[huubl]

Adds wp_get_stylesheet_link_tag() and wp_print_stylesheet_link_tag() backed by WP_HTML_Tag_Processor, with the wp_style_attributes filter for applying attributes such as CSP nonces. Core stylesheet links now use the API across WP_Styles (including RTL/alternate output), concatenated admin styles, the wp_admin_css() fallback, locale and media-preview styles, compatibility markup, and Twenty Ten/Twenty Eleven (with older-Core fallbacks).

Raw URLs are passed to the tag processor for escaping and protocol checks. The legacy style_loader_tag and wp_admin_css filters remain in their existing order; style_loader_tag keeps its escaped $href argument. Concatenated output gets the new attribute filter once and does not newly invoke style_loader_tag.

Validation:

• ./vendor/bin/phpunit tests/phpunit/tests/dependencies/wpStylesheetLinkTag.php - passed (6 tests, 7 assertions).
• ./vendor/bin/phpunit tests/phpunit/tests/dependencies/styles.php - passed (84 tests, 209 assertions).
• php -l on both stylesheet test files, targeted PHPCS on both test files, and git diff --check - passed.

Trac ticket: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/51325 (related context only; this is a separate external stylesheet-link follow-up, not a change to that ticket's inline-style scope).

Use of AI Tools

AI assistance: Yes
Tool(s): GitHub Copilot
Model(s): GPT-6 Luna
Used for: Architecture analysis, API implementation, Core call-site migration, and tests; reviewed and validated in the isolated WordPress Core worktree.

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This Pull Request is for code review only. Please keep all other discussion in the Trac ticket. Do not merge this PR. See GitHub Pull Requests for Code Review in the Core Handbook for more details.

[github-actions]

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[huubl]

Closing in favor of three PRs, which split this change so that it can be committed in separate changesets, and incorporate feedback from #13250 and Core-51325:

• Script Loader: Add an API for stylesheet LINK tags #14498: Script Loader: Add an API for stylesheet LINK tags
• Script Loader: Use the style link tag API for the remaining Core stylesheet LINK tags #14499: Script Loader: Use the style link tag API for the remaining Core stylesheet LINK tags
• Bundled Themes: Print the stylesheet LINK tag with wp_print_style_link_tag() when available #14500: Bundled Themes: Print the stylesheet LINK tag with wp_print_style_link_tag() when available

The functions are renamed to wp_get_style_link_tag() and wp_print_style_link_tag(), as suggested on Core-51325. The markup passed to style_loader_tag and wp_admin_css is kept unchanged, a supplied id cannot be changed by the wp_style_attributes filter, and the branch is up to date with trunk.

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