Not ready yet: what to do

The report says “Not ready yet”. Four ways forward: update, contact the author, replace, or ask a developer.

Don’t upgrade PHP yet. First deal with the plugins and themes in What to do first, one at a time. The Next step of each plugin or theme tells you which of the four options below applies.

1. Update the plugin or theme

This is the most common fix. When the report says Update available, updating is the recommended first step.

1. Go to Dashboard → Updates and update the plugin or theme.
2. Back in Tools → CompatNav, click Scan this plugin again (or Scan this theme again) in its section.
3. If the findings are gone, move on to the next item.

An update doesn’t always fix everything. Scanning again tells you for sure.

2. Contact the author

When you already have the latest version and it still contains code that will break, only its developer can fix it.

• Plugins and themes from wordpress.org: use the support forum on the plugin’s or theme’s page on wordpress.org.
• Bought plugins and themes: use the seller’s support or contact page.

Send them the HTML report (Download report → Report (HTML)). Its For the developer section has the file, the line and an example fix. You can use this message:

Hello, I use [plugin name] version [version] on my site. Before moving to PHP [version], I checked it with CompatNav, a free PHP compatibility checker, and it reports code that will stop working on PHP [version]. The attached report lists the files, lines and a suggested fix. Is an update planned? Thank you.

Please don’t edit the plugin’s or theme’s files yourself: your changes are lost with the next update.

3. Replace it

If the developer doesn’t respond, or the plugin or theme is no longer maintained, consider replacing it with a maintained alternative. When you compare alternatives on wordpress.org, look at Last updated and Tested up to. Install the new one, move your settings or content over, test your site, then delete the old one.

If it is an inactive plugin or theme you don’t need, simply delete it.

4. Ask a developer

Some code was written for your site: by you, your agency or a freelancer. The report says so when a plugin or theme is not from wordpress.org, and for must-use plugins. This code needs a code change.

• If you or your agency wrote it, give the HTML report to whoever maintains it.
• If you bought it, contact its developer (see option 2).

The For the developer section shows each place with a before/after example, so a developer can see quickly what to change.

Only deprecation notices?

Deprecation notices are cleanup items, not urgent fixes. Your site keeps working after the upgrade; PHP only writes notices to the error log. When the report says Nothing to do now, there is nothing to do before you upgrade.

When the verdict says “Safe to upgrade”

1. Make a backup.
2. Change the PHP version in your hosting control panel, or ask your host to do it.
3. Visit your site: the home page, a few important pages, forms and the checkout if you have a shop. Log in to the admin.

CompatNav reads code; it does not run it. Some problems only appear when code runs with real data, and no code reader can see those. That’s why checking your site after the upgrade still matters. If something goes wrong, you can usually switch back to the previous PHP version in the same place.