We've recently upgraded to 3.4, and have installed the latest version of TaskChain (2018052560).
When clicking Save and Display, this is the error message we get:
Deprecated: The each() function is deprecated. This message will be suppressed on further calls in C:\xampp\htdocs\mod\taskchain\locallib.php on line 660
We'd really appreciate some advice as to what this means, and what to do to correct it.
Thanks,
Ann
Thanks Ann,
Looks like your server is now running PHP 7.2 - congratulations!
I will update the HotPot module later this week, and let you know when the fix is available.
Regards,
Gordon
Hello Ann,
I have now modified the code in the HotPot, TaskChain and Reader module to use "foreach()" statements instead of the now deprecated "each()" function. Thank you and farewell to the "each()" function
Anyone using these module on a server running PHP 7.2 (or later) is also encouraged to update them at the next convenient opportunity.
Many thanks for bring this issue to my attention
Best regards,
Gordon
Thanks so much for hugely prompt, and helpful reply!
Yes, sorry about that, Ann. The changes I made yesterday to fix the "foreach()" error, introduced a new error, as reported by Liere and now again by you.
This new issue is also now fixed - properly fixed, so please update your HotPot and TaskChain modules again at the next convenient opportunity.
Sorry for the trouble, but you should be good to go after upgrading one more time
Kind regards,
Gordon
Thanks very much, Gordon. Updated HotPot and Taskchain - and have a fresh problem I tried the same Websequitur taskchain, still couldn't get past the screenshots I sent above.
Attaching screenshots of 'Edit Task' and 'Edit Chain' pages. I'm clearly doing something very wrong at this point, but can't find the 'TaskChain for Idiots' documentation ...
Sorry, but still stuck!
Cheers,
Ann
Thanks Ann,
If this is a new TaskChain, please remove those tasks (the WebSequitur files that you already added) and re-add them.
If you still have problems, please attach your WebSequitur file to your next post to this forum.
Cheers,
Gordon
Hi Gordon,
Thanks again for very prompt reply. I removed and re-added files, with no further success, so have attached the first Websequitur file - in both the .sqt and .htm format. I hope this is right ... very keen to sort this problem out!
Thanks,
Ann
Hello Ann,
Thanks for sharing the WebSequitur files. I was able to add them to my Moodle 3.4 site and they behaved as expected.
Please could you try creating an identical TaskChain on my development server, so that we could look at this together:
Regards,
Gordon
Wow! Thanks so much! It works perfectly on your server ... seriously wondering which setting I've set up wrongly on ours.
I noticed that your Settings page differs from mine in the 'Display' section, and have attached a screenshot of what shows on our page. Why is it different??
Well done. You found the cause of problem.
For the time-being, please change the "Window" setting to "Same window".
Over the weekend, I will fix the code that opens a new window. I will let you know when the new code is available.
Many thanks
Gordon
Wonderful. Now 'works'' - there is still an error message on the page (attached). Going to the attempt/renderer.php file, I see that there are only " wwwroot's " - not httpswwwroot in the file. I had a similar problem with activating theH5P plugin, which only resolved when I added an 's' to (then) httpwwwroot file in the main config.php file. I'm wondering if I should add 'https' to the renderer file? But will obviously wait for your confirmation before doing so.
Also, I added the four Websequitur files in 'task' order, but I can't get past the first one. Not sure why not, but perhaps it is connected with the renderer file?
(Really sorry to keep raising problems - but getting rather excited that the really functional end is in sight)
Thanks
Ann
Hello Ann,
The message about "Undefined variable: CFG" is now fixed I believe, as is the issue of "circular navigation" when trying to open a TaskChain in a new window.
Please could you update your the HotPot and TaskChain modules on your Moodle site at the earliest convenient opportunity, and let me know if the behavior is now as you expect.
Best regards,
Gordon
Thank you so much, Gordon! It's now working perfectly! Many, many thanks for responding so quickly to my whole chain of whining emails!
At some point, I would really like to understand the 'mechanics' of what the problems were ...
Thanks again,
Ann
Some hint as to the "mechanics" is available on the commit log for the TaskChain module:
I tried to give summary explanations as we went along, but I will add a compiled list below:
(1) PHP 7.2 deprecates the each() function
Ever since PHP 4.0, which was released in 2000, PHP has had the "each()" function which allows you to loop through an array extracting the key and value for each item. Suddenly, in PHP 7.2 it was deprecated, meaning it will disappear completely soon, with a warning message such as you reported on May 28th. To fix this, I replaced the occurrences of this function with either a "foreach(...)" loop, or the use of the "key()" and "current()" functions.
(2) Moodle core replaced the "openpopup()" function
The TaskChain module evolved from the QuizPort module for Moodle <= 1.9, and as a result it used some outdated code to effect the popup window. This used to be handled by a Moodle core function called "openpopup()", but this disappeared, to be replaced a few Moodle versions later by another function with the same. The new function accepted arguments in a different format, and so was incompatible with the calls made to the old function. To work around this, the TaskChain module now opens popups using the "window.open()" function available in standard JavaScript.
(3) Missing strings from the TaskChain language pack
During testing, I discovered incidentally that there were a couple of missing strings for some lesser known output formats for Hot Potatoes JCloze. This didn't affect what you were doing, but I fixed them anyway.
That's it really. Three small issues, whose effect was multiplied because they appeared all at once.
One feature of Moodle is that it is constantly evolving, as are the technologies on which it relies, such as PHP, databases and web servers. As a result, the plugins cannot work forever just as they are, and from time to they need adjusting, as in the case of the TaskChain module.
An important part of open-source software is the community of users, and the communication tools available to everybody. As long as those are work well, as they did here, the software continues to improve and continues to help everybody.
Thank for you helping and please continue to report strangeness where you come across it
Kind regards,
Gordon
