Use PHP interfaces for user backends (and not implementsAction magic)

[MorrisJobke]

• provide a proper interface for the user backend to be implemented
• currently you need to implement some stuff of OCP\UserInterface (which should be named UserBackend), OC_User_Backend and some magic methods that are defined here:

  core/lib/private/user/backend.php

  Lines 83 to 92 in 933f60e

  	protected $possibleActions = array(
  	self::CREATE_USER => 'createUser',
  	self::SET_PASSWORD => 'setPassword',
  	self::CHECK_PASSWORD => 'checkPassword',
  	self::GET_HOME => 'getHome',
  	self::GET_DISPLAYNAME => 'getDisplayName',
  	self::SET_DISPLAYNAME => 'setDisplayName',
  	self::PROVIDE_AVATAR => 'canChangeAvatar',
  	self::COUNT_USERS => 'countUsers',
  	);

We should move all of the implementsAction magic into proper interfaces that then could be checked on a language level rather than some magic methods that return a binary string to announce what is implemented.

cc @blizzz @butonic We talked about this already.

[DeepDiver1975]

with 9.1 we want to introduce the central user account table - this will have major impact on the user backend interfaces - good point in time to cleanup

[DeepDiver1975]

move to 9.2

[labkode]

@DeepDiver1975 @MorrisJobke @PVince81
What is the best way to implement an IUserBackend and IGroupBackend ?
The solution we have now is a patch of the user_ldap app but we would like to have our own implementations easily attachable like the sharing provider.

Our implementation will retrieve users and groups from a custom service.

Thanks in advance

[DeepDiver1975]

@labkode for user backend go this way:

class CernUserBackend implements \OCP\IUserBackend implements \OCP\UserBackend {
}

[DeepDiver1975]

and for groups backend:

class CernGroupBackend implements \OCP\GroupInterface {
}

[labkode]

@DeepDiver1975 Thanks a lot Thomas.
After implementing these interfaces, how can we connect them to ownCloud core?
I have found these two methods:

\OC::$server->getGroupManager()->addBackend(\OCP\GroupInterface);
\OC::$server->getUserManager()->registerBackend(\OCP\UserInterface);

Is this the correct way to include our implementation?

[DeepDiver1975]

This is one option - but you can also use the config option - see https://github.com/owncloud/apps/tree/master/user_external#ftp

[labkode]

Thanks Thomas, that makes much more sense

[labkode]

@DeepDiver1975 Hi Thomas,

the user_external for users works really well out of the box, is there anything similar to plug-in our group backend with the same smoothness to avoid \OC::$server->getUserManager()->registerBackend(\OCP\UserInterface);?

[DeepDiver1975]

the user_external for users works really well out of the box, is there anything similar to plug-in our group backend with the same smoothness to

no - not yet 🙈

[PVince81]

@jvillafanez oh, look what I found... as we were just talking about this in #26750

I see at least three interfaces:

• methods for read-only group + members provider
• methods for read-write group management
• methods for read-write group members management

[jvillafanez]

• methods for read-write group management
• methods for read-write group members management

I don't see an use case where different interfaces are needed for this. If you are able to create a group, you should be able to populate it. Although you could add members to existing groups even though you can't create new groups... 🤔

In any case, the naming and the inheritance tree (if any) must be as clear as possible.

[PVince81]

missed opportunity to cleanup.

Moving to backlog for now unless someone else finds time to clean this up as part of another task.

[stale]

This issue has been automatically closed.