Would it be useful to have `req.get_header_as_int()`?

[vytas7]

Sometimes it might be handy to easily get a header's value as int, where validation errors would automatically result in an HTTP 400, along the lines of req.get_header_as_datetime & req.get_param_as_int.

[CaselIT]

can't say I ever needed it, but the it should be pretty straight forward. Mostly a test exercize

[vytas7]

Actually, I needed it today -- hence the issue :rofl:

[ardaasln]

Hey @vytas7, I have been using falcon daily so I decided to contribute to it. This issue seems to be a good one for me to hop on initially to fully comprehend the repo. Let me know if you still believe that this is useful (which I never needed) so I can work on it

[CaselIT]

Hi @ardaasln

let's wait on @vytas7 opition, but re-reading this maybe we could have a more general get_header_as() method that takes the name of the header and a conversion function.

So one could use it as:

• get_header_as('foo', int)
• get_header_as('foo', float)
• get_header_as('foo', date.fromisocalendar)

the method would basically check if the header exists call the function and raise a 400 if the function raises?

Not sure if this is too magical to be useful though. Thoughts?

edit: well we already have a get_header_as_datetime, so I guess something like this would be a bit of an outlier

[vytas7]

Your idea is worth filing as a separate suggestion, although yeah, the framework already has many get_param_as_* and (not so many) get_header_as_* methods, so it may make sense to continue in the same vein.

Large projects probably want to use validation libraries on headers, params and media anyway.

I can understand that maybe this method is not needed at all. But if there is get_header_as_datetime(), maybe it makes sense to have get_header_as_int() too. Or should we wait until anyone actually needs it? (I have restructured the code in question, although I could have used this method if it existed.)

[ardaasln]

Even though it is not vital, for the sake of completeness and consistency I think it should be in there. One that is using get_param_as_int() unintentionally expects get_header_as_int()

[vytas7]

Implemented in #2117