Make theme compatible with new php versions

georgetoons

georgetoons

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Hi bhw fam,

Ill start it off by saying I am a complete noob when it comes to this stuff but I am very determined haha!

I have a movie streaming site on a theme that is no longer being updated. My problem is it is only compatible with php 7.3 for some reason and I can not reach the support atall. Does anyone know how I could make it compatible with newer php versions or is it not that easy?

Thank you all in advance.
 
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georgetoons said:
Hi bhw fam,

Ill start it off by saying I am a complete noob when it comes to this stuff but I am very determined haha!

I have a movie streaming site on a theme that is no longer being updated. My problem is it is only compatible with php 7.3 for some reason and I can not reach the support atall. Does anyone know how I could make it compatible with newer php versions or is it not that easy?

Thank you all in advance.
Click to expand...

Does it break if you install it on a server with a later PHP version?

If it does and you can't find an alternative, your best bet would be to open a thread in the Hire a Freelancer section.

Getting it to work with a later PHP version shouldn't be that big of a task.
 
BlogPro said:
Does it break if you install it on a server with a later PHP version?

If it does and you can't find an alternative, your best bet would be to open a thread in the Hire a Freelancer section.

Getting it to work with a later PHP version shouldn't be that big of a task.
Click to expand...
Yeah internal server error when I use a newer php version, thinking about using a new theme so I have support aswell and get rid of problems like this in the future
 
georgetoons said:
Yeah internal server error when I use a newer php version, thinking about using a new theme so I have support aswell and get rid of problems like this in the future
Click to expand...
Thats what i done in the short term, and then in the medium-long term, I'm learning to program in PHP and wordpress to avoid the same thing if I diverge themes and buy one or build one.

I went with themify.org. They have nice customizable sites, and lots of designs in many niches.
 
To update a theme to ensure compatibility with a specific PHP version, one of the main steps involves addressing deprecated functions.
 
Panther28 said:
Thats what i done in the short term, and then in the medium-long term, I'm learning to program in PHP and wordpress to avoid the same thing if I diverge themes and buy one or build one.

I went with themify.org. They have nice customizable sites, and lots of designs in many niches.
Click to expand...
Is php and wordpress hard to learn? Was interested to start as well
 
AlbinKurti said:
Is php and wordpress hard to learn? Was interested to start as well
Click to expand...
Nah, I would say learn the basics of PHP, they are just like any other language now, they fit into HTML code easier than others though, but the idea is still the same. I enjoy PHP it's very simple, and if your coding you have chatgpt now, which is revolutionary if you are still getting to grips with programming. Wordpress is then a bit easier to understand, as its obviously written in the language of PHP, but suddenly you'll find lots of new concepts, that you'll be looking them up regularly before you start to get a grip of the WP infrastructure.

I have about 5 WP courses in my udemy that are at the starting blocks each, as I've been working to build a plugin before, but now I'm ready to pivot, and just do a dedicated couple of weeks of intense learning to get over the hill of what exactly I ned to know to convert my nearly finished HTML/CSS/JS themes into WP now, and sell.

You've probably got a million and one other things to be doing, but defo squeeze some time in regularly over the next few months if you can to dip your toes into PHP & WP even if you just watch a couple of courses, and don't try to follow along with coding, just enjoy their getting familiar, and you'll find it easy to suddenly realize you know stuff when you do start! lol
 
Panther28 said:
Nah, I would say learn the basics of PHP, they are just like any other language now, they fit into HTML code easier than others though, but the idea is still the same. I enjoy PHP it's very simple, and if your coding you have chatgpt now, which is revolutionary if you are still getting to grips with programming. Wordpress is then a bit easier to understand, as its obviously written in the language of PHP, but suddenly you'll find lots of new concepts, that you'll be looking them up regularly before you start to get a grip of the WP infrastructure.

I have about 5 WP courses in my udemy that are at the starting blocks each, as I've been working to build a plugin before, but now I'm ready to pivot, and just do a dedicated couple of weeks of intense learning to get over the hill of what exactly I ned to know to convert my nearly finished HTML/CSS/JS themes into WP now, and sell.

You've probably got a million and one other things to be doing, but defo squeeze some time in regularly over the next few months if you can to dip your toes into PHP & WP even if you just watch a couple of courses, and don't try to follow along with coding, just enjoy their getting familiar, and you'll find it easy to suddenly realize you know stuff when you do start! lol
Click to expand...
Thank you for this man
 
georgetoons said:
Hi bhw fam,

Ill start it off by saying I am a complete noob when it comes to this stuff but I am very determined haha!

I have a movie streaming site on a theme that is no longer being updated. My problem is it is only compatible with php 7.3 for some reason and I can not reach the support atall. Does anyone know how I could make it compatible with newer php versions or is it not that easy?

Thank you all in advance.
Click to expand...

If you want, I can provide you with the StreamTube for free. Which might be a good replacement for your current theme, as it has been supported for over 3+ years now?

https://themeforest.net/item/streamtube-responsive-video-wordpress-theme/33821786
 
If you enable the php-debug-log you will see what you need to change
 
georgetoons said:
Hi bhw fam,

Ill start it off by saying I am a complete noob when it comes to this stuff but I am very determined haha!

I have a movie streaming site on a theme that is no longer being updated. My problem is it is only compatible with php 7.3 for some reason and I can not reach the support atall. Does anyone know how I could make it compatible with newer php versions or is it not that easy?

Thank you all in advance.
Click to expand...
Hi, but why do you want to switch versions? Some of my websites are running 7.3 (because I'm too lazy to update the code, haha) and it's totally fine. So there's nothing wrong with that. Of course, PHP <8 has some critical bugs, but so does 8+. So don't worry. But if you really want or need to update the PHP version (for example, if your service provider stops supporting v7), then you need to hire a developer to update the theme or buy a new theme.

AlbinKurti said:
Is php and wordpress hard to learn? Was interested to start as well
Click to expand...
No, but it depends on what you what to learn. Programming for wordpress is a little mess despite some really cool patterns and architectural solutions used there. But anyway, it's not hard. The question is whether you want to learn wordpress development or web mastering. Those things require different knowledge. Web mastering (i.e. making sites on wordpress) is waaaay easier and faster, but limits you waaaay more (in terms of what you can do with the website).
 
CAFED00D said:
Of course, PHP <8 has some critical bugs, but so does 8+. So don't worry.
Click to expand...
nice approach to security lol ..dont fix old bugs, as there are new bugs too :D
its riskier to keep older bugs around as for those there might be more public exploits out there, while new bugs might not be exploited in the wild yet.
 
itz_styx said:
nice approach to security lol ..dont fix old bugs, as there are new bugs too :D
its riskier to keep older bugs around as for those there might be more public exploits out there, while new bugs might not be exploited in the wild yet.
Click to expand...
Oh, yeah :) Security is my second name :))
Sure, I agree. Php 8 has critical bugs as well, but you're right, some of them are still kept in private. As well as some php 7 issues:))

But as OP says he's a noob, so there are 2 ways that require less effort: 1) keep things as they are, 2) find a developer to update the theme
 
CAFED00D said:
Oh, yeah :) Security is my second name :))
Sure, I agree. Php 8 has critical bugs as well, but you're right, some of them are still kept in private. As well as some php 7 issues:))

But as OP says he's a noob, so there are 2 ways that require less effort: 1) keep things as they are, 2) find a developer to update the theme
Click to expand...
yea same here i'm into security since the mid 90s, was a fun time :D .. but you are right, people like to keep things as they are, but then also later complain why/how they got hacked :D
 
This is not as easy as you might think but it does not mean it is impossible.
You can try the following things :
-Check the compatible PHP versions: If your theme documentation doesn't mention which PHP version it's compatible with, you can try running it on different versions to narrow down the range. .
-Enable error reporting: Set the error reporting to the highest level in your PHP configuration file (php.ini). This will help you identify any compatibility issues by displaying error messages.
-Check for deprecated functions: Newer PHP versions often deprecate and remove certain functions that are no longer recommended or supported. Review your theme's code for any deprecated functions and update them to their current equivalents.
-Update deprecated code: Review your theme's code to identify any deprecated code constructs (e.g., outdated syntax) and update them to the latest one.
-Use a compatibility plugin: If all else fails, you can try using a compatibility plugin like "PHP Compatibility Checker" to identify compatibility issues and suggest fixes.
 
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