Version 1.11.4 is broken

Exact error message:
Parse error: syntax error, unexpected ‘[‘ in /home1/secretfolder/public_html/sites/wp-content/plugins/broken-link-checker/core/core.php on line 109

PHP version ?

PHP 7.0.21. Debug ON and no problem.

Updated to 1.11.4 on both of my sites, and now all I get is-

This page isn’t working
xxxxxxxx.org is currently unable to handle this request.
HTTP ERROR 500

The web site seems to be okay for general viewing. But now after logging out I can’t log back into WordPress. Just get the above msg.

Seeing Same. Front page is available. Admin throws 500 error until you remove the plugin via FTP.

Hi, check your PHP version?

You might have to revert back to the previous version until the developers fixes this issue, if it is an issue. Or you might have to update the PHP version in your server.

Regards

I’ve just updated the plugin and am getting the same error. Looking at core.php the problem is in this piece of code that was added in this version:

function cron_add_every_10_minutes( $schedules ) {
        // Adds once weekly to the existing schedules.
        $schedules['10min'] = [
            'interval' => 600,
            'display' => __('Every 10 minutes')
        ];

        return $schedules;
    }

Please advise where to find previous version of plugin. I cannot find it.

FYI I get the same error… “on line 109.”

I am using PHP Version 5.2.17 and cannot upgrade.

Regards and thanks,
Angus

@hiskingdomprophecy PHP 5.2.17 is very old, outdated and dangerous to run. Please check the following URL PHP supported versions to learn more about what PHP version your server should be running.

If you can’t update the PHP version and your host has no plans to update the PHP version, then I would change hosting provider.

Kind regards

Bluehost has that version of PHP. One of the largest providers on the planet. The problem is line 109 of the file /broken-link-checker/core/core.php. The fix I found is to change the function to:

function cron_add_every_10_minutes( $schedules ) {
        // Adds once weekly to the existing schedules.
        $schedules['10min'] = array(
            'interval' => 600,
            'display' => __('Every 10 minutes')
        );

        return $schedules;
    }

you’re just changing $schedules = array() rather than = []. array() is valid in older and newer versions, is the way wordpress documentation is written, and there’s no decent reason for the developer to have changed it.

Regarding PHP versions, this is a more relevant link, showing how old and outdated older versions of PHP are:

https://secure.php.net/eol.php

However, I have many clients on various hosts with locked-in LAMP platforms, older unmanaged VPS servers, licensing issues, and tons of other reasons why their website is still hosted on some outdated version of PHP, and a plugin shouldn’t up and break their website one day, when there are ways to code around older versions of PHP, at a minimum exiting when not running under the required version of PHP.

Upgrade your PHP, yes, but code plugins not to break sites one day, too, especially when it’s used on tens or hundreds of thousands of sites, and so the number of broken sites can easily be in the thousands.

Same(?) issue after updating:
Parse error: syntax error, unexpected ‘[‘ in <path>/plugins/broken-link-checker/core/core.php on line 109
prevents WP back-end from loading.

WordPress Version 4.5.9
PHP Version 5.3.3-7+squeeze17

Additionally, this plugin can not be downgraded with https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/wp-rollback/

Plugin folder renamed for deactivating. Waiting for a fix.

White screen of death on my site too. And what a lot of head scratching on my part finding out it was this plugin causing it. However, thank you everyone for also pointing out that PHP needs upgrading.

PHP 5.3.3-7 is very old. Update.

https://www.ads-software.com/about/requirements/

Is there a way that this can be fixed to work with older versions of PHP?

I understand how important it is to use a recent version of PHP, but I worry that people will install this not knowing that it will break their admin. I know lots of people who have no idea how to use FTP to disable plugins. Does WordPress have any guidelines on which versions of PHP plugins should support?

After update Server 500
PHP 7.1