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Get current user without a request object

Author:
t_rybik
Posted:
August 30, 2010
Language:
Python
Version:
1.2
Score:
-1 (after 5 ratings)

Mechanism to obtain a request.user object without the request object itself. Requires LocalUserMiddleware in MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES settings variable.

Important: works under assumption that within a web server each request is handled by a separate thread (as for example in the Apache HTTP server).

Beware: security threat, although "thread locals only appears to be a security threat if a system has already been seriously compromised, at which point there'd be easier attacks to execute".

Dev note: works fine with one-threaded Django's development server, each request resets current user; no worries 'bout many media requests - they won't (at least shouldn't) be using Django on the production server.

Ref: originally found in the gatekeeper app. 

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from django.conf import settings
USER_ATTR_NAME = getattr(settings, 'LOCAL_USER_ATTR_NAME', '_current_user')

try:
    from threading import local
except ImportError:
    from django.utils._threading_local import local
_thread_locals = local()

from new import instancemethod
def _do_set_current_user(user_fun):
    setattr(_thread_locals, USER_ATTR_NAME, instancemethod(user_fun, _thread_locals, type(_thread_locals)))

def _set_current_user(user=None):
    '''
    Sets current user in local thread.

    Can be used as a hook e.g. for shell jobs (when request object is not
    available).
    '''
    _do_set_current_user(lambda self: user)

class LocalUserMiddleware(object):
    def process_request(self, request):
        # request.user closure; asserts laziness; memoization is implemented in
        # request.user (non-data descriptor)
        _do_set_current_user(lambda self: getattr(request, 'user', None))

def get_current_user():
    current_user = getattr(_thread_locals, USER_ATTR_NAME, None)
    return current_user() if current_user else current_user

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Comments

diverman (on August 30, 2010):

This is very old, so "not useful".

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xurwxj (on August 30, 2010):

will surfacing with cache problem

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t_rybik (on September 3, 2010):

@xurwxj: what kind of cache problems, could you elaborate?

@diverman: what old has to do with usefulness? Is there a modern way to do it?

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t_rybik (on March 11, 2011):

@alisue: the link you've posted is attached in snippet description and commented upon.

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