PHP version compatibility #

This page is for designers whose theme contains PHP: template operators, module views, classes. A theme of only templates and stylesheets is not affected by PHP versions directly.

The facts #

• The 6.0.15 changelog states that PHP 8.0 is the oldest supported version (5 October 2026), and from 29 October 2026 PHP 7.4 is usable without support (Why Exponential supports PHP 7.4).
• The root composer.json allows PHP from 8.0 up (^8.0 || ^8.1 || ... ^8.5 and later minor versions).
• The published themes state their own ranges, for example sevenx_themes_media ^8.0 || ^8.1 || ^8.2 || ^8.3 || ^8.4 and cjw_themes_jumper >=8.0.

Step by step: check a release #

1. List the PHP files of the theme: git ls-files '*.php'.

2. Run the syntax check with every PHP version you claim, if they are installed:

   for f in $(git ls-files '*.php'); do php8.0 -l "$f"; php8.5 -l "$f"; done

   (The binary names depend on your system.) Expected: No syntax errors detected for each file and version.

3. Run the theme's pages on the oldest and the newest PHP you claim and read the error log for deprecation notices.

4. Write the tested range into composer.json require.php and the compatibility matrix (A compatibility matrix).

What typically breaks #

Related pages #

• Declaring compatibility
• Template operators in a theme
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.