fishy looking query on a wp 2.8 front page

[Denis-de-Bernardy]

SELECT option_value
FROM wp_options
WHERE option_name = 'timezone_string'
LIMIT 1

it's no longer around after updating options / general. is it not added in the installer/upgrader?

[hakre]

related files:
/wp-admin/options-general.php
/wp-admin/options.php
/wp-includes/functions.php

this must be added sometime and should be ready to removed then. maybe the reverse of a patch or a chnageset? if it is not needed any longer then it should be removed.

[Denis-de-Bernardy]

I think it's used in the timezone offset scripts. it would need to be initialized (add_option()) in the installer or upgrader scripts.

[hakre]

To which value is this initialized. Empty string per Default?

[Denis-de-Bernardy]

not 100% certain. server time zone, I think. (should be clear upon visiting settings / general on a clean install)

[hakre]

it (timezone_string) is just not set on install. It can be set on the options page (general), currently there is the timezone select element ( wp_timezone_choice() ) that will set this option.

default would be null, false or an empty string. that is at if it would not be in the db.

and while that being empty:

$current_offset = get_option('gmt_offset');
$tzstring = get_option('timezone_string');
if (empty($tzstring)) { // set the Etc zone if no timezone string exists
	if ($current_offset < 0) $offnum = - ceil($current_offset);
	else $offnum = - floor($current_offset);
	$tzstring = 'Etc/GMT' . (($offnum >= 0) ? '+' : '') . $offnum;
}

gmt_offset is set automatically on install while populating the options ( populate_options() ). this is the important line (~238): 'gmt_offset' => date('Z') / 3600,.

[hakre]

Populate timezone_string as well.

[ryan]

(In [11264]) Add timezone_string to populate_options. Props hakre. fixes #9706

[ryan]

(In [11265]) Revert accidental bits. see #9706