Performance improvement for author_has_public_posts_wp

[PypWalters]

Context

• This WP query is very slow on sites with large databases, and can be improved from a performance standpoint. Here is the support for the changes I am proposing: https://10up.github.io/Engineering-Best-Practices/php/#performance

Summary

This PR can be summarized in the following changelog entry:

• Performance improvement for author_has_public_posts_wp

Relevant technical choices:

Test instructions

Test instructions for the acceptance test before the PR gets merged

This PR can be acceptance tested by following these steps:

• Test on a site with a large database (250,000 posts +).
• Using query monitor, go to the single post page with this change vs without this change and see if there are any performance improvements to the query.
• Using query monitor, go to /wp-admin/edit.php with this change vs without this change and see if there are any performance improvements to the query.

Relevant test scenarios

• Changes should be tested with the browser console open
• Changes should be tested on different posts/pages/taxonomies/custom post types/custom taxonomies
• Changes should be tested on different editors (Block/Classic/Elementor/other)
• Changes should be tested on different browsers
• Changes should be tested on multisite

Test instructions for QA when the code is in the RC

• QA should use the same steps as above.

QA can test this PR by following these steps:

Impact check

This PR affects the following parts of the plugin, which may require extra testing:

• Regression test Calculate posts of authors via the WP way #19146

UI changes

• This PR changes the UI in the plugin. I have added the 'UI change' label to this PR.

Other environments

• This PR also affects Shopify. I have added a changelog entry starting with [shopify-seo], added test instructions for Shopify and attached the Shopify label to this PR.

Documentation

• I have written documentation for this change.

Quality assurance

• I have tested this code to the best of my abilities.
• During testing, I had activated all plugins Yoast SEO provides integrations for.
• I have added unit tests to verify the code works as intended.
• If any part of the code is behind a feature flag, my test instructions also cover cases where the feature flag is switched off.
• I have written this PR in accordance with my team's definition of done.

Innovation

• No innovation project is applicable for this PR.
• This PR falls under an innovation project. I have attached the innovation label and noted the work hours.

Fixes #

[leonidasmi]

Thank you @PypWalters for this PR!

We copied it in this PR where we are giving you props, and we're running that through our processes, in order to be released soon.