[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #53940: Reconsider return types for `_get_cron_array()`.

[WordPress Trac]

#53940: Reconsider return types for `_get_cron_array()`.
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 Reporter:  peterwilsoncc  |      Owner:  (none)
     Type:  defect (bug)   |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal         |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Cron API       |    Version:
 Severity:  normal         |   Keywords:  needs-patch needs-unit-tests
  Focuses:                 |
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 [https://core.trac.wordpress.org/browser/tags/5.8/src/wp-
 includes/cron.php?marks=1154-1175#L1154 `_get_cron_array()`] currently has
 multiple return types:

 * `false`: The `cron` option is not set/is set incorrectly
 * `array`: The `cron` option is set correctly and either does or does not
 contain any cron jobs.

 As either type can be returned when there are no cron jobs, I think it's
 worth discussing whether the return types are correct, specifically:

 * should the function always return an `array`
 * should the function always return `false` when there are zero cron jobs

 Either change would improve the consistency of the return type but be a
 technical break of backward compatibility.

 My inclination is to always return an `array` as it's fair to expect
 `delete_option( '_cron' )` zeros out the cron jobs in the same way that
 `_set_cron_array( [] )` does.

 I also think always returning an array when there is no option/no cron
 jobs is more consistent than returning a different type when there are
 zero registered jobs depending on how they were deleted.

 Follow up to #3058, #53635.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/53940>
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