Deprecate get_currentuserinfo()

[scribu]

get_currentuserinfo() is a pluggable function that encourages an ugly pattern in theme files:

global $userdata;
get_currentuserinfo();

It can easily be replaced with this:

$current_user = wp_get_current_user();

[scribu]

It seems it won't be so easy, since wp_get_current_user() itself calls get_currentuserinfo().

[scribu]

19615.2.diff​ moves all the logic from get_currentuserinfo() into wp_get_current_user().

[DrewAPicture]

Replying to scribu:

19615.2.diff​ moves all the logic from get_currentuserinfo() into wp_get_current_user().

Sounds good to me. +1

[chriscct7]

Is there continued interest in deprecating get currentuserinfo?

[swissspidy]

Is there continued interest in deprecating get currentuserinfo()?

Yes! For the reasons outlined by scribu.

19615.3.diff​ is an updated patch.

[swissspidy]

In 36311:

Users: Deprecate the get_currentuserinfo() pluggable function.

It encourages an ugly pattern like global $userdata; get_currentuserinfo(); in plugins/themes. wp_get_current_user() should be used instead, e.g. $current_user = wp_get_current_user();.

Props scribu for initial patch.
Fixes #19615.

[swissspidy]

In 36313:

Users: Always return $current_user in wp_get_current_user(), never a boolean.

Fixes unit tests affected by [36311].

See #19615.

[ocean90]

In 36314:

Docs: Fix @return type for wp_get_current_user() after [36313].

See #19615.

[johnbillion]

[36311] is causing a fatal error on one of my sites.

A plugin on the site defines the wp_get_current_user() function (as it's pluggable) and calls get_currentuserinfo() in doing so. This causes an infinite loop because get_currentuserinfo() now calls wp_get_current_user().

[swissspidy]

Replying to johnbillion:

[36311] is causing a fatal error on one of my sites.

A plugin on the site defines the wp_get_current_user() function (as it's pluggable) and calls get_currentuserinfo() in doing so. This causes an infinite loop because get_currentuserinfo() now calls wp_get_current_user().

Sigh :/

What do you think of making get_currentuserinfo() behave as before, i.e. being basically a duplicate of wp_get_current_user()? Not an exact duplicate of course, just so that the functions don't rely on each other.

[dd32]

Another option would be to do something like:

if not exists function get_currentuserinfo() return _core_func_wp_get_current_user()
if not exists function wp_get_current_user() return _core_func_wp_get_current_user()
function _core_func_wp_get_current_user() {
   // The actual logic.
}

[chris@…]

I get that the pattern is ugly but it is actually the pattern that's still (as of this posting) the one that's ​shown on the codex. This just seems like change for the sake of change. If a change needs to be made I think I'd like to see @dd32's recommendation done.

A quick grep on my server shows the following 19 plugins that use this function (some might not be recently updated although I can't imagine anyone would have swapped this out)

all-in-one-event-calendar
all-in-one-seo-pack
bbpress
connections
contact-form-7-modules
duplicate-post
gigpress
google-analytics-for-wordpress
jetpack
js_composer
js_composer_theme
LayerSlider
nextgen-gallery
share-this
templatera
user-role-editor
user-role-editor-pro
usernoise
wp-to-twitter

We're also seeing this in several pre-built themes like Avada and Jupiter.

There is at least one plugin that actually "plugged" it and that's ​URL Auth although it was last updated 5 years ago.

[shazahm1@…]

@chris@…

Just an fyi, Connections, removes use of the get_currentuserinfo() function in the most recent released version.

[georgestephanis]

Replying to chris@…:

jetpack

We got a pull from @rachelbaker and merged it in two days ago, and it's already shipped out with our current release of 3.9.0

​https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/pull/3285

[chris@…]

Thanks @georgestephanis and @shazahm1@…! I've found some more servers to grep and have this list of plugins so far. Many of these haven't been touched in years (one is 11 years old) and I imagine aren't installed too much.

adresses-maps-pages-et-categories
all-in-one-event-calendar
all-in-one-seo-pack
altstats
apocalypse-meow
bainternet-posts-creation-limits
bbpress
bp-new-ui
buddypress-update-email-reminder-lightbox
cardoza-wordpress-poll
connections​fixed in 8.5.8
contact-form-7-modules
cryptopoints-manager
dragons-printhint
duplicate-post
easy-chitika-lite
email-queue
formbuilder
gigpress
google-analytics-for-wordpress
google-maps-builder
hreview-support-for-editor
insert-html-snippet
javascript-chat-for-wordpress
jetpack​fixed in 3.9.0
js_composer
js_composer_theme
LayerSlider
livehelpnow-help-desk
moderate-selected-posts
newsletter
nextgen-gallery
pegleg-ratings
rate-it
revver-wordpress-video-plugin
share-this
shortcodes-ui
sola-support-tickets
td-ticket-system
templatera
user-control
user-role-editor
user-role-editor-pro
usernoise
woocommerce-newsletter-signup
woodiscuz-woocommerce-comments
wordpress-restrictions
wordpress-seo-plugin
wordpress-ticket-plugin
wp-artists-lite
wp-live-chat-support
wp-swimteam
wp-to-twitter
wpcb
wplistcal

[dd32]

Chris - Plugins using deprecated functionality is OK, just because we've deprecated it, it doesn't mean it's going to stop working next week. All plugins using it will get updated over time, and if they're not, they'll keep working, just with a deprecated notice to any developers using it.

Just because plugins use a function, that's not good grounds not to deprecate it either.

The only pending question here is if there's any BC breaks, and the fatal error mentioned seems like the only one I can see - that can be fixed by doing something like what I suggested (as these are legacy pluggable functions)

[swissspidy]

Have there been any other reports of fatals besides the case John mentioned?

A partial revert as suggested would prevent this, just like a new separate function would, too. I personally prefer the former.

[ocean90]

I like the idea of comment:16:

• get_currentuserinfo() => pluggable-deprecated.php
• wp_get_current_user() => pluggable.php
• _wp_get_current_user() => user.php

[swissspidy]

19615.4.diff​ introduces _wp_get_current_user().

[swissspidy]

In 36651:

Users: Introduce _wp_get_current_user() for improved backward compatibility.

This new helper function is used by the pluggable functions wp_get_current_user() and get_currentuserinfo(), which was previously being called by the former before [36311]. Without it, infinite loops could be caused when plugins implement these functions, as they are now called the other way around.

Fixes #19615.

[DrewAPicture]

In 36705:

Docs: Make a few syntactical improvements to the DocBlock for _wp_get_current_user(), introduced in [36651].

Includes a cross reference from the DocBlock for wp_get_current_user(), which itself is pluggable, but the new internal function is not.

See #19615. See #32246.

[DrewAPicture]

In 37008:

Docs: Clarify the use of the get_currentuserinfo() for backward compatibility purposes in the DocBlock description for _wp_get_current_user(), introduced in [36651].

See #19615. See #35986.