Pass timeout as configuration in EHRClient

[jenniferjiangkells]

Description

In the EHRClient.send_request method, we currently have a hardcoded timeout value. We need to modify this to accept a configurable timeout value.

HealthChain/healthchain/clients/ehrclient.py

Line 153 in a4beb13

timeout = httpx.Timeout(10.0, read=None)

Context

This change is important because different environments and use cases may require different timeout settings. For example, in development, we might want a longer timeout for debugging, while in production, we might need stricter timeouts. Making this configurable will benefit other users by allowing them to fine-tune the client's behavior to their specific needs without modifying the core code.

Possible Implementation

1. Add a timeout parameter to the EHRClient constructor with a default value:

   def __init__(self, ..., timeout: Optional[float] = 10.0):
       self.timeout = timeout

2. Update the send_request method to use the configured timeout:

   timeout = httpx.Timeout(self.timeout, read=None)

3. Update docstrings and type hints accordingly.

4. Modify existing tests and add new ones to cover the timeout configuration.

Possible Alternatives

1. Instead of a simple float, we could use a more complex timeout configuration object that allows setting connect, read, and write timeouts separately.

2. We could implement a global configuration system for the entire library, where timeout would be just one of many configurable options.

3. We could use environment variables for configuration, allowing users to set timeouts without changing code.

[rafabelts]

Hi, I would like to work in the issue

[jenniferjiangkells]

@rafabelts Thanks for your interest in contributing! I will unassign you for now as we've decided not to assign issues but please feel free to still work on it - let us know if you start working on it and just open a PR when you're ready 🙂