Configuration

The SDK and CLI read settings from environment variables. They can be set in the shell or stored in a .env file that the CLI loads automatically via dotenv.load_dotenv().

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
IMEDNET_API_KEY	API key used for authentication.	None
IMEDNET_SECURITY_KEY	Security key used for authentication.	None
IMEDNET_BASE_URL	Optional base URL for private deployments.	None
IMEDNET_STUDY_KEY	Study identifier used by examples and some tests.	None
IMEDNET_RUN_E2E	Set to `1` to enable end-to-end tests that hit a live environment.	None
IMEDNET_BATCH_ID	Batch identifier used by job polling tests. Created automatically if unset.	None
IMEDNET_FORM_KEY	Form key for record-creation tests. If unset, the first form is used.	None
IMEDNET_ALLOW_MUTATION	Set to `1` to allow workflow tests that submit data.	None

Using a .env File

You can create a .env file in the project root to store these variables. A template is provided in .env.example:

cp .env.example .env

Edit the file to add your keys:

IMEDNET_API_KEY=your_api_key
IMEDNET_SECURITY_KEY=your_security_key
IMEDNET_BASE_URL=https://edc.prod.imednetapi.com

The CLI loads this file automatically. Other scripts can call dotenv.load_dotenv() to mimic this behaviour.

Parsing Values

When reading environment variables or other untyped values, use helpers from imednet.utils.validators such as imednet.utils.validators.parse_bool(), imednet.utils.validators.parse_datetime(), imednet.utils.validators.parse_int_or_default(), imednet.utils.validators.parse_str_or_default(), imednet.utils.validators.parse_list_or_default(), and imednet.utils.validators.parse_dict_or_default().

>>> from imednet.utils.validators import (
...     parse_bool,
...     parse_datetime,
...     parse_int_or_default,
...     parse_str_or_default,
...     parse_list_or_default,
...     parse_dict_or_default,
... )
>>> parse_bool("yes")
True
>>> parse_datetime("2020-01-01T00:00:00Z").year
2020
>>> parse_int_or_default("bad", default=5)
5
>>> parse_str_or_default(1.23)
'1.23'
>>> parse_list_or_default("x")
['x']
>>> parse_dict_or_default(None)
{}

Troubleshooting

Missing required environment variable(s)

If you see an error like Error: IMEDNET_API_KEY and IMEDNET_SECURITY_KEY environment variables must be set. (CLI) or API key and security key are required (SDK), or an “Unauthorized” API error, ensure you have set these variables in your shell or in a .env file in the directory where you run the script. See Using a .env File for details.