Tests: Verify timezone persistence and restore the original setting

[lancewillett]

The invalid-timezone tests currently leave the site using Lisbon and check only the form returned after submission. Capture and restore the stored timezone options, confirm successful saves, and reload settings to verify the last valid value persisted after an invalid submission.

Retains the three existing invalid inputs. Selects a different valid timezone when the site already uses Lisbon. Setup and cleanup use WP-CLI to preserve both timezone_string and gmt_offset, including offsets that the settings form displays incorrectly. The test still submits valid and invalid timezone values through the browser. Carries forward the useful improvements from #8092 into the existing spec.

Trac: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/52895

Validation: all three cases passed three repetitions in local Chromium on multisite with retries disabled (9 checks). Additional probes verified restoration of UTC+0:30, UTC−0:30, UTC+5:30, and an already-Lisbon setting. An intentional failure away from Settings also preserved the original stored options. Probe code was removed and local settings restored. The scoped E2E audit, JavaScript type checking, syntax, and whitespace checks passed.

Use of AI Tools

AI assistance: Yes
Tool: OpenAI Codex
Model: GPT-6
Used for: Implementing the test changes, running local validation, auditing the diff, and drafting this description.

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[lancewillett]

Review of e08b2a4. No blockers, and no changes requested to the test.

• Scope is right: everything lands in the existing tests/e2e/specs/general-settings-invalid-timezone.test.js. The three invalid inputs are kept.
• The valid save is now proven every time: the test picks a timezone that differs from the starting value, uses a real selectOption(), and asserts "Settings saved." Before, the proof was implicit and void when the site already held Europe/Lisbon.
• The rejection is now explicit: it asserts the "not valid" notice, the value on the response, and the value again on a fresh page load.
• State is restored: afterEach reloads a fresh form, restores the captured value through the form, and asserts the result. Restoring through the form keeps UTC-offset choices intact. The spec no longer leaves the site on Europe/Lisbon.
• CI: both E2E jobs passed on this head.

One change requested, to the description:

• Replace the footer with the AI disclosure section. The description ends with an "AI review" footer, which reads as a reviewer's sign-off on the author's own text. The pull request template asks for a "Use of AI Tools" section that says which tools were used and for what.

Track later, outside this diff: the spec still finds its controls by #timezone_string and #submit. Label and role lookups would match the newer specs.

_{AI review · claude-opus-5-5}

[lancewillett]

Fixed in 9d6a06c. The settings form displays UTC+0:30 and UTC−0:30 as UTC+0, so restoring its selected value silently changed the original offset—even while the test passed.

Setup and cleanup now preserve the stored timezone_string and gmt_offset through WP-CLI. The browser assertions remain unchanged. Repeated tests and offset-restoration probes passed, including cleanup after an intentional test failure.

_{AI review · gpt-6}

[Copilot]

🟡 Changes recommended

CLI site targeting can leave subsite settings unrestored, and dotenv output can break setup JSON parsing.

2 open findings

• Use Playwright baseURL for multisite setup and cleanup · New
• Enable dotenv quiet mode to preserve JSON stdout · New

What changed in this PR

Strengthens the existing invalid-timezone tests to verify persistence and restore the site's original timezone settings.

Changes:

• Captures and restores both timezone options through WP-CLI.
• Selects a different valid timezone and checks save feedback.
• Reloads settings to verify persistence after each invalid submission.

File	Description
tests/​e2e/​specs/​general-settings-invalid-timezone.test.js	Adds option restoration and stronger persistence assertions.

🧠 Review effort: Balanced

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[Copilot]

🟢 Approval recommended

No blocking issues remain, and both previously reported concerns are addressed.

No open issues 🎉

2 resolved since last review

• Enable dotenv quiet mode to preserve JSON stdout
• Use Playwright baseURL for multisite setup and cleanup

_{Review effort: Balanced}

[lancewillett]

PR #14207 landed in https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/64584