Getting an error message is no fun. Here are a few tips to troubleshoot and resolve deprecations notices and warning.
What is a deprecation notice?
This is a notice that a particular piece of code within a theme or plugin you are using will stop working. This relates to PHP versions and what that particular version can support.
At Shifter, we typically run the latest stable version of PHP. WordPress.org recently upgraded their minimum version and announced plans for a more aggressive upgrade schedule in the future.
Example notices
For example, a deprecation notice looks something like this:
Deprecated: The each() function is deprecated. This message will be suppressed on further calls in /var/www/html/web/wp/wp-content/plugins/js_composer/include/classes/core/class-vc-mapper.php on line 186
Resolving deprecation warning and errors
Here are a few suggestions to resolve those errors. If these don’t work out please let us know and we’ll help you pinpoint the issue.
Most common fix: Update Themes and Plugins
The number one cause of these warnings or errors is an outdated plugin. Updating all of your plugins and themes is the first step to fix those errors.
Remove Unused or Unnecessary Plugins
If you are running a plugin that isn’t needed remove it. Also, if you are using two plugins that do the same thing remove the one you don’t need. Conflicts can occur and it’s best to rule these out.
Contact the Plugin or Theme Developer
If you’ve identified where the error is coming from and the plugin or theme developer does not have an update available contact them directly.
Plugin developers and Theme developer, especially paid ones should offer patches or updates to their software to support newer versions of PHP.
Often times a quick email or ticket to those vendors can provide an update if one is not already available.
Contact Us
We can help you future out why the message is appearing and if it’s important at all. About 90% of the time, we can resolve these issues with upgrading to the latest version of your plugins or third-party theme.