Description
PHP Compatibility Scanner helps you assess whether your site’s code (plugins and themes) is likely to run on newer versions of PHP. It performs static analysis using PHP_CodeSniffer and the PHPCompatibilityWP ruleset to flag code patterns that are incompatible with the selected target PHP version.
What the plugin does (at a glance):
– Compares your current runtime PHP (baseline) to a selected target PHP version (8.0–8.4).
– Scans plugins and themes, then highlights only the new issues that would appear on the target version (the “delta”).
– Shows results in a clear report on the Tools screen and adds small badges on the Plugins list screen.
– Lets you pause, resume, or stop a running scan.
Important limitations of static analysis:
– Static analysis can miss issues in dynamic code paths and can generate false positives. Treat results as guidance, not guarantees. Always test site functionality on a staging environment before upgrading PHP in production.
Features
- Select a target PHP version (8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4)
- Scan all plugins or select specific ones
- Scan all themes or select specific ones, with an option to also scan a parent if a child theme is selected
- Pause/Resume/Stop controls for long scans
- Clear report of only the new issues between baseline (current runtime) and target
- Plugin list badges showing a quick summary for the last scan
Privacy
All analysis runs locally on your server. No data is sent to external services by this plugin.
Installation
- Install the plugin via Plugins Add New Upload Plugin, or place the
bld-php-compatibility-checkerfolder intowp-content/plugins/. - Activate the plugin through the “Plugins” menu in WordPress.
- Go to Tools PHP Compatibility Checker.
- Choose a Target PHP version higher than your current runtime.
- Select what to scan (plugins and/or themes) and click “Run scan”.
FAQ
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What PHP versions can I target?
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You can select one of: 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, or 8.4.
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What is the minimum PHP version required to run this plugin?
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The plugin requires PHP 7.4+ to run.
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Does this modify my code?
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No. It only analyzes code and reports findings.
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Why are there false positives or missing issues?
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Static analysis examines code without executing it. Dynamic patterns, conditional code paths, and environment-specific behavior can cause both false positives and false negatives. Use the results as guidance and verify on a staging site.
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Does it scan MU-plugins?
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No. MU-plugins are intentionally skipped.
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Do I need WP-Cron for scans?
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No. Scans advance via AJAX polling while the Tools page is open.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“BrightLeaf Digital PHP Compatibility Scanner” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
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Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.0.0
- Initial release
- Scans plugins and themes against target PHP versions (8.0–8.4)
- Pause/Resume/Stop controls
- CLI-first engine with embedded fallback
- AJAX-driven progress (no WP-Cron)
- Plugin list badges for the last scan summary