[5.4] Author Filter Fix

[AdarshSantoria]

Pull Request for Issue #45181

Summary of Changes

This PR fixes a bug where filtering articles by Author = None did not return articles created by deleted users. Joomla previously used created_by = 0 for the "None" filter, but in reality, deleted users leave their created_by values intact in the #__content table — they just no longer exist in the #__users table.

This fix updates the logic to:

• Detect when the filter is set to 0 (representing "None")
• Return articles where created_by NOT IN (SELECT id FROM #__users)
• Support multi-select filters, e.g. author_id = [0, 42], to include both deleted users and existing ones

This PR is a continuation and enhancement of #45186, extending support to "by_me" and fixing edge cases in combined filters.

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Testing Instructions

1. Create two users in Joomla.
2. Create articles using each user.
3. Delete one of the users via Users > Manage.
4. Go to Content > Articles.
5. Apply the Author filter:
   • Select "None" → should show article by deleted user ✅
   • Select deleted user + another existing user → both articles show ✅
   • Select only existing user → shows only that user’s articles ✅

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Actual result BEFORE applying this Pull Request

• Filtering by Author = None shows no articles.
• Deleted users are not handled properly in the query.
• created_by = 0 was used incorrectly.

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Expected result AFTER applying this Pull Request

• Articles created by deleted users appear when Author = None is selected.
• Query uses created_by NOT IN (SELECT id FROM #__users) for deleted users.
• Filtering works as expected for mixed author selections (deleted + existing).

• Articles created by the current user appear when Author = Created by me is selected.
• The 'Created by me' filter is correctly replaced with the logged-in user's ID.
• Deleted users are no longer incorrectly included.
• Filtering works as expected for combinations like ["by_me"].

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Link to documentation

Please select:

• Documentation link for docs.joomla.org:

• No documentation changes for docs.joomla.org needed

• Pull Request link for manual.joomla.org:

• No documentation changes for manual.joomla.org needed

[richard67]

@AdarshSantoria Could you extend the testing instructions by a test case for the "Created by me" filter? Thanks in advance.

[AdarshSantoria]

@AdarshSantoria Could you extend the testing instructions by a test case for the "Created by me" filter? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will add the "Created by me" test case to the instructions.

[AdarshSantoria]

✅ Additional Test Cases for Author Filter

This extends the original test coverage for the "Created by me" filters using the following setup:

• Owner (main/logged-in user, i.e., me)
• Owner with Admin (another user)
• Owner with a deleted user

1. Created by me

• Logged in as Owner
• Apply the Author filter:
  • Select "Created by me" → ✅ Only article with author Owner is shown.
    

2. Created by me + Admin

• Apply the Author filter:
  • Select "Created by me" + "Admin" → ✅ Articles with authors Owner and Admin are shown.
    

3. None (Deleted User)

• Delete the user who created the third article
• Apply the Author filter:
  • Select "Created by me" + "None" → ✅ Article with authors Owner and [Deleted User] is shown.
    

[richard67]

@brianteeman @fgsw Could you test this PR, too? Thanks in advance.

[brianteeman]

I have tested this item ✅ successfully on c8faaf9

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[fgsw]

I have tested this item ✅ successfully on c8faaf9

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_{This comment was created with the J!Tracker Application at issues.joomla.org/tracker/joomla-cms/45264.}

[richard67]

RTC

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_{This comment was created with the J!Tracker Application at issues.joomla.org/tracker/joomla-cms/45264.}

[richard67]

I have tested this item ✅ successfully on c8faaf9

Not sure if previous human tests were also made with PostgreSQL, so I've just tested that.

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_{This comment was created with the J!Tracker Application at issues.joomla.org/tracker/joomla-cms/45264.}

[richard67]

Maybe a join and then check for null value of the joined column would be better for performance than a subquery in a where clause, but the PR works fine, so for now that's ok.

[richard67]

Thanks all (author and testers).