function get_current_user
Retrieves the current user's email from the Flask session if authenticated, otherwise returns 'anonymous'.
/tf/active/vicechatdev/vice_ai/new_app.py
356 - 360
simple
Purpose
This function provides a centralized way to get the current user's identifier (email) from the session. It's used for tracking user actions, logging, and authorization checks throughout a Flask web application. The function depends on a separate is_authenticated() function to verify authentication status before accessing session data.
Source Code
def get_current_user():
"""Get current user from session"""
if is_authenticated():
return session.get('user', {}).get('email', 'anonymous')
return 'anonymous'
Return Value
Returns a string representing the current user. If the user is authenticated and has an email in the session, returns that email address. If the user is not authenticated or no email is found in the session, returns the string 'anonymous'.
Dependencies
flask
Required Imports
from flask import session
Usage Example
from flask import Flask, session
app = Flask(__name__)
app.secret_key = 'your-secret-key'
def is_authenticated():
return 'user' in session and session['user'].get('authenticated', False)
def get_current_user():
if is_authenticated():
return session.get('user', {}).get('email', 'anonymous')
return 'anonymous'
@app.route('/profile')
def profile():
current_user = get_current_user()
return f'Current user: {current_user}'
# Example with authenticated session
with app.test_request_context():
with app.test_client() as client:
with client.session_transaction() as sess:
sess['user'] = {'email': 'user@example.com', 'authenticated': True}
user = get_current_user()
print(user) # Output: 'user@example.com'
Best Practices
- Ensure is_authenticated() function is properly implemented before using this function
- Always set Flask's SECRET_KEY in production to secure session data
- Consider using more robust user identification (user ID) instead of email for internal operations
- This function assumes a specific session structure with nested dictionaries - ensure consistency across the application
- Handle the 'anonymous' return value appropriately in calling code to prevent unauthorized access
- Consider adding type hints for better code documentation: def get_current_user() -> str:
- For production use, consider logging failed authentication attempts or session access issues
Tags
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