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Administration: Display serialized option values read-only instead of a placeholder#11646

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anatolinicolae:fix/64581-serialized-options-display
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Administration: Display serialized option values read-only instead of a placeholder#11646
anatolinicolae wants to merge 1 commit intoWordPress:trunkfrom
anatolinicolae:fix/64581-serialized-options-display

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@anatolinicolae anatolinicolae commented Apr 26, 2026

Fixes https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64581

Summary

Replaces the hard-coded SERIALIZED DATA placeholder in wp-admin/options.php and wp-admin/network/site-settings.php with the raw serialized value rendered read-only inside a native <details>/<summary> element. The value remains non-editable and is excluded from form submission, so it cannot be accidentally corrupted on save.

This is an alternative implementation to #10853 based on the feedback left there:

  • No JavaScript. Uses the native <details> disclosure widget instead of a custom JS toggle.
  • Raw serialized value, not print_r(). Preserves the exact stored value so it can be safely copied / inspected without lossy reformatting.
  • readonly textarea + name attribute omitted so the value cannot round-trip back into the database via the form.
  • Translatable string __( 'Serialized data' ) replaces the hard-coded English placeholder.

The same pattern is applied to the network site settings screen, which had the identical placeholder issue.

Incidental cleanup in the touched code

  • options.php: hoists $value = $option->option_value out of per-branch assignments, collapses the disabled-class logic into a ternary, merges the home/siteurl WP_HOME/WP_SITEURL checks.
  • site-settings.php: hoists the \$ltr_fields list out of the per-row loop, consolidates four duplicated <tr> blocks into a single row with inline branches, and removes a double-escape on serialized-string values — esc_html() was applied at assignment and then again at output through esc_textarea/esc_attr, corrupting any unserialized string containing <, >, or &.

Test plan

  • On Single Site, visit /wp-admin/options.php. Any option whose value is a serialized array/object now renders as a ▸ Serialized data toggle; expanding it shows the raw a:N:{…} payload in a disabled textarea.
  • Submit the form and confirm the serialized option's value is unchanged in the DB (it must not be present in $_POST).
  • Serialized-string options (e.g. some legacy single-string serialized values) still render as their unserialized text in a normal input/textarea, and special characters (<, >, &) display correctly without double-escaping.
  • On Multisite, edit a site via Network → Sites → Settings and verify the same behaviour for serialized values there.
  • Visual regression on home/siteurl rows when WP_HOME/WP_SITEURL constants are defined — they remain disabled inputs.
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Hi @anatolinicolae! 👋

Thank you for your contribution to WordPress! 💖

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Test this pull request with WordPress Playground.

… a placeholder.

Replaces the hard-coded "SERIALIZED DATA" placeholder in wp-admin/options.php
and wp-admin/network/site-settings.php with the raw serialized value rendered
read-only inside a collapsible <details>/<summary> element. The value remains
non-editable and is excluded from form submission so it cannot be accidentally
corrupted on save.

Also tightens the surrounding template:

* options.php: hoists $value initialization out of per-branch assignments,
  collapses the disabled-class logic into a ternary, merges the home/siteurl
  WP_HOME/WP_SITEURL checks.
* site-settings.php: hoists the $ltr_fields list out of the per-row loop,
  consolidates four duplicated <tr> blocks into a single row with inline
  branches, and removes a double-escape on serialized-string values
  (esc_html() was applied at assignment and again at output via
  esc_textarea/esc_attr).

Fixes #64581.
@anatolinicolae anatolinicolae force-pushed the fix/64581-serialized-options-display branch from 38f4d1d to 99e9156 Compare April 27, 2026 00:05
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