[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #64795: Search for plugin authors should also consider their display name

[WordPress Trac]

#64795: Search for plugin authors should also consider their display name
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 Reporter:  threadi      |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement  |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal       |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Plugins      |     Version:  6.9.1
 Severity:  normal       |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  2nd-opinion  |     Focuses:
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Changes (by sanket.parmar):

 * keywords:   => 2nd-opinion


Comment:

 Thanks for the detailed report and the clear examples — this is a genuine
 UX pain point.

 The root cause is in `WP_Plugin_Install_List_Table::prepare_items()`
 (`source:src/wp-admin/includes/class-wp-plugin-install-list-table.php`).
 When the search type is `author`, the term is passed directly as the
 `author` argument to `plugins_api()`, which forwards it to the
 WordPress.org API. The API's `author` parameter only matches by
 **username/slug**, not by display name.

 One possible approach on the WordPress core side would be a **fallback**:
 if an author search returns zero results, automatically retry using the
 general `search` parameter with the same term. This would be a client-side
 workaround that requires no API changes.

 However, before pursuing that direction, it would be worth confirming with
 the WordPress.org API team whether the `search` parameter on their
 `/plugins/info/1.2/` endpoint already indexes author display names — if it
 does, the fallback would work well in practice. If not, the ideal fix
 would be on the API side to support display name matching in the `author`
 parameter directly, which would be a cleaner and more reliable solution.

 A core-side patch would be straightforward either way, but it makes sense
 to clarify the API behaviour first to avoid introducing an extra HTTP
 request that may not solve the underlying issue.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64795#comment:1>
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