Classes that extend WP_List_Table no longer return undefined variables

[johnjamesjacoby]

Magic methods in WP_List_Table previously returned any requested variable, allowing subclasses to add their own without needing to define them in the subclass.

Related to changes in [WP31146] & #WP30891, any classes which extend WP_List_Table that do not define their variables will return null where they previously returned anticipated results.

[johnjamesjacoby]

Related from BuddyPress: ​https://buddypress.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6277

I suspect this is a case of BuddyPress doing-it-wrong-enough where this ticket is a wontfix for WordPress core.

[johnjamesjacoby]

BuddyPress will be fixed for versions 2.2.2 and higher.

bbPress is unaffected.

[johnjamesjacoby]

Adding the "admin" focus so this ticket can be triaged by the appropriate team.

[DrewAPicture]

@wonderboymusic: Mind taking a look at this?

[wonderboymusic]

Yeah, the magic-everything approach in 4.0 was meant to be temporary, and I should have taken a 2nd pass sooner than I did to clean those things up.

In January (of 2015), I audited all of those instances and either 1) switched/cleaned up the visibility of class properties or 2) specified "compat" fields/methods, example: [31151]

I apologize for the turbulence, but all that magic was an unintended side effect.