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Resolving Common Popup Maker PHP Warnings and Deprecation Notices

18 threads Sep 9, 2025

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If you're seeing PHP warnings or deprecation notices related to the Popup Maker plugin, you're not alone. These messages are a common occurrence, especially for users running newer versions of PHP or WordPress. While they often don't break your site's functionality, they can clutter your admin area and error logs. This guide will help you understand why these messages appear and what you can do about them.

Why Do These PHP Messages Appear?

Popup Maker, like many long-standing plugins, has a large codebase. Over time, the PHP language and WordPress core evolve, and functions or coding practices that were once standard become deprecated. When you update your server's PHP version or WordPress, these outdated code elements trigger warnings. Common triggers include:

  • Upgrading to PHP 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, or newer.
  • Upgrading to a recent version of WordPress (e.g., 5.5, 6.7).
  • Using development or staging sites with WP_DEBUG enabled.

Common Popup Maker Warnings and Their Causes

Based on community reports, here are some of the most frequent messages:

  • "Undefined property" warnings (e.g., in Updater.php or ConditionCallbacks.php): These occur when the code tries to access a property of an object that doesn't exist. This is often related to how the plugin checks for extension updates or evaluates conditions for displaying popups.
  • "Creation of dynamic property is deprecated": This is a key change in PHP 8.2. The plugin was dynamically creating properties on objects, which is now discouraged. This is frequently seen in model files like Model/Theme.php and Abstract/Model/Post.php.
  • "Parameter follows optional parameter" / "Returning bool from comparison function is deprecated": These are strict code standard violations enforced in newer PHP versions. They are often found in deprecated code or utility functions (deprecated-filters.php, Utils/Array.php).
  • "Function is deprecated" (e.g., wp_make_content_images_responsive, wc_get_log_file_path): These happen when Popup Maker uses a WordPress or WooCommerce function that has been replaced by a newer, preferred function.

How to Troubleshoot and Resolve These Issues

1. Check Your Environment
First, confirm your software versions. Navigate to Tools > Site Health > Info in your WordPress admin to see your:

  • Popup Maker version
  • PHP version
  • WordPress version

2. Update Everything
The simplest solution is often to ensure all your software is up-to-date. The Popup Maker team regularly releases patches to address these compatibility issues.

  • Update the Popup Maker plugin to the latest available version.
  • If you are using an older, now-deprecated version of PHP (e.g., 7.4), consider updating to a supported version like 8.3, as some warnings may resolve themselves. Always back up your site before updating PHP.

3. Understand the Nature of the Messages
It's important to distinguish between errors and warnings/deprecations.

  • Errors (Fatal): These will break your site and require immediate attention.
  • Warnings & Deprecation Notices: These are often just notices that do not affect functionality. If your popups are working correctly, the primary issue might be noise in your logs. On a live production site, these messages are typically hidden from users.

4. Temporary Logging Adjustments (For Development Sites Only)
If the messages are overwhelming on a development site and you are waiting for an official plugin update, you can adjust your wp-config.php file to suppress deprecation notices while keeping other error logging active. This is not a fix but a temporary workaround for development environments.
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
ini_set( 'display_errors', 0 );
error_reporting( E_ALL ^ E_DEPRECATED );

5. Monitor Official Channels
The Popup Maker team is actively aware of most of these issues, as seen in the sample threads. They have acknowledged reports and stated that fixes are in the pipeline for future updates. For the latest status on specific bugs, you can check the plugin's official development repository on GitHub.

Conclusion

Most PHP warnings related to Popup Maker are harmless notices that arise from using a modern server environment with an older codebase. The best course of action is to keep the plugin updated, as the development team is consistently working to patch these compatibility issues. For live sites, these messages are usually hidden and do not impact your visitors' experience.

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