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PHP Compatibility Checker icon

PHP Compatibility Checker

v1.6.3
by WP Engine · 2.7 (130 reviews)

Make sure your plugins and themes are compatible with newer PHP versions.

200K+ active installs Updated Dec 14, 2023 Tested to 6.4.7 Requires PHP 5.6
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PHP Compatibility Checker

About PHP Compatibility Checker

The WP Engine PHP Compatibility Checker is a plugin that can be used by any WordPress website to check if their theme and plugin code is compatible with the PHP version they are using. It will give you a report of any compatibility issues and suggest updates to themes and plugins. However, please note that the plugin does not detect runtime compatibility issues and may show false positives in some cases.

Screenshots

PHP Compatibility Checker screenshot
PHP Compatibility Checker screenshot

Frequently asked questions

What can the WP Engine PHP Compatibility Checker be used for?
The WP Engine PHP Compatibility Checker can be used by any WordPress website on any web host to check PHP version compatibility.
What information does the compatibility report provide?
The compatibility report provides a list of compatibility issues categorized into errors and warnings. It includes the file and line number of the offending code, as well as information about why that line of code is incompatible with the chosen version of PHP. The plugin also suggests updates to themes and plugins.
Can the plugin detect runtime compatibility issues?
No, the plugin does not execute theme and plugin code, so it cannot detect runtime compatibility issues.
Is the linting process perfect?
No, linting code is not perfect. The plugin may show false positives and cannot detect unused code-paths that might be used for backwards compatibility.
How long does it take to get scan results?
Scan results should be near real-time, but it may take up to 10 minutes for results to be returned from Tide, the system that scans updated versions of plugins and themes.

Changelog

1.6.3

Fix issue where Buffer was not available to the scans.

1.6.2

  • Update packages.

1.6.1

  • Fix issue on update where old files were included.

1.6.0

  • Changed from running PHP Compatibility scans on your WordPress server to using scan data from Tide.
  • Removed phpcompat WP-CLI command.
  • Update dependencies.

1.5.2

  • Removed PHP 5.2 checks
  • Fixed PHP 8 issue where plugin cannot cannot be uninstalled.

1.5.1

  • Added Smart Plugin Manager to whitelisted plugins.

1.5.0

  • Added support for PHP 7.3 compatibility checks.

1.4.8

  • Update dependencies.

1.4.7

  • Better translation support.

1.4.6

  • Switched to new PHPCompatibilityWP library to help prevent false positives.

1.4.5

  • Use plugin version number to enqueue scripts and styles.

1.4.4

  • PHP 5.2 Support & PHP 7.1 and 7.2 Lints.
  • Updated call to action sidebar depending on platform.

1.4.3

  • Fixed Composer issue.

1.4.1

  • Updated PHP_CodeSniffer to fix a security advisory.
  • Whitelisted a number of plugins.

1.4.0

  • Updated UX for viewing PHP errors to be more intuitive and require less scrolling.
  • Added links for non-technical users who need assistance from developers to fix PHP errors or to test their site in PHP 7 enabled hosting environments.

1.3.2

  • Added a “Clean up” button and uninstall.php.
  • Added phpcompat_phpversions filter.

1.3.1

  • Whitelisted a number of plugins.

1.3.0

  • Updated the PHPCompatibility library to latest version. Should fix many false positives.
  • Changed language and added help text to Admin UI.

1.2.4

  • Fixed Composer issue.

1.2.3

  • Updated the PHPCompatibility library to latest version.
  • Whitelisted TablePress.

1.2.2

  • Whitelisted UpdraftPlus and Max Mega Menu.

1.2.1

  • Updated the PHPCompatibility library to latest version.

1.2.0

  • Updated the PHPCompatibility library to latest version.
  • Added support for PHP 5.6

1.1.2

  • Fixed issue with WordPress notices breaking the plugin header.
  • Changed the way we send and parse JSON.
  • You can now restart an in progress scan.
  • Updated download.js to v4.2 for better Safari compatibility.

1.1.1

  • Fixed bug with active job display.
  • Updated progress bar calculation.

1.1.0

  • Test results now persist page reloads.
  • Failed tests will show an overview of the results.
  • The scan timeout is now configurable using a filter. See the FAQ for more details.

1.0.3

  • Fixed a bug in the WP-CLI command.
  • Added a handful of PHP 7 compatible plugins to the whitelist.

1.0.2

  • Added additional role protections.
  • Changed the UI colors to better understand output at a glance.
  • Exclude checking node_modules and tmp directories.
  • Added support for child theme’s parent theme.

1.0.1

  • Updated compatibility library with a few bugfixes.
  • Added skip logic to prevent checker from hanging.

1.0.0

  • Major update to add PHP 7 checking support.
  • Improved the UX of the progress bar.
  • Fixed bug with the way the plugin menu was registered.

0.1.0

  • Initial version.
  • PHP 5.5, 5.4, and 5.3 Support.
  • Basic WP-CLI Commands.

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