Bugfix Issue 457 Xmlrpc Prefix Typos - sebiboga/testlink-upgraded GitHub Wiki

Issue 457 — XML-RPC error messages lose their `(method) -` prefix (`$msg_prefix` / `$messagePrefix` / `$msgPrefix` typos)

Issue: #457 Branch: fix/issue-457 · Commits: 59279b726 (fix), f9bf9f980 (regression suite) Status: FIXED & VERIFIED (2026-08-24)

Symptom

Error responses from several XML-RPC API methods returned their fault text without the "(methodName) - " context prefix, and every occurrence wrote an E_WARNING Undefined variable ... row into the Event Viewer (events table):

RAW: Parameter version is required, but has not been provided                     ← uploadTestCaseAttachment (no prefix!)
RAW: Test Project (name:NO_SUCH_PROJECT_XYZ) does not exist.                      ← getTestProjectByName   (no prefix!)
RAW: (getTestPlanPlatforms) - Parameter testplanid is required, but has not ...  ← reference (correct)

Reproduced live against http://localhost:8082/lib/api/xmlrpc/v1/xmlrpc.php (PHP 8.3.33, struct param with named members, admin devKey). The Event Viewer captured exactly:

E_WARNING
Undefined variable $msg_prefix - in lib/api/xmlrpc/v1/xmlrpc.class.php - Line 7260

Root cause chain

The file carries three spellings of the same concept from different upstream eras: $msg_prefix, $messagePrefix, $msgPrefix.
In 8 functions, error branches referenced a spelling that was never declared in that function scope (the declared one being a local assignment or a parameter).
PHP 8 semantics: undefined-variable read ⇒ E_WARNING + null, so prefix . message degraded to bare message. The warning handler (watchPHPErrors, logger.class.php:1407/:1483, error_reporting(E_ALL) at config.inc.php:331) logged each hit.

Why now: legacy 1.9.20 ran these reads on PHP 5/7 where they were silent notices; this repo runs PHP 8.3 with full error reporting.

Complete instance list (scripted function-scope scan, docblocks excluded)

Function	Declares	Undefined use(s), fixed at lines
`addTestCaseToTestPlan` :3462	`$messagePrefix`	`$msg_prefix` ×6 → 3498, 3508, 3523, 3573, 3627, 3650
`getTestPlanPlatforms` :5152	`$msg_prefix`	`$messagePrefix` → 5175
`uploadTestCaseAttachment` :5579	`$msg_prefix`	`$msgPrefix` → 5587
`updateTestCaseGetTCVID` :7211	(none)	`$msg_prefix` → 7222 (declaration added instead of rename)
`helperGetTestProjectByName` :7248	param `$msgPrefix`	`$msg_prefix` → 7260
`getTestCaseAssignedTester` :7353	`$msg_prefix`	`$messagePrefix` → 7404
`manageTestCaseExecutionTask` :7603	param `$msg_prefix`	`$messagePrefix` → 7671
`setTestCaseTestSuite` :8747	`$msgPrefix`	`$msg_prefix` → 8768

Approach — per-function alignment to the declared name

Chosen fix (12 renames + 1 added declaration = 13 lines, message text only): each undefined reference was renamed to the name actually declared in that scope. For parameter-carrying helpers the parameter name won (helperGetTestProjectByName, manageTestCaseExecutionTask) because both call sites already pass a real value; everywhere else the locally assigned name won. updateTestCaseGetTCVID() receives no prefix from its single caller (updateTestCase() :7103), so it got the file-standard local declaration $msg_prefix = "(" . __FUNCTION__ . ") - ";.

Rejected alternatives: (a) file-wide canonicalization of one spelling — ~380-line churn, high conflict cost with concurrent CI agents; (b) isset() guards / null-coalescing — hides future regressions instead of restoring intended message text.

Code review subagent verified scope of every replacement variable via brace-matched audit of all 190 functions: PASS.

Verification matrix

#	Check	Result
R1	`tl.uploadTestCaseAttachment` missing `version` → `(uploadTestCaseAttachment) - Parameter version is required...`	PASS
R2	`tl.getTestProjectByName` unknown name → prefixed	PASS
R3	reference `tl.getTestPlanPlatforms` still prefixed	PASS
R4	events table count unchanged after all post-fix calls	PASS (stayed 2 pre-fix rows)
R5	`php -l` clean + static re-scan reports 0 undefined-prefix uses	PASS
R6	sibling `createBuild` invalid-tplan path correctly prefixed	PASS
R7	`addTestCaseToTestPlan` early-error path prefixed	PASS
R8	`getTestCaseAssignedTester` invalid-tplan path prefixed	PASS

Full suite: tmp/TLU_Test_Cases.md → "Regression — Issue #457" (9/9 PASS).

Side discoveries (filed separately)

#658 — setTestCaseTestSuite() builds its prefix from $ret['operation'], but $ret is list-appended ⇒ key never exists, prefix renders as "() - ". Pre-existing, orthogonal to this fix.
#659 — $tcase_external_id used before assignment at xmlrpc.class.php:3522.

Files changed

lib/api/xmlrpc/v1/xmlrpc.class.php (+13 / −12)
tmp/TLU_Test_Cases.md (Suite 457)
this page + docs/Bugfix-Issue-457-Xmlrpc-Prefix-Typos.md