Fix: allow wp post delete to trash custom post types

[chubes4]

Summary

• wp post delete <id> now trashes custom post types by default (same as post and page), instead of erroring with "Posts of type X do not support being sent to trash"
• Uses wp_trash_post() directly for the trash path, bypassing the wp_delete_post() hardcoded post/page check in WordPress core (Trac #43672)
• --force still permanently deletes as before

The problem

wp_delete_post($id, false) only auto-trashes post and page types — all other post types are permanently deleted even when $force_delete is false. This is a WordPress core limitation (Trac #43672, open since 2018).

The previous fix for #128 added an error message to warn users, but wp_trash_post() works correctly for all post types. There's no reason to block trashing.

The fix

Instead of checking post type and erroring, delete_callback now:

1. Force path (--force, already trashed, or revision) → wp_delete_post($id, true) → "Deleted"
2. Trash path (EMPTY_TRASH_DAYS enabled) → wp_trash_post($id) → "Trashed" (works for ALL post types)
3. Trash disabled (EMPTY_TRASH_DAYS === 0) → wp_delete_post($id, true) → "Deleted"

Testing

• Updated existing behat scenario: CPT delete now expects "Trashed" then "Deleted" (same as post type)
• Added new scenario: force-deleting a CPT skips trash
• Existing scenario for already-trashed CPT unchanged
• All 18 post.feature scenarios pass (1 pre-existing @require-sqlite failure unrelated to this change)

Closes #128.

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AI disclosure: This PR was prepared with AI assistance (Claude Code). The diagnosis, fix, and tests were reviewed and validated by the submitter against a live WordPress multisite running MariaDB 10.11 with custom post types.

[github-actions]

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[gemini-code-assist]

Summary of Changes

Hello, I'm Gemini Code Assist¹! I'm currently reviewing this pull request and will post my feedback shortly. In the meantime, here's a summary to help you and other reviewers quickly get up to speed!

This pull request addresses a long-standing limitation in wp post delete where custom post types could not be sent to the trash by default, instead requiring a --force flag for permanent deletion or erroring out. The changes refactor the post deletion logic to ensure that custom post types are properly trashed when wp post delete is used without the --force flag, leveraging wp_trash_post() for consistent behavior across all post types. This improves the user experience by providing expected trashing functionality for custom post types.

Highlights

• Custom Post Type Trashing: wp post delete now correctly trashes custom post types by default, aligning their behavior with standard posts and pages.
• Direct wp_trash_post() usage: The implementation now directly utilizes wp_trash_post() for trashing, bypassing a WordPress core limitation where wp_delete_post() only auto-trashes 'post' and 'page' types.
• --force behavior unchanged: The --force flag continues to permanently delete posts, skipping the trash, as before.

Changelog

• features/post.feature
  • Updated an existing scenario to verify that custom post types are now trashed by default, then permanently deleted on a subsequent command.
  • Added a new scenario to confirm that force-deleting a custom post type correctly skips the trash.
• src/Post_Command.php
  • Modified the delete_callback function to implement a new logic flow for post deletion.
  • Removed the previous error message that prevented trashing of custom post types.
  • Introduced direct calls to wp_trash_post() for non-forced deletions, ensuring custom post types are trashed.
  • Adjusted logic to handle cases where trash is disabled (EMPTY_TRASH_DAYS === 0) or when a post is already trashed/a revision.

Activity

• The pull request was prepared with AI assistance (Claude Code).
• The diagnosis, fix, and tests were reviewed and validated by the submitter against a live WordPress multisite running MariaDB 10.11 with custom post types.
• All 18 post.feature scenarios passed, with one pre-existing @require-sqlite failure noted as unrelated to this change.

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[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request correctly addresses the issue of deleting custom post types by allowing them to be trashed by default, which is a great improvement. The implementation uses wp_trash_post() directly to bypass limitations in WordPress core, and the logic is sound. The Behat tests have been updated accordingly and a new scenario for force-deleting has been added, which is excellent. I have one suggestion to refactor the new logic in src/Post_Command.php to improve its readability and reduce some code duplication.

[swissspidy]

Related:

• Don't require --force flag for deleting already trashed posts #548

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Updates wp post delete to trash all post types (including custom/unregistered types) by default when trash is enabled, aligning behavior with user expectations and avoiding WordPress core’s wp_delete_post() limitation for non-post/page types.

Changes:

• Reworks Post_Command::delete_callback() to use wp_trash_post() for the non-force trash path, and wp_delete_post( ..., true ) for permanent deletion paths.
• Updates Behat coverage to expect CPTs to be trashed first (then deleted on a second delete), and adds a scenario validating --force skips trash for CPTs.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated no comments.

File	Description
src/Post_Command.php	Changes deletion logic to trash CPTs by default via wp_trash_post(), preserving --force and “already trashed” permanent-delete behavior.
features/post.feature	Updates/extends Behat scenarios to reflect new CPT trash-then-delete behavior and verify --force behavior.

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