[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #34691: WP_Posts_List_Table cannot order by meta value correctly

[WordPress Trac]

#34691: WP_Posts_List_Table cannot order by meta value correctly
----------------------------+-----------------------------
 Reporter:  intoxstudio     |      Owner:
     Type:  defect (bug)    |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal          |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Administration  |    Version:  trunk
 Severity:  normal          |   Keywords:
  Focuses:                  |
----------------------------+-----------------------------
 Sorting by meta_value in tables that extend the WP_Posts_List_Table class
 does no longer work as expected. Previously it would be done by adding the
 column in the '''manage_edit-{$post_type}_sortable_columns''' filter and
 then injecting something like following into the posts query:


 {{{
 array(
         'meta_key' => 'some_key',
         'orderby'  => 'meta_value'
 )
 }}}

 Then, when you click on a column header, ascending and descending sorting
 would be handled automatically.

 Not anymore. If you click on a column header with sorting by meta_value,
 it only works ascending (or descending if this is default).

 This is caused by this function in WP_Posts_List_Table:


 {{{
 protected function get_orderby() {
         return strtolower( get_query_var( 'orderby' ) );
 }
 }}}
 It will return "meta_value" when sorting by a meta value, and thus the
 column will never be recognized when rendering the sortable header (unless
 its name is in fact meta_value).

 Before WP4.4, the check would be on $_GET["orderby"] that would return the
 actual sorting key, in this example "some_key".

 I like the idea of the new abstraction of get_orderby(), but why was it
 changed from $_GET? Would anything break if we changed it back?

 E.g.:


 {{{
 protected function get_orderby() {
         return strtolower( isset($_GET["orderby"]) ? $_GET["orderby"] : ""
 );
 }
 }}}

 Probably related: #34479

--
Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/34691>
WordPress Trac <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/>
WordPress publishing platform