[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #18702: get_post_custom and get_metadata inconsistent handling of arrays in meta values

[WordPress Trac]

#18702: get_post_custom and get_metadata inconsistent handling of arrays in meta
values
--------------------------+-----------------------------
 Reporter:  anmari        |      Owner:
     Type:  defect (bug)  |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal        |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Post Types    |    Version:  3.2.1
 Severity:  normal        |   Keywords:
--------------------------+-----------------------------
 If get_post_custom is called before a post is fully saved, then it returns
 serialised values for any meta value that is an array. This appears to be
 due to it using a cached value and  wp_cache_get returning serialised
 values. See lines 1519 in post.php

 However if the meta value is retrieved later from the database the 'maybe
 unserialize' functions are applied, and the meta value array is returned
 as expected.

 See lines 289 (a fairly recent nightly build) in meta.php, function
 get_metadata, applies these functions after the cache get.

         if ( isset($meta_cache[$meta_key]) ) {
                 if ( $single )
                         return maybe_unserialize(
 $meta_cache[$meta_key][0] );
                 else
                         return array_map('maybe_unserialize',
 $meta_cache[$meta_key]);
         }

 Presumably get_post_custom should be consistent with get_metadata ?

 I thought I saw some discussion elsewhere about arrays as metavalues and
 whether wp should 'handle' them. I think there are occasionally reasons
 why an array may make sense, although in principle agree that values
 should be held simply.  (This also makes plugin integration easier on the
 whole).    I picked this problem up where WPML (multlingual plugin) is
 attempting to copy meta data created by my events plugin.   There are
 already many separate event data fields.  The duration is stored as an
 array of weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds.  THis is fairly close to
 the way that the ical spec RFC5545 handles duration.

 If it is 'policy' that arrays should NOT be held as metavalues, then let
 us highlight that in the CODEX, and I'lll figure out another way to store
 the duration.

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Ticket URL: <http://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/18702>
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