MetaSearch: Allow use of proxy

[bstroebl]

Feature description

The MeaSeach core plugin does not work if the client running QGIS is behind a proxy. Best solution would be to use the proxy set in QGIS' network settings. I assume this would need the implementation of #24214 . A workaround could be to configure a proxy in the plugin's settings.
As is the plugin is unusable for any institutional QGIS' users, normally being situated behind a proxy.

Additional context

No response

[agiudiceandrea]

@bstroebl, as a workaround, does setting the environment varible HTTP_PROXY or HTTPS_PROXY work for your use case? See https://requests.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user/advanced/?highlight=proxies#proxies and https://docs.qgis.org/3.28/en/docs/user_manual/introduction/qgis_configuration.html#system-settings

[bstroebl]

@agiudiceandrea Thank you for your reply. Do you mean if setting the environment variable works technically or if it is feasible? Anyways, currently there is no defined use case. I am just checking out, if MeaSearch could be of use in an administrative context for several administrations of which I have neither information on the technical settings nor the potential users' personal capabilities. I am convinced at least some of them are behind a proxy but I doubt setting environment variables on every user's client is feasible. On the other hand I would expect them to be able to configure QGIS' proxy settings otherwise no Services like WMS would be available from servers on the internet.

[agiudiceandrea]

@bstroebl have you tested if setting such environment variable(s) in QGIS makes the MetaSearch plugin able to connect to Internet through a proxy? If not, could you please test it?
Considering that this would be a workaround, it seems to me that adding an environment variable in QGIS is no more difficult then changing a setting in QGIS.

[bstroebl]

Will try to test as I have to check out the proxy server's address first. Stay tuned.

[bstroebl]

Sorry, no news on this topic

[pathmapper]

does setting the environment varible HTTP_PROXY or HTTPS_PROXY work for your use case?

Setting these doesn't help in my case (simple http proxy without auth).

This should be labeled as a bug, there is already some logic to use QGIS proxy settings:

QGIS/python/plugins/MetaSearch/dialogs/maindialog.py

Lines 955 to 980 in d2a173f

	def install_proxy(self):
	"""set proxy if one is set in QGIS network settings"""
	# initially support HTTP for now
	if self.settings.value('/proxy/proxyEnabled') == 'true':
	if self.settings.value('/proxy/proxyType') == 'HttpProxy':
	ptype = 'http'
	else:
	return
	user = self.settings.value('/proxy/proxyUser')
	password = self.settings.value('/proxy/proxyPassword')
	host = self.settings.value('/proxy/proxyHost')
	port = self.settings.value('/proxy/proxyPort')
	proxy_up = ''
	proxy_port = ''
	if all([user != '', password != '']):
	proxy_up = f'{user}:{password}@'
	if port != '':
	proxy_port = ':%s' % port
	conn = f'{ptype}://{proxy_up}{host}{proxy_port}'
	install_opener(build_opener(ProxyHandler({ptype: conn})))

I've verified that proxy settings are correctly read in the code above by MetaSearch but it's not possible to make a connection to any service behind a proxy.

@tomkralidis any idea / hint what could be the issue?

[agiudiceandrea]

@pathmapper, have you set the HTTPS_PROXY environment variable? How have you set it?

[pathmapper]

have you set the HTTPS_PROXY environment variable? How have you set it?

Yep, in Settings -> Options -> System -> Environment

The error message displayed by MetaSearch is then different:

[agiudiceandrea]

@pathmapper, so this means that setting the *_PROXY environment variable actually changes the connection behavior. Anyway looking at the screenshots, it seems to me such variable are not properly set: they miss the "scheme" (http://) part. They should be something like http://proxy_user:proxy_password@proxy_host_ip:proxy_host_port.

[pathmapper]

@agiudiceandrea thanks, adding http:// to the value works :-)

So we are having a workaround 👍

Not sure if this fixes the use case of @bstroebl.