Exported variables

Presentation

Exported variables are the variables available to write rules and headers. They are extracted from the users database by the users module.

To create a variable, you’ve just to map a user attributes in LL::NG using Variables » Exported variables. For each variable, the first field is the name which will be used in rules, macros or headers and the second field is the name of the user database field.

Examples for LDAP:

Variable name	LDAP attribute
uid	uid
number	employeeNumber
name	sn

You can define exported variables for each module in the module configuration itself. Variables defined in the main Exported variables will be used for each backend. Variables defined in the exported variables node of the module will be used only for that module.

Tip

You can define environment variables in Exported variables, this allows one to populate user session with some environment values. Environment variables will not be queried in users database.

Extend variables using macros and groups

Macros and groups are computed during authentication process by the Portal:

• macros are used to extend (or rewrite) exported variables. A macro is stored as attributes: it can contain boolean results or any string

• macros can also be used for importing environment variables (these variables are in CGI format). Example: $ENV{HTTP_COOKIE}

• groups are stored as a string with values separated by ‘; ‘ (default multivalues separator) in the special attribute groups: it contains names of groups whose rules were returned true for the current user. For example:

Danger

Macros can be used for rewriting or overloading exported variables but it can lead to some side effects. Be aware of alphabetical order and keep in mind that exported variables are set. Then macros and groups are computed.

$groups = group3; admin

• You can also get groups in $hGroups which is a Hash Reference of this form:

$hGroups = {
          'group3' => {
                        'description' => [
                                           'Service 3',
                                           'Service 3 TEST'
                                         ],
                        'cn' => [
                                  'group3'
                                ],
                        'name' => 'group3'
                      },
          'admin' => {
                       'name' => 'admin'
                     }
        }

Example for macros:

# boolean macro
isAdmin -> $uid eq 'foo' or $uid eq 'bar'
# other macro
displayName -> $givenName." ".$surName

# Use a boolean macro in a rule
^/admin -> $isAdmin
# Use a string macro in a HTTP header
Display-Name -> $displayName

Defining a group for admins

# group
admin -> $uid eq 'foo' or $uid eq 'bar'

Using groups in a rule

^/admin -> $groups =~ /\badmin\b/

# Or with hGroups
^/admin -> defined $hGroups->{'admin'}

# Since 2.0.8
^/admin -> inGroup('admin')

Note

Groups are computed after macros, so a group rule may involve a macro value.

Warning

Macros and groups are computed in alphanumeric order, that is, in the order they are displayed in the manager. For example, macro “macro1” will be computed before macro “macro2”: so, expression of macro2 may involve value of macro1. As same for groups: a group rule may involve another, previously computed group.