[development] Rules action to impersonate a user

[Earnie Boyd]

drupal_static() is not equivalent to PHP static.  The example you've
given is using PHP static and yes, it will not be available in another
function.

http://api.drupal.org/api/drupal/includes%21bootstrap.inc/function/drupal_static/7

On Mon, Jan 21, 2013 at 11:21 AM, Lluís Forns <enboig at gmail.com> wrote:
> I know we are going OT, but I also want to understand this;
>
> what about:
>
>
> function mymodule_complex_calculation() {
>   static $cache;
>   if (isset($cache)) {
>     return $cache;
>   }
>   // Otherwise we need to perform our calculations
>   // ...some complex calculation that returns
>   $cache = complex_calculation();
>   return $cache;
> }
>
>
> http://techblog.zabuchy.net/2011/enhancing-drupal-performance-with-drupal_static/
>
> You are saying that if I instantiate a variable in "mymodule_impersonate()"
> it will not be available in "mymodule_unimpersonate()"?
>
>
> 2013/1/21 Earnie Boyd <earnie at users.sourceforge.net>
>>
>> You "think" wrongly.  A static variable has local scope to the
>> function declaring the static variable.
>>
>> On Mon, Jan 21, 2013 at 11:03 AM, Lluís Forns <enboig at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > I think static are also available to other functions, use them to store
>> > cached information across my code and they work.
>> >
>> >
>> > 2013/1/21 Darren Oh <darrenoh at sidepotsinternational.com>
>> >>
>> >> Static variables are only saved for a single function. Global variables
>> >> are available to all functions during a single page request. Session
>> >> variables are available to all page requests during a session.
>> >>
>> >> On Jan 21, 2013, at 10:08 AM, Lluís Forns wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Darren, thanks for the link. What is the difference between using
>> >> global
>> >> or static to save the data?
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> 2013/1/21 Lluís Forns <enboig at gmail.com>
>> >>>
>> >>> My code was from a module where impersonation recursively could
>> >>> happen,
>> >>> this is why I use a stack to save user state. I am also saving it to
>> >>> session
>> >>> and not using a static variable because I may uses batch functions.
>> >>>
>> >>> But I see some problems right now:
>> >>> - To be safe impersonation should be saved into static variables (and
>> >>> "using session_save_session(FALSE);" ), so if anything goes wrong,
>> >>> $user is
>> >>> not afected.
>> >>> - If I want to be able to execute every Rules action in a batch, I
>> >>> need
>> >>> to change user "per action"
>> >>>
>> >>> Any idea of how to "inject" code before and after a rule action?
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> 2013/1/21 Walt Daniels <wdlists at gmail.com>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> We do the latter simple trick in our store code so we can show people
>> >>>> the member prices. We have a dummy id that is a member so we switch
>> >>>> to it,
>> >>>> pick up the price and use it so we can show both member and
>> >>>> non-member
>> >>>> prices on the screen.
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> On Mon, Jan 21, 2013 at 9:18 AM, Christian López Espínola
>> >>>> <penyaskito at computer.org> wrote:
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Haven't tested your code, but maybe you want to take a look at
>> >>>>> masquerade_switch_user and masquerade_switch_back:
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> http://drupalcode.org/project/masquerade.git/blob/HEAD:/masquerade.module.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> And if the impersonation is only for the given request, maybe just
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>  global $user;
>> >>>>>  $previous = $user;
>> >>>>>  $user = user_load($uid);
>> >>>>> // Do your stuff.
>> >>>>>  $user = $previous;
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> would work.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> On Mon, Jan 21, 2013 at 10:37 AM, Lluís Forns <enboig at gmail.com>
>> >>>>> wrote:
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Some of my scheduled task needs to run as the user who triggered
>> >>>>>> them
>> >>>>>> (not anonymous neither admin); so I thought of writing two actions:
>> >>>>>> - One to impersonate a user, which will receive uid as an argument.
>> >>>>>> - Another to undo the impersonate.
>> >>>>>> All the called actions should be between them.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Anybody see any fault in this idea or the actions code?
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Thanks.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> function wu_action_impersonate($uid) {
>> >>>>>>   global $user;
>> >>>>>>   if (!array_key_exists('wu_action_impersonate', $_SESSION)) {
>> >>>>>>     $_SESSION['wu_action_impersonate'] = array();
>> >>>>>>   }
>> >>>>>>   array_push($_SESSION['wu_action_impersonate'], $user);
>> >>>>>>   session_save_session(FALSE);
>> >>>>>>   $user = user_load($uid);
>> >>>>>>   user_load($uid);
>> >>>>>> }
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> function wu_action_unimpersonate() {
>> >>>>>>   global $user;
>> >>>>>>   if (array_key_exists('wu_action_impersonate', $_SESSION)) {
>> >>>>>>     if (!empty($_SESSION['wu_action_impersonate'])) {
>> >>>>>>       $user = array_pop($_SESSION['wu_action_impersonate']);
>> >>>>>>     }
>> >>>>>>     if (empty($_SESSION['wu_action_impersonate'])) {
>> >>>>>>       unset($_SESSION['wu_action_impersonate']);
>> >>>>>>     }
>> >>>>>>   }
>> >>>>>>   session_save_session(TRUE);
>> >>>>>> }
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> --
>> >>>>>> *Ser freak no és imprescindible per ser informàtic, però ajuda.
>> >>>>>> *La vida no ha de ser feliç, ha de ser plena.
>> >>>>>> *Abans d'imprimir aquest missatge, pensa en el medi ambient.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> --
>> >>>>> Cheers,
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Christian López Espínola <penyaskito AT computer DOT org>
>> >>>>> http://twitter.com/penyaskito | http://penyaskito.com
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> --
>> >>> *Ser freak no és imprescindible per ser informàtic, però ajuda.
>> >>> *La vida no ha de ser feliç, ha de ser plena.
>> >>> *Abans d'imprimir aquest missatge, pensa en el medi ambient.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> *Ser freak no és imprescindible per ser informàtic, però ajuda.
>> >> *La vida no ha de ser feliç, ha de ser plena.
>> >> *Abans d'imprimir aquest missatge, pensa en el medi ambient.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > *Ser freak no és imprescindible per ser informàtic, però ajuda.
>> > *La vida no ha de ser feliç, ha de ser plena.
>> > *Abans d'imprimir aquest missatge, pensa en el medi ambient.
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Earnie
>> -- https://sites.google.com/site/earnieboyd
>
>
>
>
> --
> *Ser freak no és imprescindible per ser informàtic, però ajuda.
> *La vida no ha de ser feliç, ha de ser plena.
> *Abans d'imprimir aquest missatge, pensa en el medi ambient.



-- 
Earnie
-- https://sites.google.com/site/earnieboyd