Improve the modules doc

docs/SUMMARY.md

@@ -37,11 +37,13 @@
     - [URL Previews](url_previews.md)
     - [User Directory](user_directory.md)
     - [Message Retention Policies](message_retention_policies.md)
-    - [Pluggable Modules](modules.md)
-      - [Third Party Rules]()
-      - [Spam Checker](spam_checker.md)
-      - [Presence Router](presence_router_module.md)
-      - [Media Storage Providers]()
+    - [Pluggable Modules](modules/index.md)
+      - [Writing a module](modules/writing_a_module.md)
+        - [Spam checker callbacks](modules/spam_checker_callbacks.md)
+        - [Third-party rules callbacks](modules/third_party_rules_callbacks.md)
+        - [Presence router callbacks](modules/presence_router_callbacks.md)
+        - [Account validity callbacks](modules/account_validity_callbacks.md)
+        - [Porting a legacy module to the new interface](modules/porting_legacy_module.md)
     - [Workers](workers.md)
       - [Using `synctl` with Workers](synctl_workers.md)
       - [Systemd](systemd-with-workers/README.md)

docs/modules/account_validity_callbacks.md

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+# Account validity callbacks
+
+Account validity callbacks allow module developers to add extra steps to verify the
+validity on an account, i.e. see if a user can be granted access to their account on the
+Synapse instance. Account validity callbacks can be registered using the module API's
+`register_account_validity_callbacks` method.
+
+The available account validity callbacks are:
+
+```python
+async def is_user_expired(user: str) -> Optional[bool]
+```
+
+Called when processing any authenticated request (except for logout requests). The module
+can return a `bool` to indicate whether the user has expired and should be locked out of
+their account, or `None` if the module wasn't able to figure it out. The user is
+represented by their Matrix user ID (e.g. `@alice:example.com`).
+
+If the module returns `True`, the current request will be denied with the error code
+`ORG_MATRIX_EXPIRED_ACCOUNT` and the HTTP status code 403. Note that this doesn't
+invalidate the user's access token.
+
+```python
+async def on_user_registration(user: str) -> None
+```
+
+Called after successfully registering a user, in case the module needs to perform extra
+operations to keep track of them. (e.g. add them to a database table). The user is
+represented by their Matrix user ID.

docs/modules/index.md

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+# Modules
+
+Synapse supports extending its functionality by configuring external modules.
+
+## Using modules
+
+To use a module on Synapse, add it to the `modules` section of the configuration file:
+
+```yaml
+modules:
+  - module: my_super_module.MySuperClass
+    config:
+      do_thing: true
+  - module: my_other_super_module.SomeClass
+    config: {}
+```
+
+Each module is defined by a path to a Python class as well as a configuration. This
+information for a given module should be available in the module's own documentation.
+
+**Note**: When using third-party modules, you effectively allow someone else to run
+custom code on your Synapse homeserver. Server admins are encouraged to verify the
+provenance of the modules they use on their homeserver and make sure the modules aren't
+running malicious code on their instance.
+
+Also note that we are currently in the process of migrating module interfaces to this
+system. While some interfaces might be compatible with it, others still require
+configuring modules in another part of Synapse's configuration file.
+
+Currently, only the following pre-existing interfaces are compatible with this new system:
+
+* spam checker
+* third-party rules
+* presence router

docs/modules/porting_legacy_module.md

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+# Porting an existing module that uses the old interface
+
+In order to port a module that uses Synapse's old module interface, its author needs to:
+
+* ensure the module's callbacks are all asynchronous.
+* register their callbacks using one or more of the `register_[...]_callbacks` methods
+  from the `ModuleApi` class in the module's `__init__` method (see [this section](writing_a_module.html#registering-a-callback)
+  for more info).
+
+Additionally, if the module is packaged with an additional web resource, the module
+should register this resource in its `__init__` method using the `register_web_resource`
+method from the `ModuleApi` class (see [this section](writing_a_module.html#registering-a-web-resource) for
+more info).
+
+The module's author should also update any example in the module's configuration to only
+use the new `modules` section in Synapse's configuration file (see [this section](index.html#using-modules)
+for more info).

docs/modules/presence_router_callbacks.md

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+# Presence router callbacks
+
+Presence router callbacks allow module developers to specify additional users (local or remote)
+to receive certain presence updates from local users. Presence router callbacks can be 
+registered using the module API's `register_presence_router_callbacks` method.
+
+The available presence router callbacks are:
+
+```python 
+async def get_users_for_states(
+    self,
+    state_updates: Iterable["synapse.api.UserPresenceState"],
+) -> Dict[str, Set["synapse.api.UserPresenceState"]]:
+```
+**Requires** `get_interested_users` to also be registered
+
+Called when processing updates to the presence state of one or more users. This callback can
+be used to instruct the server to forward that presence state to specific users. The module
+must return a dictionary that maps from Matrix user IDs (which can be local or remote) to the
+`UserPresenceState` changes that they should be forwarded.
+
+Synapse will then attempt to send the specified presence updates to each user when possible.
+
+```python
+async def get_interested_users(
+        self, 
+        user_id: str
+) -> Union[Set[str], "synapse.module_api.PRESENCE_ALL_USERS"]
+```
+**Requires** `get_users_for_states` to also be registered
+
+Called when determining which users someone should be able to see the presence state of. This
+callback should return complementary results to `get_users_for_state` or the presence information 
+may not be properly forwarded.
+
+The callback is given the Matrix user ID for a local user that is requesting presence data and
+should return the Matrix user IDs of the users whose presence state they are allowed to
+query. The returned users can be local or remote. 
+
+Alternatively the callback can return `synapse.module_api.PRESENCE_ALL_USERS`
+to indicate that the user should receive updates from all known users.
+
+For example, if the user `@alice:example.org` is passed to this method, and the Set 
+`{"@bob:example.com", "@charlie:somewhere.org"}` is returned, this signifies that Alice 
+should receive presence updates sent by Bob and Charlie, regardless of whether these users 
+share a room.

docs/modules/spam_checker_callbacks.md

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+# Spam checker callbacks
+
+Spam checker callbacks allow module developers to implement spam mitigation actions for
+Synapse instances. Spam checker callbacks can be registered using the module API's
+`register_spam_checker_callbacks` method.
+
+The available spam checker callbacks are:
+
+```python
+async def check_event_for_spam(event: "synapse.events.EventBase") -> Union[bool, str]
+```
+
+Called when receiving an event from a client or via federation. The module can return
+either a `bool` to indicate whether the event must be rejected because of spam, or a `str`
+to indicate the event must be rejected because of spam and to give a rejection reason to
+forward to clients.
+
+```python
+async def user_may_invite(inviter: str, invitee: str, room_id: str) -> bool
+```
+
+Called when processing an invitation. The module must return a `bool` indicating whether
+the inviter can invite the invitee to the given room. Both inviter and invitee are
+represented by their Matrix user ID (e.g. `@alice:example.com`).
+
+```python
+async def user_may_create_room(user: str) -> bool
+```
+
+Called when processing a room creation request. The module must return a `bool` indicating
+whether the given user (represented by their Matrix user ID) is allowed to create a room.
+
+```python
+async def user_may_create_room_alias(user: str, room_alias: "synapse.types.RoomAlias") -> bool
+```
+
+Called when trying to associate an alias with an existing room. The module must return a
+`bool` indicating whether the given user (represented by their Matrix user ID) is allowed
+to set the given alias.
+
+```python
+async def user_may_publish_room(user: str, room_id: str) -> bool
+```
+
+Called when trying to publish a room to the homeserver's public rooms directory. The
+module must return a `bool` indicating whether the given user (represented by their
+Matrix user ID) is allowed to publish the given room.
+
+```python
+async def check_username_for_spam(user_profile: Dict[str, str]) -> bool
+```
+
+Called when computing search results in the user directory. The module must return a
+`bool` indicating whether the given user profile can appear in search results. The profile
+is represented as a dictionary with the following keys:
+
+* `user_id`: The Matrix ID for this user.
+* `display_name`: The user's display name.
+* `avatar_url`: The `mxc://` URL to the user's avatar.
+
+The module is given a copy of the original dictionary, so modifying it from within the
+module cannot modify a user's profile when included in user directory search results.
+
+```python
+async def check_registration_for_spam(
+    email_threepid: Optional[dict],
+    username: Optional[str],
+    request_info: Collection[Tuple[str, str]],
+    auth_provider_id: Optional[str] = None,
+) -> "synapse.spam_checker_api.RegistrationBehaviour"
+```
+
+Called when registering a new user. The module must return a `RegistrationBehaviour`
+indicating whether the registration can go through or must be denied, or whether the user
+may be allowed to register but will be shadow banned.
+
+The arguments passed to this callback are:
+
+* `email_threepid`: The email address used for registering, if any.
+* `username`: The username the user would like to register. Can be `None`, meaning that
+  Synapse will generate one later.
+* `request_info`: A collection of tuples, which first item is a user agent, and which
+  second item is an IP address. These user agents and IP addresses are the ones that were
+  used during the registration process.
+* `auth_provider_id`: The identifier of the SSO authentication provider, if any.
+
+```python
+async def check_media_file_for_spam(
+    file_wrapper: "synapse.rest.media.v1.media_storage.ReadableFileWrapper",
+    file_info: "synapse.rest.media.v1._base.FileInfo",
+) -> bool
+```
+
+Called when storing a local or remote file. The module must return a boolean indicating
+whether the given file can be stored in the homeserver's media store.

docs/modules/third_party_rules_callbacks.md

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+# Third party rules callbacks
+
+Third party rules callbacks allow module developers to add extra checks to verify the
+validity of incoming events. Third party event rules callbacks can be registered using
+the module API's `register_third_party_rules_callbacks` method.
+
+The available third party rules callbacks are:
+
+```python
+async def check_event_allowed(
+    event: "synapse.events.EventBase",
+    state_events: "synapse.types.StateMap",
+) -> Tuple[bool, Optional[dict]]
+```
+
+**<span style="color:red">
+This callback is very experimental and can and will break without notice. Module developers
+are encouraged to implement `check_event_for_spam` from the spam checker category instead.
+</span>**
+
+Called when processing any incoming event, with the event and a `StateMap`
+representing the current state of the room the event is being sent into. A `StateMap` is
+a dictionary that maps tuples containing an event type and a state key to the
+corresponding state event. For example retrieving the room's `m.room.create` event from
+the `state_events` argument would look like this: `state_events.get(("m.room.create", ""))`.
+The module must return a boolean indicating whether the event can be allowed.
+
+Note that this callback function processes incoming events coming via federation
+traffic (on top of client traffic). This means denying an event might cause the local
+copy of the room's history to diverge from that of remote servers. This may cause
+federation issues in the room. It is strongly recommended to only deny events using this
+callback function if the sender is a local user, or in a private federation in which all
+servers are using the same module, with the same configuration.
+
+If the boolean returned by the module is `True`, it may also tell Synapse to replace the
+event with new data by returning the new event's data as a dictionary. In order to do
+that, it is recommended the module calls `event.get_dict()` to get the current event as a
+dictionary, and modify the returned dictionary accordingly.
+
+Note that replacing the event only works for events sent by local users, not for events
+received over federation.
+
+```python
+async def on_create_room(
+    requester: "synapse.types.Requester",
+    request_content: dict,
+    is_requester_admin: bool,
+) -> None
+```
+
+Called when processing a room creation request, with the `Requester` object for the user
+performing the request, a dictionary representing the room creation request's JSON body
+(see [the spec](https://matrix.org/docs/spec/client_server/latest#post-matrix-client-r0-createroom)
+for a list of possible parameters), and a boolean indicating whether the user performing
+the request is a server admin.
+
+Modules can modify the `request_content` (by e.g. adding events to its `initial_state`),
+or deny the room's creation by raising a `module_api.errors.SynapseError`.