,
  Publish.py:        if realm and not request.get('REMOTE_USER',None):

If it is None, Zope does nothing about it, I suppose.

ZServerSSL...

    def get_environment(self, request):
        env = zhttps0_handler.get_environment(self, request)
        peer = request.channel.get_peer_cert()
        if peer is not None:
            env['REMOTE_USER'] = str(peer.get_subject())
        return env

(Oh, ok, it's just a setter. I'd forgotten.)

ZServerSSL sets REMOTE_USER for RemoteUserFolder's consumption.


> Compatibility with the vast existing app framework code base demands that 
> environ values *must* be strings, or else not present.  (Guess I should add 
> that to the spec.)

Looking at RemoteUserFolder:

        name = request.environ.get('REMOTE_USER', None)
        name = self.normalizeName(name)
        #LOG('RemoteUserFolder', INFO, 'validate %s' % str(name) )        
        if name is None:
            ...

Well, the plural of `anecdote' is not `data' ;-), but it does seem to me
the following 2 styles will be dominant:

1)
    x = dict.get('XX', None)
    if x is None:
        ...

2)
    if dict.has_key('XX'):
        ...

So I'm guessing it is not terribly important whether it is '' or None.

Cheers.

-- 
Ng Pheng Siong <ngps at netmemetic.com> 

http://firewall.rulemaker.net     -+- All Your Rulebase Are Belong To You[tm]
http://sandbox.rulemaker.net/ngps -+- Open Source Python Crypto & SSL