[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #43177: REST API allows empty comments containing only whitespace

[WordPress Trac]

#43177: REST API allows empty comments containing only whitespace
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 Reporter:  jaswrks       |       Owner:
     Type:  defect (bug)  |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal        |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  REST API      |     Version:  trunk
 Severity:  normal        |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                |     Focuses:  rest-api
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Comment (by jaswrks):

 Thanks for the reconnaissance with respect to
 `wp_handle_comment_submission()` and the AJAX handler. I noticed this also
 and considered not opening this ticket when I reviewed tickets from the
 past that mentioned this.

 However, I respectfully disagree that it should be possible to submit a
 whitespace-only comment via the REST API. The code, as it exists now,
 intends to prevent an empty comment from being submitted. The problem, as
 I see it, is not a matter of whether this should be allowed or not,
 because it's already the case that an empty comment should not be allowed.
 The problem is that the existing code fails to do this.

 For example, I can submit a string that contains nothing but whitespace,
 and it accepts this, and then returns an object in the response with the
 content having been trimmed. So in fact it is an empty comment. The
 existing code just needs to trim before accepting the submission that
 really is just an empty string in the eyes of other core code.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/43177#comment:2>
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