Technical proof-of-concept for using Jinja2 as a template language for API endpoints.

jinja2_http_extension.py

"""Proof of concept for adding external actions to Jinja2 templates

Demonstrates how control may be passed out of Jinja2 where additional
processing could occur and a value be passed back. Targetted use case is using
Jinja2 as a templating language for API endpoints.
"""
import os
import random
import string
import sys

import jinja2
import jinja2.ext
import requests

# Example of Jinja2 template code.
SOURCE = """{% set email = '[email protected]' %}
{% set url = 'http://haveibeenpwned.com/api/breachedaccount/' + email|urlencode %}
{% http get url into result as json %}
{% for site in result %}
    {{ site }}
{% endfor %}
"""


class HTTPExtension(jinja2.ext.Extension):
    """HTTP method extension for Jinja2 templates.

        {% http METHOD URL into NAME as TYPE %}

    Defers control out of template to the calling scope for exection of HTTP
    request. A Mutable object is also passed out to allow external scope to
    pass result back into template context.
    """

    tags = set(['http'])

    mutable = type('Mutable', (object,), {'__slots__': ('value',)})

    def __init__(self, environment):
        super(HTTPExtension, self).__init__(environment)

    def parse(self, parser):
        proxy = "_" + "".join(random.choice(string.letters) for i in range(16))
        lineno = parser.stream.next().lineno
        method = parser.stream.expect('name').value
        url = parser.parse_expression()
        _ = parser.stream.expect('name:into')
        target = parser.stream.next().value
        _ = parser.stream.expect('name:as')
        content = parser.stream.expect('name').value
        return [
            # Creates new mutable proxy object inside template context.
            jinja2.nodes.Assign(
                jinja2.nodes.Name(proxy, 'store'),
                jinja2.nodes.Call(
                    self.attr('mutable', lineno=lineno),
                    [], [], None, None)).set_lineno(lineno),
            # Pass control out to calling scope.
            jinja2.nodes.CallBlock(
                self.call_method('action', [
                    jinja2.nodes.Name(proxy, 'load'),
                    jinja2.nodes.Const(method),
                    url,
                    jinja2.nodes.Const(content)
                ]), [], [], []).set_lineno(lineno),
            # Retrives value and assigns it to final result target name.
            jinja2.nodes.Assign(
                jinja2.nodes.Name(target, 'store'),
                jinja2.nodes.Getattr(
                    jinja2.nodes.Name(proxy, 'load'), 'value', 'load')
                ).set_lineno(lineno)
        ]

    def action(self, proxy, method, url, content, caller):
        def closure():
            request = getattr(requests, method)
            response = request(url)
            data = getattr(response, content)
            if callable(data):
                data = data()
            proxy.value = data
        return closure


if __name__ == '__main__':

    # Create Environment, with the HTTP extension, and load sample template
    # code.
    env = jinja2.Environment(trim_blocks=True, lstrip_blocks=True,
            extensions=[HTTPExtension])
    tmpl = env.from_string(SOURCE)

    # Iteratively process the template in blocks using the template generator.
    # If the generator returns a callable, call it. Otherwise, print the
    # object to standard out.
    for event in tmpl.generate():
        if callable(event):
            event()
        else:
            sys.stdout.write(event)