PHP Version Compatibility Assessment
We introduced this feature in WHMCS 7.5.
The report at Utilities > System > PHP Version Compatibility displays a list of the ionCube®-encoded files in your WHMCS installation directory that may not properly decode in certain versions of PHP. This utility only inspects decoding compatibility and not PHP syntax compatibility.
This provides transparency for files that you may have deployed over the lifespan of your installation, namely files belonging to custom or third-party code. While WHMCS does not control these files, if their encoding is incompatible with your environment they may negatively affect WHMCS.
Managing Unknown Compatibility Files
If you have files that display Encoding Compatibility Unknown, this does not immediately indicate a problem. Instead, it indicates that the utility cannot accurately determine the PHP versions the file's encoding may support.
We recommend checking with the code's vendor to confirm whether it is compatible with the desired target PHP version. In many cases, you may find that updates have already been released to provide compatibility with newer PHP versions.
If you can confirm compatibility, you do not need to perform any other actions. If, however, there is no update available for your target PHP version, perform one of the following actions:
- Stop using the module and remove it from your WHMCS installation.
- Wait for the vendor to issue an update that provides compatibility with your desired PHP version before upgrading PHP.
Vendor Support
Support for multiple PHP environments will vary between vendors. WHMCS uses ionCube's bundled encoding feature to generate files for multiple PHP environments simultaneously. For more information, see System Environment Guide.
- If a vendor chooses to use the same approach as WHMCS, the PHP Version Compatibility tool can concisely determine the supported versions for decoding in their software.
- If a vendor opts to provide different encodings for different PHP environments, the encoding may not be descriptive enough to accurately confirm compatibility.