I need some assistance with WordPress compatibility issues. Recently I upgraded my server from PHP 5.6 to PHP 7.3 and now my WordPress websites are having problems. Everything was working fine before the upgrade but now the sites are not functioning properly even though I am using the same codebase and database. I tried making some changes like removing the ‘& new’ syntax and replacing it with just ‘new’ after reading some solutions online but the issues persist. Has anyone else experienced similar problems when upgrading PHP versions with WordPress? What are the common compatibility fixes I should look into? Any help would be really appreciated as I am stuck with these non-functional sites.
had this exact problem a few months back. php 7.3 won’t ignore syntax errors like 5.6 did. check your themes and plugins for mysql_* functions - they’re completely gone in 7.3. same with ereg functions. back everything up, then update wordpress core first. after that, update themes and plugins one at a time. saved me tons of headaches.
I’ve experienced similar issues after upgrading to PHP 7.3. It’s important to audit your theme and plugins for reliance on deprecated MySQL functions, which can cause errors. This was a major factor for us, especially with older WooCommerce versions. Establishing a staging environment for testing before changes is crucial; it allows you to troubleshoot without risking your live site. Additionally, ensure your memory limit in wp-config.php is adequately set, as PHP 7.3 may require more resources than previously.
PHP 7.3 breaks tons of older WordPress code and plugins. I went through this nightmare last year upgrading dozens of client sites.
Usually it’s deprecated functions, changed error handling, and outdated plugins that haven’t been updated. You’ll spend weeks debugging each issue manually.
I stopped fixing things piece by piece and automated the whole migration. Set up monitoring that checks site functions, rolls back problematic changes, and tests compatibility before deploying.
The automation handles plugin compatibility, database migrations, and creates staging environments for safe testing. Beats manually hunting down broken functions.
You can automate the entire WordPress upgrade workflow and skip these headaches. Check out https://latenode.com for setup.
PHP upgrades across multiple WordPress sites are a nightmare. Found this out when we had to upgrade 50+ client sites at once.
I got tired of fixing compatibility issues one by one, so I built an automated workflow instead. It checks compatibility before upgrading, watches for broken stuff after deployment, and rolls back automatically if something breaks.
The system also handles plugin updates, theme testing, and database migrations. Creates staging environments for each site, runs everything there first, then only pushes to production if it all works.
Saved us hundreds of hours vs manual debugging. You can build similar workflows without coding.
Check out https://latenode.com
I hit the same issues upgrading from PHP 5.6 to 7.3 on our WordPress sites. Check your error logs first - they’ll show you exactly what’s breaking. The main culprits I’ve seen are old themes using deprecated MySQL functions and plugins calling removed PHP functions like create_function(). PHP 7.3’s memory limit changes can also kill resource-heavy plugins that ran fine on 5.6. Disable all plugins and switch to a default theme, then turn them back on one at a time to find the problem. Make sure your WordPress version supports PHP 7.3 - anything before 4.7 won’t work. Turn on WP_DEBUG in wp-config.php to see which specific functions are failing.