PHP Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_STRING

[j.conti]

There is a problem with BuddyPress 1.5.4

All my BuddyPress has started to create an error_log with this error:

[16-Feb-2012 21:21:21 UTC] PHP Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_STRING in /home/xxxxxxx/public_html/wp-content/plugins/buddypress/bp-members/bp-members-signup.php(116) : runtime-created function on line 1
[16-Feb-2012 21:21:21 UTC] PHP Warning: call_user_func_array() expects parameter 1 to be a valid callback, no array or string given in /home/xxxxxxx/public_html/wp-includes/plugin.php on line 405

My server has PHP 5.3.10

[j.conti]

More info.

I cannot reproduce the error.

Is a random error. I made a lot of combinations and the error was not on error_log again.

Few hours later, the error appeared again with a new user registration...

Is a very strange error.

[johnjamesjacoby]

Some function is missing. Any idea if the same error happens on trunk?

[boonebgorges]

I can't reproduce it. I'm guessing that an error is being registered in $bp->signup->errors that isn't structured properly as key-value, so that either $fieldname or $error_message is ending up undefined, and the create_function() command therefore failing because of mauled syntax. If that's right, we can fix this by checking to make sure that $fieldname and $error_message are non-empty before attempting to create the function. But that seems a bit random, if we can't recreate the error to begin with.

j.conti, are you running any plugins or any other modifications to the registration process?

[j.conti]

Hi,

We find the issue. The issue is with quotes. If the error message has quotes, it screen the error.

We fixed adding addslashes() to the error message ​http://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wangguard/trunk/wangguard-admin.php#L476

[boonebgorges]

Good find. The issue is specific to the syntax of create_function() and the way that we're concatenating the content of the function. The good news is that it'll only affect instances where plugins are registering their own messages in $bp->signup->errors, which is probably very few.

I'm going to fix this by adding our own addslashes()/stripslashes(), but it'll break what you've done in WangGuard - the content will be double-slashed. So you'll have to remove your own addslashes(). Hope that's OK! Thanks for your help tracking this down.

[boonebgorges]

(In [5860]) Use addslashes() and stripslashes() when hooking signup error messages to display hooks.
This helps us to avoid syntax errors related to create_function() when the error message contains quotes.
Fixes #4016. Props j.conti

[boonebgorges]

(In [5861]) Use addslashes() and stripslashes() when hooking signup error messages to display hooks.
This helps us to avoid syntax errors related to create_function() when the error message contains quotes.
Fixes #4016. Props j.conti

[j.conti]

Ok,

Only show that error to bots, this is why at first we did not find the issue.

In a couple of days we release WangGuard 1.4.

Right now I do not know if release WangGuard with or without the fix ...

Do you know when you release BuddyPress 1.5.5?

[boonebgorges]

Do you know when you release BuddyPress 1.5.5?

No, I don't know, unfortunately.

If I were you, I would release without the addslashes(). Since the problem only arises for bots, hopefully it won't be a big deal if the error pops up between the release of WangGuard 1.4 and BP 1.5.5 (would probably only be the matter of a week or two).