WordPress / WordPress/create-block-theme
file_put_contents function does not report write/permissions error properly
Nobody has claimed this yet.
- Dominant language
- JavaScript
- Stars
- 417
- Forks
- 66
- PR merge metrics
- No merged PRs in 30d
Description
When saving changes to a theme to which it does not have write permissions, the file_put_contents function will output an error in debug.log.
But the plugin will still say it succeeded in the editor. This leads to the destruction of user changes, without them being saved to the files
The error:
[24-Apr-2025 17:46:58 UTC] PHP Warning: file_put_contents(/var/www/html/wp-content/themes/qip-wp-themes/merryclaude2025/theme.json): Failed to open stream: Permission denied in /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/create-block-theme/includes/create-theme/theme-json.php on line 6
After fixing the permissions, the plugin saved perfectly.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start with includes/create-theme/theme-json.php, where the reported file_put_contents warning occurs, then trace the editor save flow that reports success. Reproduce with a theme file lacking write permissions and verify that the permission failure is surfaced instead of claiming the changes were saved.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- php
- Domain
- backend
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Estimated time
- 1-2 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 48/100