Title: plugin.php error with php 5.3.8
Last modified: August 20, 2016

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# plugin.php error with php 5.3.8

 *  [tomd39](https://wordpress.org/support/users/tomd39/)
 * (@tomd39)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pluginphp-error-with-php-538/)
 * My ISP upgraded their server PHP from 5.2.1.7 to PHP 5.3.8 to protect from hackers.
   The result has been that awanacanada.ca cannot access and display page data. 
   The template displays with the following warnings:
 * Warning: Parameter 1 to ace_where() expected to be a reference, value given in/
   data/22/2/46/113/2046602/user/2241936/htdocs/home/wp-includes/plugin.php on line
   227
 * Warning: Parameter 1 to ace_join() expected to be a reference, value given in/
   data/22/2/46/113/2046602/user/2241936/htdocs/home/wp-includes/plugin.php on line
   227
 * These warnings point to the following code in plugin.php:
 *  do {
    foreach( (array) current($wp_filter[$tag]) as $the_ ) if ( !is_null($the_[‘
   function’]) ) $args[0] = call_user_func_array($the_[‘function’], array_slice(
   $args, 0, (int) $the_[‘accepted_args’]));
 *  } while ( next($wp_filter[$tag]) !== false );
 *  array_pop( $wp_current_filter );
 *  return $args[0];
    }
 * Does anyone know what needs to be changed here?
 * Please advise.
 * Thanks

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

 *  [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/)
 * (@esmi)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pluginphp-error-with-php-538/#post-2605379)
 * Nothing. Try:
    – switching to the Twenty Eleven theme by renaming your current
   theme’s folder in wp-content/themes and adding “-old” to the end of the folder
   name using [FTP](http://codex.wordpress.org/FTP_Clients) or whatever file management
   application your host provides.
 * – [resetting the plugins folder](http://codex.wordpress.org/FAQ_Troubleshooting#How_to_deactivate_all_plugins_when_not_able_to_access_the_administrative_menus.3F)
   by FTP or phpMyAdmin.
 *  Thread Starter [tomd39](https://wordpress.org/support/users/tomd39/)
 * (@tomd39)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pluginphp-error-with-php-538/#post-2605386)
 * Bear with me while I interpret.
 * 1. I change the folder name of /htdocs/home/wp-content/themes/thesis_18 to /htdocs/
   home/wp-content/themes/thesis_18-old
 * And that’s it?
 *  Thread Starter [tomd39](https://wordpress.org/support/users/tomd39/)
 * (@tomd39)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pluginphp-error-with-php-538/#post-2605387)
 * Clicked through to the “resetting the plugins folder” and followed the four steps.
   The site is back after steps 1 and 2. Step 3 says to login to admin which is 
   fine, but when resetting “plugins-old” back to “plugins”, the warnings reappear.
   Have a suggestion from this point? Reset each plugin manually through the admin
   page?
 *  [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/)
 * (@esmi)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pluginphp-error-with-php-538/#post-2605395)
 * > And that’s it?
 * Yes.
 * > Have a suggestion from this point?
 * Don’t rename “plugins-old” back to “plugins”. Instead create a new “plugins” 
   folder and bring the old plugins over from “plugins-hold” one at a time to try
   and identify the problematic plugin(s).
 *  Thread Starter [tomd39](https://wordpress.org/support/users/tomd39/)
 * (@tomd39)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pluginphp-error-with-php-538/#post-2605399)
 * Thanks much for your help. We’ll see which one is the culprit.
 *  [sdgcom](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sdgcom/)
 * (@sdgcom)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pluginphp-error-with-php-538/#post-2605533)
 * Greetings! I have the same issue. Did you find a resolution to this problem? 
   Which plugin was problematic?
 *  Thread Starter [tomd39](https://wordpress.org/support/users/tomd39/)
 * (@tomd39)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pluginphp-error-with-php-538/#post-2605536)
 * I took the opportunity to clean house on the plugins. (I inherited this site 
   from another developer.) So, I did not use all the plugins that were in the old
   plugins folder, just the ones I’m sure are in use. However, none caused a problem.
 * What happens actually is that copying the plugins into the new folder just makes
   them accessible to WordPress. You have to reactivate each one. It COULD be the
   reactivation clears up any problems.

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

The topic ‘plugin.php error with php 5.3.8’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [php](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/php/)
 * [plugin.php](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/plugin-php/)
 * [warning](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/warning/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 7 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [tomd39](https://wordpress.org/support/users/tomd39/)
 * Last activity: [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/pluginphp-error-with-php-538/#post-2605536)
 * Status: not resolved

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