Allow Customization of Post Statuses That Use Plain Permalinks

Overview

This pull request introduces a new filter wp_force_plain_post_permalink_statuses that allows developers to customize which post statuses should use plain permalinks (e.g., /?p=123) instead of pretty permalinks (e.g., /my-post-title/).

This addresses the long-standing issue where scheduled posts show inconsistent permalink formats - pretty permalinks in the admin interface but plain permalinks in theme templates and functions like the_permalink().

Trac Ticket: #32322

Issue Fixed

Scheduled Posts Show Inconsistent Permalink Formats

• Problem:
  Scheduled posts (status = future) display different permalink formats in different contexts:

  • Admin interface: Shows pretty permalinks (/my-scheduled-post/)
  • Theme templates: Shows plain permalinks (/?p=123)
  • Direct access: Pretty permalink URLs work without redirection

• Root Cause:
  The wp_force_plain_post_permalink() function treats all protected post statuses (including future) as requiring plain permalinks for security, but this creates user confusion since scheduled posts are meant to be public eventually.

• Solution:
  Introduced a filterable array of post statuses that should use plain permalinks, allowing developers to customize this behavior on a per-site basis while maintaining security for truly sensitive content.

Code Changes

New Filter Implementation

/**
 * Filters the post statuses that should use plain permalinks instead of pretty permalinks.
 *
 * By default, posts with 'draft', 'pending', 'auto-draft', and 'future' statuses
 * will use plain permalinks (e.g., /?p=123) for security and consistency reasons.
 *
 * To allow scheduled posts to use pretty permalinks, you can remove 'future' from this array:
 *
 * add_filter( 'wp_force_plain_post_permalink_statuses', function( $statuses ) {
 *     return array_diff( $statuses, [ 'future' ] );
 * });
 *
 * @since 6.9.0
 *
 * @param string[] $statuses Array of post status names that should use plain permalinks.
 * @param WP_Post  $post     The post object.
 */
$plain_permalink_statuses = apply_filters(
    'wp_force_plain_post_permalink_statuses',
    array( 'draft', 'pending', 'auto-draft', 'future' ),
    $post
);

Updated Logic

if (
    // Publicly viewable links never have plain permalinks.
    is_post_status_viewable( $post_status_obj ) ||
    (
        // Private posts don't have plain permalinks if the user can read them.
        $post_status_obj->private &&
        current_user_can( 'read_post', $post->ID )
    ) ||
    // Protected posts don't have plain links if getting a sample URL.
    ( $post_status_obj->protected && $sample ) ||
    // Allow customization of which post statuses should use plain permalinks.
    ! in_array( $post->post_status, $plain_permalink_statuses, true )
) {
    return false;
}

Usage Examples

Basic: Allow Scheduled Posts Pretty Permalinks

add_filter( 'wp_force_plain_post_permalink_statuses', function( $statuses ) {
    return array_diff( $statuses, [ 'future' ] );
});

Advanced: Selective by Post Type

add_filter( 'wp_force_plain_post_permalink_statuses', function( $statuses, $post ) {
    // Only allow pretty permalinks for future posts of type 'post'
    if ( 'future' === $post->post_status && 'post' === $post->post_type ) {
        return array_diff( $statuses, [ 'future' ] );
    }
    return $statuses;
}, 10, 2 );

Conditional by User Capability

add_filter( 'wp_force_plain_post_permalink_statuses', function( $statuses, $post ) {
    // Allow editors to see pretty permalinks for future posts
    if ( 'future' === $post->post_status && current_user_can( 'edit_others_posts' ) ) {
        return array_diff( $statuses, [ 'future' ] );
    }
    return $statuses;
}, 10, 2 );

Testing Instructions

Test Case 1: Default Behavior (Unchanged)

1. Create a scheduled post with future publication date
2. View the post in admin - should show pretty permalink
3. Use the_permalink() in a theme template - should show plain permalink
4. Expected: No change from current behavior

Test Case 2: Enable Pretty Permalinks for Future Posts

1. Add the filter to remove 'future' from plain permalink statuses
2. Create a scheduled post with future publication date
3. Use the_permalink() in a theme template
4. Expected: Shows pretty permalink (/my-scheduled-post/)

Test Case 3: Selective Application

1. Add the filter with post type condition (only 'post', not 'page')
2. Create a scheduled post and scheduled page
3. Check permalinks for both
4. Expected: Post shows pretty permalink, page shows plain permalink

Test Case 4: Security Maintained

1. Apply filter to allow future posts pretty permalinks
2. Create draft and pending posts
3. Check their permalinks
4. Expected: Draft and pending posts still use plain permalinks

Test Case 5: Direct Access

1. Enable pretty permalinks for future posts
2. Create a scheduled post
3. Try accessing the pretty permalink URL directly
4. Expected: Should work without redirection (existing behavior)