Remove required user context from `get_edit_post_link()`

[danielbachhuber]

In a manner similar to #27113, get_edit_post_link() yields inconsistent behavior when used without a user context.

For example, when using WP-CLI or a cron system to trigger email generation, use of get_edit_post_link() will return an empty string.

The pattern established in core is to check whether the current user can edit a given post before calling get_edit_post_link() because the corresponding HTML will be broken otherwise.

Removing the capability check won't introduce a security hole because WordPress institutes a capability check when loading the link.

[danielbachhuber]

Remove the capability check in get_edit_post_link()

[ericlewis]

This makes sense and looks good to me.

Daniel said

Removing the capability check won't introduce a security hole because WordPress institutes a capability check when loading the link.

To add on to that, even if a plugin/theme outputs the link without proper caps checking, it's just a link. Caps check would keep them out of the wp-admin page on click-through.

[knutsp]

This would be ok, as long as the behaviour of edit_post_link() is not changed. But, looking at wp-includes/link-template.php, it seems the capabilities check is only done in get_edit_post_link().

Unless the capabilities check is moved over to edit_post_link() this change will pollute sites with unnecessary Edit links, even for anonymous users.

Or am I missing something?

[danielbachhuber]

Move current_user_can() check from get_ to edit_

[danielbachhuber]

Replying to knutsp:

This would be ok, as long as the behaviour of edit_post_link() is not changed. But, looking at wp-includes/link-template.php, it seems the capabilities check is only done in get_edit_post_link().

Unless the capabilities check is moved over to edit_post_link() this change will pollute sites with unnecessary Edit links, even for anonymous users.

Or am I missing something?

You are correct. I've updated the patch to move the capability check from get_edit_post_link() to edit_post_link()

[knutsp]

Better. Maybe fine.

[DrewAPicture]

This seems weird to me. Why break away from core precedent and rely on the admin cap check for this one instance only, followed by moving the cap check to edit_post_link()? If we're going to move to rely on the admin cap check here it should be done consistently in core.

Suggest close.

[SergeyBiryukov]

Replying to knutsp:

Unless the capabilities check is moved over to edit_post_link() this change will pollute sites with unnecessary Edit links, even for anonymous users.

With 27137.2.diff​, the same would happen on sites using get_edit_post_link() directly.

Here's what the ​Codex says:

Returns edit post url as string value, provided the current user has the 'edit_post' capability. To retrieve a URL without checking user capabilities use admin_url() instead.

[westi]

This suggested change seems weird to me too.

I'm not sure why scripts that want to call this can't correctly setup the user before generating the emails.

I think we should close this and leave things as they are.