Debug file in /logs - PHP Warning: Creating default object from empty value

[laurelsstitchery]

New-ish install of 1.5.3 with only one plugin installed (Encrypted Master Password v. 2.0.0). I had one log from 8/8 and one log from 8/10, both of which contained this error:

PHP Warning:  Creating default object from empty value in /home/user/public/catalog/myadmin/categories.php on line 1006

I checked my version of admin/categories against an unmodified version and they are exactly the same. Any idea what might be causing this? I saw a couple of threads from a year or so ago that PHP 5.4 upgrades were causing some similar issues, but I didn't know if this might be related or not. Thanks! :)

[mc12345678]

New-ish install of 1.5.3 with only one plugin installed (Encrypted Master Password v. 2.0.0). I had one log from 8/8 and one log from 8/10, both of which contained this error:

PHP Warning:  Creating default object from empty value in /home/user/public/catalog/myadmin/categories.php on line 1006

I checked my version of admin/categories against an unmodified version and they are exactly the same. Any idea what might be causing this? I saw a couple of threads from a year or so ago that PHP 5.4 upgrades were causing some similar issues, but I didn't know if this might be related or not. Thanks! :)

A couple of things can be done to sleuth this out. One is to install a mod that lat9 put together. I think it is called mydebug backtrace. This error is generated at the categories.php file, but the problem occurred somewhere upstream of it.

The other thing you could do is review your admin activity logs for those dates and identify what was being done around that time frame to support reproducing the error. Then once the above plugin is installed and action taken to reproduce the error, more useful information should be inthe mydebug file to track down what is causing the issue.

[laurelsstitchery]

A couple of things can be done to sleuth this out. One is to install a mod that lat9 put together. I think it is called mydebug backtrace. This error is generated at the categories.php file, but the problem occurred somewhere upstream of it.

The other thing you could do is review your admin activity logs for those dates and identify what was being done around that time frame to support reproducing the error. Then once the above plugin is installed and action taken to reproduce the error, more useful information should be inthe mydebug file to track down what is causing the issue.

Thanks for the advice. I will get lat9's backtrace installed and see if I can ferret out what's going on. Whatever it is, it doesn't happen very often. I just checked the logs again and there weren't any additional errors, since the one on the 10th. :)

[mc12345678]

Thanks for the advice. I will get lat9's backtrace installed and see if I can ferret out what's going on. Whatever it is, it doesn't happen very often. I just checked the logs again and there weren't any additional errors, since the one on the 10th. :)

Good to know that whatever was being done to cause the problem hasn't been done since. :)

To be sure that I was clear, when I stated to review the admin activity logs, those are the logs that are available from the admin panel, admin options on the right side, and then admin activity logs. These are different than the error logs that have been identified. With those logs exported securely to a local computer, they could be reviewed and possibly the action(s) taken just before the occurrence of the errors could be identified. And as said with that knowledge in hand can take the same action to try to generate the error.

[sadris]

also happen to me when activating/deactivating a product, or adding new products
my version is 1.5.3 (updated from 1.5.1)

exactly the same error

PHP Warning: Creating default object from empty value in ---/admin/categories.php on line 1006

[lat9]

I've seen that warning a couple of times, but wasn't able to reproduce it in my test installation (PHP 5.4.27/XAMPP). I believe, however, that the following teeny change to /YOUR_ADMIN/categories.php (around line 1006) will make the PHP interpreter happy:

<?php
// Split Page
if ($products_query_numrows > 0) {
//-bof-20140830-lat9-Make sure that pInfo is an object ...
  if (!(isset ($pInfo) && is_object ($pInfo))) {
    $pInfo = new objectInfo (array ());
    
  }
//-eof-20140830-lat9
  if (empty($pInfo->products_id)) {
    $pInfo->products_id= $pID;
  }
?>

[RixStix]

Will that same code work for the same error generated on line 1041?

PHP Warning:  Creating default object from empty value in /home/XXXXXX/public_html/XXXXXX/categories.php on line 1041

According to DrByte:
www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?214369-myDEBUG-after-update-to-php-5-4-31

It's harmless.
It's a PHP 5.4 issue, where the use of an object element (in this case $pInfo) is assumed to already exist, but in this specific case it doesn't yet. So, the message is telling you that it created the object on-the-fly for you.

[lat9]

Will that same code work for the same error generated on line 1041?

PHP Warning:  Creating default object from empty value in /home/XXXXXX/public_html/XXXXXX/categories.php on line 1041

According to DrByte:
www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?214369-myDEBUG-after-update-to-php-5-4-31

The "stock" version of /YOUR_ADMIN/categories.php has only 1032 lines, so I can't answer the first question without seeing what's 'around' that line in your version.

While it's a harmless message, my concern is that these "harmless" reports will make people complacent about seeing debug-log files such that they ignore an "important" report.

[RixStix]

The "stock" version of /YOUR_ADMIN/categories.php has only 1032 lines, so I can't answer the first question without seeing what's 'around' that line in your version.

While it's a harmless message, my concern is that these "harmless" reports will make people complacent about seeing debug-log files such that they ignore an "important" report.

I think it is the same line of code. QuickQuantityUpdate referenced in the other thread adds a few lines toward the top which probably caused the lines to shift down that much.

/admin/categories.php

// Split Page LINE 1038
if ($products_query_numrows > 0) {
  if (empty($pInfo->products_id)) {
    $pInfo->products_id= $pID;
  }
?>
            <td class="smallText" align="center"><?php echo $products_split->display_count($products_query_numrows, MAX_DISPLAY_RESULTS_CATEGORIES, $_GET['page'], TEXT_DISPLAY_NUMBER_OF_PRODUCTS) . '<br>' . $products_split->display_links($products_query_numrows, MAX_DISPLAY_RESULTS_CATEGORIES, MAX_DISPLAY_PAGE_LINKS, $_GET['page'], zen_get_all_get_params(array('page', 'info', 'x', 'y', 'pID')) ); ?></td>

<?php
}
// Split Page LINE 1048

Yes, I agree since I have started ignoring/deleting the myDebug files since most have been "Ignore them". I thought that I was being helpful in reporting the logs but it doesn't appear helpful at all. PayPal and this one are most frequent. There's really no dedicated area in the forum for questions related to myDebug, the questions tend to get sprinkled around.

[lat9]

I think it is the same line of code. QuickQuantityUpdate referenced in the other thread adds a few lines toward the top which probably caused the lines to shift down that much.

/admin/categories.php

// Split Page LINE 1038
if ($products_query_numrows > 0) {
  if (empty($pInfo->products_id)) {
    $pInfo->products_id= $pID;
  }
?>
            <td class="smallText" align="center"><?php echo $products_split->display_count($products_query_numrows, MAX_DISPLAY_RESULTS_CATEGORIES, $_GET['page'], TEXT_DISPLAY_NUMBER_OF_PRODUCTS) . '<br>' . $products_split->display_links($products_query_numrows, MAX_DISPLAY_RESULTS_CATEGORIES, MAX_DISPLAY_PAGE_LINKS, $_GET['page'], zen_get_all_get_params(array('page', 'info', 'x', 'y', 'pID')) ); ?></td>

<?php
}
// Split Page LINE 1048

Yes, I agree since I have started ignoring/deleting the myDebug files since most have been "Ignore them". I thought that I was being helpful in reporting the logs but it doesn't appear helpful at all. PayPal and this one are most frequent. There's really no dedicated area in the forum for questions related to myDebug, the questions tend to get sprinkled around.

Yes, the change that I posted should replace the same fragment in your (larger) file!

I believe that your reporting of these warnings is quite helpful; many times a warning in one PHP version leads to an error in a later version. I also agree that having a dedicated "I got this debug-log, what does it mean?" forum would be helpful.