Changed Method label() in Taxonomy Terms results in Field/Name Changes

Problem/Motivation

The method label() of entities is abstract and does not (necessarily) correspond to one specific field. Some entity types have implemented a specific version of that method while taxonomy terms do have a corresponding field (name) by default. Which is why those three expressions are basically identical:

• $term->get('name')->value
• $term->getName()
• $term->label()

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I think that the method label() is not supposed to change any actual functionality. It is there to show a string representation of that entity. Nothing else.

In a project I needed that string representation to be different for taxonomy terms, so I changed the method label() (by using my own class for taxonomy terms). Now here is what happened. As soon as I saved a taxonomy term, the field name was lost and instead the output of the label() method was saved in that field.

After debugging this for a bit, I found that the method getName() was using the method label() instead of fetching the content of the field name directly. I assume that the method getName() is used when a term is saved to fetch the current value of the name field, but I don't think that we should rely on the label() method returning that field. If we do, why even have a label() method in the first place? As soon as we change it, the name field is not usable anymore. At least not manually. It will always hold a copy of the label() result.

Steps to reproduce

• Update the method label() for your taxonomy terms
  • Overwrite the class for taxonomy terms (which I did), extend the original class and overwrite the method label()
  • Write a temporary core patch
  • I think there is also a callback method that can be registered which is but marked as deprecated
• Save a taxonomy term
• Edit the taxonomy term again
• The field name has changed

Proposed resolution

I don't think that the method getName() should be using the method label(). Instead it should return the name of the taxonomy term, just as the method name suggests: return this->get('name')->value;.

I would like to hear your thoughts and please correct me if I misunderstood anything.