Wordpress-seo: Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in .../wp-includes/post-template.php on line 284

[ghost]

• [x] I've read and understood the contribution guidelines.
• [x] I've searched for any related issues and avoided creating a duplicate issue.

Please give us a description of what happened.

In posts page (index.php) when I doesn't have any posts I see error:
Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in D:\xampp\htdocs\wp-includes\post-template.php on line 284

When I disable Yoast SEO plugin, then this message wont come.
And when I made a post, then this error also goes away.

Technical info

• WordPress version: 4.9.6 (multisite)
• Yoast SEO version: 7.7.2
• PHP version: 7.2.4
• Relevant plugins in case of a bug: Just Yoast SEO. Nothing else.
  
• Tested with theme: my custom theme, Underscores (https://underscores.me/), UnderStrap (https://understrap.com/) and many others - that's a common issue, not related with themes or plugins.

[benvaassen]

Thanks for reporting, but I'm unable to reproduce this on a multisite without any posts and with a default WordPress theme and without any other plugins active. What happens when you use a default WordPress theme like Twenty Seventeen?

You can also disable debugging to hide warnings like these.

[ghost]

Tried with Twenty Seventeen:

But okay, I disabled warnings.

[benvaassen]

I've searched around a bit more and it seems to be an issue in WordPress core which is scheduled to get fixed in WordPress 4.9.8: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/42814.

Therefore, I'm closing this ticket :-)

[gregmount]

@benvaassen This error is not caused by core, it appears to be caused by plugins and themes calling get_the_content() outside of the Loop, where $pages = null. This will cause php 7.2 to throw an error if attempting to count non-countable types.

The core issue you cited is still open and no patch has been committed to date. In fact, a recent comment on that thread suggests that the issue should be resolved by plugin/theme authors.

While this may get resolved in core, the plugin appears to be the cause of the error. It would be prudent, therefore, to keep this issue open here so it gets resolved at the source.

[benvaassen]

Can either one of you provide me with steps to reproduce? I agree that it should remain open as long as the core ticket hasn't been resolved, but so far I haven't been able to reproduce it.

[gregmount]

I was able to reproduce the issue as follows:

1. Configure WordPress Settings > Reading to use a static page for posts.
2. Ensure there are no published blog posts.
3. Navigate to the assigned posts page (e.g. example.com/blog/).

Since there are no posts to display, the WP SEO plugin sees $page = null, which invokes the PHP 7.2 error, as shown in the attached screen cap.

Hope that helps.

[benvaassen]

I can reproduce it now, thanks. I'll reopen it.

[punitcodes]

Its been almost 4 months since the issue is opened. Is there any progress?

[jdevalk]

@benvaassen, @gregmount or @punit2502 could any of you test the pull above perhaps? :)

[moorscode]

This issue is a core WordPress problem and will be fixed by the mentioned PR.

To resolve the problem yourself, please enter an SEO description on your Posts page. This will avoid us having to call get_the_excerpt on which wp_trim_excerpt is hooked. This calls the get_the_content function if the copy provided is empty.

[mwatson615]

This worked for me (running 4.9.8): in wp-includes/post-template.php make this change...
https://core.trac.wordpress.org/attachment/ticket/42814/42814.patch

[zjh65204]

thanks @mwatson615 that helped me.

[ghost]

In my case this was happening when yoast seo was installed but not activated.

[omarnas]

@rafalfaro-bvmedia

In my case this was happening when yoast seo was installed but not activated.

Thank you for this discovery 😄 it solved the issue for me as well

[AlexeySvidentsov]

WP 5.1.1 , Yoast 10.0.1 - Still have these warnings

[notrealdev]

WP 5.1.1 , sill have these warnings

[moorscode]

According to the conversation on the WordPress core Trac ticket, this should be fixed in WordPress 5.2

[Flaschenzug]

Using Wordpress Version 5.3.2
And still have the issue.
But no Yoast installed or active (yet).

[iamroi]

2020 Yoast 14.0.1
Still have the issue 😄

[djixas]

Still same issue! WTF?

[melcarthus]

Still same issue guys.

[melcarthus]

I resolved my issue.
I was using ACF PRO (latest) when this error occured. I used a post_object select field to get the selected posts I wanted to show. Thats why you see the_post($post_object) It dit not occur on the_title() etc only on the_content

Works

  <?php echo $post_object->post_content; ?>

Does not work

  <?php echo the_content($post_object->ID); ?>

My full code (with ACF!) is this.

<?php
$post_objects = $layout_data['select_testimonial'];
if ($post_objects): ?>
<?php foreach ($post_objects as $post_object): ?>
  <?php // vars
    $post_quote_name = get_field('quote_name', $post_object->ID);
  ?>
  <div class="slide">
    <div class="blocks__inner bg--white">
      <div class="blocks__inner--left">
        <?php if ( has_post_thumbnail( $post_object->ID ) ) : ?>
          <?php the_post_thumbnail($post_object->ID ); ?>
          <?php endif; ?>
      </div>
      <div class="blocks__inner--right">
        <div class="testimonial--content text--center">
        <?php echo $post_object->post_content; ?>
          <span><?php echo $post_quote_name; ?></span>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
<?php endforeach; ?>
<?php endif; ?>