[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #36406: $network_wide is unreliable

[WordPress Trac]

#36406: $network_wide is unreliable
--------------------------+-----------------------------
 Reporter:  mensmaximus   |      Owner:
     Type:  defect (bug)  |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal        |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Plugins       |    Version:  4.4.2
 Severity:  normal        |   Keywords:
  Focuses:                |
--------------------------+-----------------------------
 This issue may be related to ticket #31104

 Scenario:
 In a WordPress network an admin decides a plugin must not be network
 activated. Only a per site or even a site specific activation shall be
 allowed.

 Idea:
 Conditional check during plugin activation and die with an error message
 if $network_wide is true.

 Result:
 Plugin does not get activated but the custom error message is not
 displayed

 Assume the following function run during activation (it is simplified and
 the real activation sequence does not have echos!)

 {{{
 function test_activation_hook( $network_wide ) {
         echo '<span>1 | </span>';
         // exit( 1 );
         if ( is_multisite() ) {
                 echo '<span>2: | </span>';
                 // exit( 2 );
                 if ( $network_wide ) {
                         echo '<span>3: | </span>';
                         // exit( 3 );
                 } else {
                         echo '<span>4: | </span>';
                         // exit( 4 );
                 }
         } else {
                 echo '<span>5: | </span>';
                 // exit( 5 );
         }
         echo '<span>6: | </span>';
         exit( 6 );
 }
 }}}

 If you exit after if(is_multisite) the message displayed will be '1 | 2 |'
 If you exit after if($network_wide) during a networkwide activation the
 message displayed is '1 | 2 | 4 | 6' instead of '1 | 2| 3|'
 Exiting at 4, 5, or 6 will display '1 | 2| 4|', '1 | 2| 5|' and '1 | 2|
 6|' as expected.

 After many hours of debuging I realized the function (the action filter
 'activate_' . $plugin) gets executed 3 times if you exit it early. And
 only the first call has the argument $network_wide set to true if it is an
 network_wide activation.

 If you like to exit at 3, that is you do not want a network activation,
 the flow is therefore as follows:

 - The first run (click on network activate) has $network_wide set to true
 and will exit at 3
 - the second run (no idea why) has $network_wide set to false and will
 pass 1 | 2 | 4 | 6
 - the third run (no idea why) has $network_wide set to false and will pass
 1 | 2 | 4 | 6

 Imho calling the activation function (or the code) three times in case you
 exit it (better say terminate because you cant end a plugin installiton
 clean) is wrong at all. However if this is by design then $network_wide
 must be reliably set to true if it originally was.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/36406>
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