WordPress / WordPress/WordPress-Coding-Standards

Include `htmlspecialchars` in list of escaping functions.

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Focus: Security Status: Close candidate
Dominant language
PHP
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Description

The PHP function htmlspecialchars is currently not recognized as a valid escaping function.

The function "converts special characters into HTML entities" (http://php.net/manual/en/function.htmlspecialchars.php).

It is actually what esc_textarea() is built upon.

It should be added to the list of escaping functions to be a valid way of getting rid of unneeded "Expected next thing to be an escaping function" errors.

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by locating the escaping-functions list used by the WordPress coding-standard sniff and review how existing escaping functions are recognized. Add htmlspecialchars to that list, then verify that the false “Expected next thing to be an escaping function” errors no longer occur for valid uses.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
php
Domain
tooling
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
48/100

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