URL Query strings get escaped and become unusable (observed with function get_pagenum_link() )

[fraenk]

The problem can be reproduced by using a code example from the codex: ​http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/paginate_links#Basic_Example

global $wp_query;

$big = 999999999; // need an unlikely integer

echo paginate_links( array(
	'base' => str_replace( $big, '%#%', esc_url( get_pagenum_link( $big ) ) ),
	'format' => '?paged=%#%',
	'current' => max( 1, get_query_var('paged') ),
	'total' => $wp_query->max_num_pages
) );

prerequisite is to have the default permalink structure active (not pretty permalinks)

it appears as if get_pagenum_link() returns the url with broken query parameters by giving #038; instead of an ampersand.

esc_url is NOT the culprit!

some more detail here: ​https://wordpress.org/support/topic/url-problem-038-replaces-and-breaks-the-navigation?replies=2#post-6456295

[SergeyBiryukov]

Duplicate of #30831.

[fraenk]

Thanks Sergey!

now I know the proper workaround! I did not find #30831 when searching for an already existing ticket.

Kudos!