Development:MNET 2.0 - Revision history

Mudrd8mz: Added into category MNET

2010-07-13T20:39:56Z

Added into category MNET

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:39, 13 July 2010
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	The relevant bug is MDL-21256		The relevant bug is MDL-21256

			[[Category:MNET]]

Mjollnir: /* Method signatures */

2010-03-16T08:50:56Z

Method signatures

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:50, 16 March 2010
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	The method signature code used to use a string tokeniser to parse the php files that contained mnet services and store information about them in the database. This was unreliable and slow. We've switched to using php5's reflection utilities, which gives us '''some''' information about the code, and the Zend_Server Reflection to get the rest. This uses the native php5 reflection, as well as parsing the phpdoc blocks to find information about the types of function arguments, and the return values.		The method signature code used to use a string tokeniser to parse the php files that contained mnet services and store information about them in the database. This was unreliable and slow. We've switched to using php5's reflection utilities, which gives us '''some''' information about the code, and the Zend_Server Reflection to get the rest. This uses the native php5 reflection, as well as parsing the phpdoc blocks to find information about the types of function arguments, and the return values.

			'''Important: this means that you ''must'' write phpdocs in the correct format, otherwise a php warning will be generated'''

	Because of this, we can now reliably include both argument types and return value information in the method signature, where previously only arguments had been included (and in the case of no arguments, the return value had previously been erroneously used).		Because of this, we can now reliably include both argument types and return value information in the method signature, where previously only arguments had been included (and in the case of no arguments, the return value had previously been erroneously used).

Mjollnir: /* Introduction */

2010-02-16T23:50:02Z

Introduction

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:50, 16 February 2010
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	There are still things to do before 2.0 is released, so this page is a work in progress.		There are still things to do before 2.0 is released, so this page is a work in progress.

	See [ http://tracker.moodle.org/secure/IssueNavigator.jspa?reset=true&&pid=10011&fixfor=10122&status=5&status=6&component=10162&sorter/field=updated&sorter/order=DESC this list] for all closed 2.0 MNET bugs.		See [http://tracker.moodle.org/secure/IssueNavigator.jspa?reset=true&&pid=10011&fixfor=10122&status=5&status=6&component=10162&sorter/field=updated&sorter/order=DESC this list] for all closed 2.0 MNET bugs.

	== Backwards Compatibility Breaks ==		== Backwards Compatibility Breaks ==

Mjollnir at 23:49, 16 February 2010

2010-02-16T23:49:16Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:49, 16 February 2010
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	There are still things to do before 2.0 is released, so this page is a work in progress.		There are still things to do before 2.0 is released, so this page is a work in progress.

			See [ http://tracker.moodle.org/secure/IssueNavigator.jspa?reset=true&&pid=10011&fixfor=10122&status=5&status=6&component=10162&sorter/field=updated&sorter/order=DESC this list] for all closed 2.0 MNET bugs.

	== Backwards Compatibility Breaks ==		== Backwards Compatibility Breaks ==

Mjollnir: /* Other code changes */

2010-02-16T23:45:38Z

Other code changes

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:45, 16 February 2010
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	== Other code changes ==		== Other code changes ==

			=== Removal of all MNET globals ===

			There were two regularly used MNET globals, $MNET and $MNET_REMOTE_CLIENT. These have both been removed, and replaced with get_mnet_environment and get_mnet_remote_client functions, which are available in the global scope. The mnet remote client object is '''only''' set at the start of mnet/xmlrpc/server.php, and if it is attempted to be accessed outside of the mnet xmlrpc server environment, an error will occur. This will be a debugging() level error in the case of trying to get the mnet remote client object, and an exception if trying to set it.

			The last MNET global was only used in one place, and it related to the jump url of a given user. This was used in rewriting urls in a preg_replace_callback in email_to_user. This has been replaced with no global and a partially bound function. PHP has no native partial binding, but a workaround has been recently added to HEAD.

			See the following bugs about this:

			* MDL-21130
			* MDL-21276
			* MDL-21255

			=== Conditional MNET environment bootstrapping ===

			Previously any time you included mnet/lib.php, the mnet environment was bootstrapped. This is not ideal as it adds a lot of unnecessary overhead. Now any time you need any bit of the mnet environment, you must do $mnet = get_mnet_environment. Note that this replaces the old $MNET global, but it is no longer always bootstrapped for you.

			See the following bug about this:

			* MDL-21276

			=== Removal of library code from mnet/xmlrpc/server.php ===

			mnet/xmlrpc/server.php used to contain both functional code and library code, and I always found it annoying reading through what should have been a simple script, which was hundreds of lines long, so I moved all the functions into mnet/xmlrpc/serverlib.php in case they needed to be reused.

			=== Better debugging ===

			There is now an mnet_debug function which will print to the error log. MNET previously used trigger_error in places, which raises a PHP-level notice/warning/error. This is not helpful in all cases, because of ini settings, or log targets. In particular if php errors are going to STDOUT, this will cause problems in the XMLRPC responses. The mnet_debug function takes any sort of argument (it will recursively call itself for objects and arrays) and a debuglevel. This is controlled by $CFG->mnet_rpcdebug, which is a config.php only setting (and has been there since before the MNET overhaul)

	== Administrative changes ==		== Administrative changes ==

Mjollnir: /* Administrative changes */

2010-02-16T23:26:46Z

Administrative changes

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:26, 16 February 2010
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	=== New Networking Test Client ===		=== New Networking Test Client ===

			Previously there was a hidden MNET test client that could only be accessed via url directly by administrators. This has been cleaned up, rewritten to work with the method signature and placed under the Development Menu in the main Administration Block. This can be used to perform introspection on remote hosts and find out what methods are available and what their method signatures are. It is very helpful for debugging MNET.

			This was done as part of MDL-21261

	=== Removal of 'auto create users' configuration option ===		=== Removal of 'auto create users' configuration option ===

			Under the configuration screen for the MNET authentication plugin, there was previously a setting called 'auto add remote users'. As far as I can understand, there was never a case where this should have been off, so it has been removed now.

			See the following forum post: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=141491 and the bug: MDL-21327

			=== Reworked MNET administration screens ===

			Most of admin/mnet has been updated to use Moodle Forms and the new Output API. This should not result in functional changes, but there may be some smaller aesthetic ones. Not all screens have been rewritten yet.

			The relevant bug is MDL-21256

Mjollnir: /* Administrative changes */

2010-02-16T04:22:18Z

Administrative changes

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:22, 16 February 2010
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	== Administrative changes ==		== Administrative changes ==

			=== New Networking Test Client ===

			=== Removal of 'auto create users' configuration option ===

Mjollnir: Developmnet:MNET 2.0 moved to Development:MNET 2.0

2010-02-16T04:21:03Z

Developmnet:MNET 2.0 moved to Development:MNET 2.0

← Older revision	Revision as of 04:21, 16 February 2010
(No difference)

Mjollnir: /* Method signatures */

2010-02-16T03:53:23Z

Method signatures

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:53, 16 February 2010
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	Which, although it is unarguably more informative and clearer, is a backwards compatibility break. This information is what is sent as the response to the system/methodSignature xmlrpc method. The only place this is used '''within Moodle''', however, is in the old testclient.php, which was present in code, but not linked to from anywhere. This has been changed and is covered under Administrative changes.		Which, although it is unarguably more informative and clearer, is a backwards compatibility break. This information is what is sent as the response to the system/methodSignature xmlrpc method. The only place this is used '''within Moodle''', however, is in the old testclient.php, which was present in code, but not linked to from anywhere. This has been changed and is covered under Administrative changes.

			See the following bugs about this:

			* MDL-21261

	== Other code changes ==		== Other code changes ==

	== Administrative changes ==		== Administrative changes ==

Mjollnir: /* Plugins registering MNET services */

2010-02-16T03:47:36Z

Plugins registering MNET services

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:47, 16 February 2010
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	);		);

	<code>		</code>

	Note that there is a unsymmetricality between the methods that are published and the methods that are subscribed to. '''This is new''' .		Note that there is a unsymmetricality between the methods that are published and the methods that are subscribed to. '''This is new''' .