Fatal error: Call-time pass-by-reference in functions.wp-taxonomy.php

[webilop]

PHP Syntax Check: Fatal error: Call-time pass-by-reference has been removed in your code on line 173

File: bp-forums/bbpress/bb-includes/backpress/functions.wp-taxonomy.php

[r-a-y]

Hi webilop,

This error would only occur if you are using the Legacy Group Forums component and PHP 5.4+.

I just tried using the Legacy Group Forums component in BP 2.3.3 with PHP 5.4 and I could not duplicate your error.

Whereabouts are you seeing this error and what version of BuddyPress are you running?

I would also strongly suggest using bbPress 2+ if you want to use forums with BuddyPress:
​https://codex.buddypress.org/getting-started/guides/migrating-from-old-forums-to-bbpress-2/

[webilop]

Hi r-a-y,

I'm trying to upload the plugin into a WordPress instance in ​wpengine, however wpengine checks for syntax errors in PHP files when you are uploading changes through git repositories.

I didn't get this error in the browser really.

Thanks!

[DJPaul]

The complexity with this particular error is that it lives inside the BackPress project, which is bundled with the old (1.x) version of bbPress, that's bundled inside BuddyPress for backwards compatibility reasons. The error is two levels removed from BuddyPress, in other words.

BackPress is pretty much abandoned. Have a look at its recent commits; very little this last year: ​https://backpress.trac.wordpress.org/log/

We are very sorry, but I can't see that there's anything we can do about this. BuddyPress needs to continue shipping bbPress 1 for foreseeable future, and BackPress itself is abandoned or in maintenance mode.