How to use Django's RemoteUserBackend?

Question

According to http://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/howto/auth-remote-user/

you can automatically create and login a user simply by setting the username in the HTTP variable REMOTE_USER and making the following modifications (the bold text is what I've added):

In settings.py:
...
...

MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = [
    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfResponseMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
    'forum.middleware.extended_user.ExtendedUser',
    'forum.middleware.anon_user.ConnectToSessionMessagesMiddleware',
    'forum.middleware.request_utils.RequestUtils',
    'forum.middleware.cancel.CancelActionMiddleware',
    'forum.middleware.admin_messages.AdminMessagesMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.transaction.TransactionMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.RemoteUserMiddleware',
]

...
...

AUTHENTICATION_BACKENDS = ['django.contrib.auth.backends.RemoteUserBackend',]

OSQA/Django is not creating and logging in the user. Am I missing something?

I know that the HTTP variable REMOTE_USER is actually set because it appears in log/django.osqa.log.

Answer 1

The last piece of the puzzle, using helpful hint from http://meta.osqa.net/questions/5508/integration-with-existing-django-installation-how-to-deal-with-existing-users

In forum/middleware/extended_user.py:


from django.contrib.auth.middleware import AuthenticationMiddleware
from django.contrib.auth import logout, authenticate, login
from forum.models.user import User, AnonymousUser
from forum.views.auth import forward_suspended_user, login_and_forward
import logging
class ExtendedUser(AuthenticationMiddleware):
    def process_request(self, request):
        super(ExtendedUser, self).process_request(request)
        if request.user.is_authenticated():
            try:
                request.user = request.user.user

            if request.user.is_suspended():
                user = request.user
                logout(request)
                return forward_suspended_user(request, user)

return None

except User.DoesNotExist:
            osqa_user = User(username=request.META['HTTP_REMOTE_USER'], email=request.META['HTTP_REMOTE_EMAIL'], user_ptr_id=request.user.pk)
            osqa_user.save()
            request.user = osqa_user
            return None

except Exception, e:
            import traceback
            logging.error("Unable to convert auth_user %s to forum_user: \\n%s" % (
                            request.user.id, traceback.format_exc()
            ))
            return None

request.user = AnonymousUser()
    return None

How to use Django's RemoteUserBackend?

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