Summary

Proof of Concept: Alternative implementation to #115 using a Collection-based approach for filtering and sorting abilities.

This PR introduces WP_Abilities_Collection - a fluent, chainable collection class that provides Laravel-inspired filtering, sorting, and transformation methods for working with registered abilities. Instead of the query-based approach in #115, this implementation leverages in-memory collection operations for a more developer-friendly API.

Key Differences from #115

#115 Approach: Uses WP_Abilities_Query class with array-based filtering arguments (similar to WP_Query)

This PR Approach: Uses WP_Abilities_Collection class with fluent, chainable method calls (similar to Laravel Collections)

Example Comparison

Query Approach (#115):

$abilities = wp_get_abilities( array(
    'category' => 'content',
    'namespace' => 'my-plugin',
    'limit' => 10,
) );

Collection Approach (This PR):

$abilities = wp_get_abilities()
    ->where_category( 'content' )
    ->where_namespace( 'my-plugin' )
    ->sort_by( 'label' )
    ->all();

What's New

Core Collection Class

• WP_Abilities_Collection - New collection class for filtering, sorting, and querying abilities
• Implements IteratorAggregate and Countable for native PHP iteration
• Fluent, chainable API for building complex queries
• Supports dot notation for nested property access

Filtering Methods

• where($key, $value) or where($key, $operator, $value) - Generic property filtering with operators (=, !=, !==, >, <, >=, <=)
• where_in($key, $values) - Filter where property is in array of values
• where_not_in($key, $values) - Filter where property is NOT in array of values
• where_category($categories) - Filter by category (single string or array)
• where_namespace($namespaces) - Filter by namespace (single string or array)
• where_meta($filters) - Filter by metadata properties with dot notation support
• filter($callback) - Custom callback filtering
• search($term) - Full-text search across name, label, and description

Sorting Methods

• sort_by($property, $descending) - Sort by property name or custom callback
• sort_by_desc($property) - Shorthand for descending sort
• reverse() - Reverse collection order

Retrieval & Utility Methods

• all() / to_array() - Get all abilities as array
• first($callback, $default) - Get first ability (optionally with filter)
• last($callback, $default) - Get last ability (optionally with filter)
• get($name, $default) - Get ability by name
• pluck($value, $key) - Extract property values (supports dot notation: meta.annotations.readonly)
• keys() - Get all ability names
• values() - Re-index collection with sequential keys
• count() - Count abilities in collection
• is_empty() / is_not_empty() - Check if collection is empty

Changes by Component

PHP Core

• New: includes/abilities-api/class-wp-abilities-collection.php (577 lines)
• Modified: includes/abilities-api.php - wp_get_abilities() now returns WP_Abilities_Collection
• Modified: REST API controllers updated to work with collection

Documentation

• New: docs/8.advanced-filtering-and-sorting.md (441 lines) - Comprehensive guide
• Updated: docs/4.using-abilities.md - Collection examples

JavaScript Client

• Added category support to client package
• Updated types to support category filtering
• Enhanced store selectors and resolvers

Tests

• New: tests/unit/abilities-api/wpAbilitiesCollection.php
• Comprehensive test coverage for all collection methods

Documentation Highlights

The new docs/8.advanced-filtering-and-sorting.md includes:

• Quick reference table of all methods
• Practical examples for common use cases
• Performance considerations
• Method chaining patterns
• Dot notation examples for nested properties

Backward Compatibility

✅ Fully backward compatible

• wp_get_abilities() without arguments still works
• Collection implements IteratorAggregate - can be used in foreach loops
• to_array() method converts collection back to array
• Existing code continues to function unchanged

Performance Considerations

This is an in-memory collection approach, which means:

• Pros: Extremely flexible, chainable, developer-friendly API
• Pros: Excellent for <1000 abilities (typical use case)
• Cons: May be less efficient than direct array filtering for very large datasets
• Cons: Always loads all abilities into memory before filtering

Discussion Points

1. API Style Preference: Query-based (Add Filtering Capabilities for Registered Abilities #115) vs Collection-based (this PR)?
2. Performance Trade-offs: Is in-memory collection acceptable for expected scale?
3. Developer Experience: Which API feels more natural for WordPress developers?
4. Method Naming: I followed Laravel conventions

Related

• Closes Proposal: Add a convienient way to filter the list of all registered abilities #38 (alternative implementation)
• Alternative to Add Filtering Capabilities for Registered Abilities #115