Community Builder Installation Errors

I've had trouble trying to install CB and can't figure out what the trouble is. I've also gone back a few releases but receive the same errors. Be grateful for assistance in resolving this.

System Information
Joomla: 3.10.4
PHP: 8.1.1
Database: mysql 5.5.5-10.4.21-MariaDB

Package
File: 000_pkg_communitybuilder_2.6.4+build.2022.01.04.22.00.38.045bcf7e0.zip
Log:

Enable debug mode and maximum error reporting in Joomla global configuration then retry to see if the error tells you where this is happening. Looks like a tab is trying to call ->load with no value.

It could also be a PHP 8.1 bug. I have not tested 8.1 and have only tested up to 8.0.6. So you could also try dropping down to 8.0 to see if that fixes it.

Edit: Am preparing PHP 8.1.1 to retest CB on it. Please keep in mind 8.1.1 released just last month so we have not had the time yet to test it. 8.1.0 released November and basically same situation and haven't had the time. Will try to have CB fully tested on 8.1.1 before end of next week with simple install test done today.

Ok, quick tested PHP 8.1.1. Joomla 3 and 4 don't appear compatible with 8.1 yet either. I suggest staying with 8.0 for now until J3 and J4 have made releases for 8.1 compatibility. There currently are a significant amount of deprecation notices, warnings, and a few errors that would be a problem. You can track Joomla's 8.1 progress below.

github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/issues/34952
github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/issues/36020

Looks like it'll take awhile, but there's no real performance benefit from 8.0 to 8.1 so shouldn't be any need to rush into using it. Anyway, once Joomla is 8.1 compatible we'll fix any compatibility issues in CB itself.

Hi Krileon,

same here: Joomla 4.0.5 on LAMP with PHP 8.1. Same error on installation (even if installation creates directories and tables).

As far as i can see, your team is pulling requests on Github about PHP 8.1 errors / deprecation notices (example: github -> joomla/joomla-cms/pull/36775).

Do you have any approx ETA on CB full compatibility with 8.1?

Sorry for bumping this 3d, i'm on a big migration and CB is super-necessary for us.

PS: unfortunately we are already on 8.1 and cannot downgrade to 8.0 :pinch:

Many thanks!

Hi ZiksOmega and welcome to our forums!

Joomla 4.0.5 is not PHP 8.1 compatible. 4.0.6 neither, but fixes way more issues. My suggestion is to upgrade your Joomla to 4.0.6 first.

And I recommend to change hoster now if they only provide you prematurely the latest PHP without choice for the stable maintained version(s), as you will have same issue again when PHP 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, ... comes out, and that time with a site in production. PHP 8.2 will presumably introduce more changes than 8.1. Any decent hoster will provide you with a choice of PHP versions. Even on my localhost I have all PHP versions installed (using a well-maintained PHP PPA) and can switch with a single command line for my tests.

CB 2.6.x is not PHP 8.1 compatible. Some of the PHP 8.1 compatibilities improvements require to drop PHP 5.6 compatibility to remain sane, so PHP 8.1 compatibility will be introduced in CB 2.7 which has minimum PHP 7.4 requirement.

I can't give any ETA, as tests and fixes continue (as you saw it, I'm also fixing Joomla 4.0.6 and 3.10.5 at the same time, as well as adding PHP 8.1 compatibility to CBSubs. My own guess is that it will take another 1-2 weeks. But we aim to release CB 2.7 as next CB release and will probably discuss the release process next week.

Community Builder nightly release of a few minutes ago is PHP 8.1 compatible.
Joomla 4.0.6 mostly is too, except for 2 deprecation notices.

However, our paid add-ons have not yet been tested on, nor adapted for, PHP 8.1. This is now mostly done for CBSubs (next nightly, released in next hours or tomorrow) and for other paid add-ons it will start to happen next week.

If you see any issues with latest CB nightly which stretches from PHP 5.6 all the way up to PHP 8.1, please report it on our forum with way to reproduce.