PluginScore

Squiz.PHP.DiscouragedFunctions.Discouraged

Discouraged PHP function

The plugin uses a PHP or WordPress pattern that coding standards discourage.

medium weight

Why It Shows Up

Plugin Check found a discouraged function, forbidden function, goto, backtick operator, or similar construct.

Why It Matters

Discouraged patterns are often harder to review, less portable across hosts, or easier to misuse securely.

How to Fix

  • Identify why the construct is used and whether WordPress provides a safer API.
  • Replace shell execution, dynamic execution, or broad forbidden functions with constrained WordPress APIs.
  • If a third-party library triggers the warning, isolate and document it.

References

WordPress Coding Standards

Affected Plugins

RankPluginScoreErrorsWarningsInstallsAddedUpdatedTop Issue
#151SportsPress – Sports Club & League Manager224602,24610k+Non-prefixed global variable
#152SSL Zen — SSL Certificate Installer & HTTPS Redirects227511,60510k+Non-prefixed global variable
#153Stylish Price List – Price Table Builder & QR Code Restaurant Menu226746783k+Output is not escaped
#154Swift Performance Lite222,3461,3256k+Text Domain Mismatch
#155Tablesome Table – Contact Form DB – WPForms, CF7, Gravity, Forminator, Fluent222255198k+error log error log
#156Uncanny Automator – Easy Automation, Integration, Webhooks & Workflow Builder Plugin225322,36740k+Direct Query
#157Unlimited Elements Blocks Library227081,822400Non-prefixed global variable
#158Search & Replace Everything – Quick and Easy Way to Find and Replace Text, Links221,0441,79720k+Non-prefixed global variable
#159UpStream: a Project Management Plugin for WordPress22683703600Non-prefixed global variable
#160Welcart e-Commerce2210,37810,93110k+Text Domain Mismatch
#161UserFeedback – Create Interactive Feedback Form, User Surveys, and Polls in Seconds22444243200k+Text Domain Mismatch
#162WCFM Marketplace – Multivendor Marketplace for WooCommerce221,9341,96610k+Non-prefixed global variable
#163WCFM Membership – WooCommerce Memberships for Multivendor Marketplace2255967510k+Non-prefixed global variable
#164Wenprise WeChatPay Payment Gateway For WooCommerce22443178400Exception output is not escaped
#165WooCommerce221,3596,1727m+Non-prefixed global variable
#166ManageWP Worker225075651m+Non-prefixed class
#167File Manager227405201m+Unsafe printing function
#168WP Umbrella: Update Backup Restore & Monitoring2292191970k+Exception output is not escaped
#169Wp-Insert2226730110k+Output is not escaped
#170WP Super Minify • Minify, Compress and Cache HTML, CSS & JavaScript221642578k+Non-prefixed constant
#171WP-WebAuthn229573962k+Exception output is not escaped
#172ShopWP22430225700Text Domain Mismatch
#173WPSSO Core – Complete Schema Markup and Meta Tags221,4074125k+Missing Translators Comment
#174YaySMTP – WP Mail SMTP with Email Logs, Tracking & Reports2265443510k+Exception output is not escaped
#175Print Labels with Barcodes. Create price tags, product labels, order labels for WooCommerce231,1851,0271k+Text Domain Mismatch
#176Frontend Admin by DynamiApps235,9383,2089k+Text Domain Mismatch
#177Custom WooCommerce Checkout Fields Editor237551,3862k+Non-prefixed global variable
#178Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense23559719100k+Non-prefixed global variable
#179Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)232,4561,2182m+Text Domain Mismatch
#180AI Engine – The Chatbot, AI Framework & MCP for WordPress23408539100k+error log error log
#181Affiliate Super Assistent231,2802671k+Text Domain Mismatch
#182Autoptimize23288191800k+Output is not escaped
#183Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme2341242490k+Output is not escaped
#184B2BKing — Ultimate WooCommerce B2B and Wholesale Plugin — Wholesale Prices, Bulk Order Form & More231,34740910k+Text Domain Mismatch
#185BA Book Everything231,1841,08610k+Output is not escaped
#186Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection231,053967700k+Missing Translators Comment
#187Builderall for WordPress234,7821,3081k+Text Domain Mismatch
#188Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing Directories for WordPress236111,06310k+Non-prefixed global variable
#189Geo Controller23914501k+Non-prefixed global variable
#190WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, AI Services234881,1626k+Non-prefixed global variable
#191Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory231552,0749k+Non-prefixed global variable
#192CLUEVO LMS, E-Learning Platform231,8431,176400Text Domain Mismatch
#193Content Egg – Affiliate Product Importer & Price Comparison231,2451,27510k+Non-prefixed global variable
#194Contest Gallery – Upload & Vote Photos, Media, Sell with PayPal & Stripe239,31526,6441k+Non-prefixed global variable
#195Free Theme Builder for Elementor – CRT Addons (Header, Footer, Archive, WooCommerce & 50+ Widgets)237912,331400Non-prefixed global variable
#196CWW Companion233072231k+Output is not escaped
#197Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy233,72310,28340k+Non-prefixed namespace
#198EazyDocs – AI Powered Knowledge Base, Wiki, Documentation & FAQ Builder233551,5412k+Non-prefixed global variable
#199Ecwid by Lightspeed Ecommerce Shopping Cart2333930720k+Missing direct file access protection
#200ElementsReady Addons for Elementor232316663k+Non-prefixed global variable