Unknown error when running plugins_api() with invalid slug

[scribu]

Input:

$api = plugins_api( 'plugin_information', array( 'slug' => 'doesnt-exist' ) );

var_dump( $api );

Expected result:

WP_Error Object
(
    [errors] => Array
        (
            [invalid_slug] => Array
                (
                    [0] => Invalid plugin slug.
                )

        )

    [error_data] => Array
        (
            [invalid_slug] => 404;
        )
)

Actual result:

WP_Error Object
(
    [errors] => Array
        (
            [plugins_api_failed] => Array
                (
                    [0] => An unknown error occurred during the API request.
                )

        )

    [error_data] => Array
        (
            [plugins_api_failed] => N;
        )
)

PS: I have no idea what that 'N' is supposed to represent.

[nacin]

N; is a serialized null.

[samuelsidler]

Migrated to ​#meta111.

[dd32]

FYI, This isn't api.WordPress.org specific at all, and requires primarily WordPress changes in the plugins_api() function. But it would be nice for the API to return more than just "NULL".

[SergeyBiryukov]

Replying to dd32:

But it would be nice for the API to return more than just "NULL".

Yes, looks like currently there's no reliable way to detect if the request failed due to an invalid slug and not some general error. We would just have to assume that null means an invalid slug.

[dd32]

Reopening this as ​#meta111 is blocked by core (possibly forever? until we migrate core to use /info/1.1/)

[pbiron]

As of [42631], core has been using API version 1.2, which correctly handles this case. Thus, plugins_api() returns the correct WP_Error instance.

Closing as fixed.