Translating ACF flexible content on a options pages gives an error

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
The client was experiencing a fatal error when trying to translate a page that uses 'flexible content' blocks from ACF. The error occurred on the backend when switching to the English version of the page, and also when visiting the page on the frontend.

Solution:
We recommended the client to try a workaround from a similar support ticket: https://wpml.org/forums/topic/cloning-flexible-content-fields-into-acf-options-page-causing-php-error/.

If the solution provided is not relevant due to being outdated or not applicable to your case, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If the issue persists, please open a new support ticket: Contact WPML Support.

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Tagged: Bug

This topic contains 8 replies, has 3 voices.

Last updated by Long Nguyen 1 year, 4 months ago.

Assisted by: Long Nguyen.

Author	Posts
February 16, 2024 at 7:40 am #15310237
justind-19	Hello support, I have setup an options to manage content on a project overview page. The content on all the pages is managed with 'flexible content' blocks from ACF. This works fine until you try to translate the page. Link to a page where the issue can be seen: The error occurs on the backend when switching to the english version of the page. hidden link When visiting the page on the frontend you will also get an error: hidden link I expected to see: The flexible content fields ready to be translated Instead, I got: A fatal error I found this thread which seems to be the same issue: https://wpml.org/forums/topic/the-spanish-version-of-the-acf-options-page-gives-me-a-fatal-error/ I followed the steps mentioned in this thread. I deleted database records from my options table with options_en_components. This fixes the error, but when i go back to translate the fields the error shows up again. It does not seem to matter which setting i use for translating the group. Stack trace: PHP Fatal error: Uncaught TypeError: Illegal offset type in isset or empty in /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-content/plugins/advanced-custom-fields-pro/pro/fields/class-acf-field-flexible-content.php:771 Stack trace: #0 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-includes/class-wp-hook.php(324): acf_field_flexible_content->load_value(Array, 'options_en', Array) #1 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-includes/plugin.php(256): WP_Hook->apply_filters(Array, Array) #2 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-content/plugins/advanced-custom-fields-pro/includes/acf-hook-functions.php(109): apply_filters_ref_array('acf/load_value/...', Array) #3 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-includes/class-wp-hook.php(324): _acf_apply_hook_variations(Array, 'options_en', Array) #4 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-includes/plugin.php(205): WP_Hook->apply_filters(Array, Array) #5 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-content/plugins/advanced-custom-fields-pro/includes/acf-value-functions.php(118): apply_filters('acf/load_value', Array, 'options_en', Array) #6 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-content/plugins/advanced-custom-fields-pro/includes/api/api-template.php(307): acf_get_value('options_en', Array) #7 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-content/plugins/acfml/classes/strategy/repeater-sync/OptionPageHooks.php(42): get_field_objects('options_en') #8 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-content/plugins/sitepress-multilingual-cms/classes/action-filter-loader/class-wpml-action-filter-loader.php(158): ACFML\Repeater\Sync\OptionPageHooks->add_hooks() #9 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-content/plugins/sitepress-multilingual-cms/classes/action-filter-loader/class-wpml-action-filter-loader.php(125): WPML_Action_Filter_Loader->run_factory(Object(ACFML\Repeater\Sync\HooksFactory)) #10 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-includes/class-wp-hook.php(324): WPML_Action_Filter_Loader->deferred_loader('') #11 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-includes/class-wp-hook.php(348): WP_Hook->apply_filters(NULL, Array) #12 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-includes/plugin.php(517): WP_Hook->do_action(Array) #13 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-settings.php(665): do_action('wp_loaded') #14 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-config.php(100): require_once('/data/sites/web...') #15 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-load.php(50): require_once('/data/sites/web...') #16 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-admin/admin.php(34): require_once('/data/sites/web...') #17 /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-admin/edit.php(10): require_once('/data/sites/web...') #18 {main} thrown in /data/sites/web/re-borncom/subdomains/staging/wp-content/plugins/advanced-custom-fields-pro/pro/fields/class-acf-field-flexible-content.php on line 771
February 16, 2024 at 11:10 am #15311224
Nicolas V. Supporter Languages: English (English ) French (Français ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Hi, Welcome to the WPML support forum. Thanks for contacting us. We are currently handling a high amount of ticket and while waiting for one of my colleagues to help with this ticket, please allow me to walk you through some initial documentation. 1. https://wpml.org/documentation/related-projects/translate-sites-built-with-acf/ Could you please go to "ACF > Field Groups", edit your field group and set the multilingual setup as "Same Fields Across Languages". This option will set translation preferences for all your fields automatically. 2. https://wpml.org/documentation/related-projects/translate-sites-built-with-acf/recommended-custom-fields-translation-preferences-for-acf-and-wpml/ If you really need to change some of the preferences, and use the "Expert mode" then please have a look at that documentation and follow some of our recommendations. Some specific fields like "Flexible content" or repeaters MUST be set as copy and not translate Nico
February 16, 2024 at 11:49 am #15311332
justind-19	Hi Nicolas, Thank you for your quick response. I already set the field group multilangual setup as "Same fields across languages". During debugging I also tested the other options, but this made no difference. For my usecase the "Same fields across languages" would suffice. Kind regards, Justin
February 19, 2024 at 3:40 am #15315833
Long Nguyen WPML Supporter since 02/2022 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh (GMT+07:00)	Hi Justin, Thank you for contacting WPML support, I'd be happy to help you with this issue. Please try the workaround in this ticket https://wpml.org/forums/topic/cloning-flexible-content-fields-into-acf-options-page-causing-php-error/ and let me know how it goes. Also, I see that the WordPress Memory Limit is below the requirements. The minimum requirements are 128M, but we do recommend 256M and the debug information of your site shows it set to 40M. Please check this link for more details https://wpml.org/home/minimum-requirements/. You can increase it by adding the following code in your wp-config.php file, right before the /* That’s all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */ line: define( 'WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' ); define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '128M' ); After adding the code you can confirm that the memory was changed correctly from WPML > Support > WordPress > Memory limit. Look forward to your reply. Thanks
February 19, 2024 at 8:12 am #15316274
justind-19	Hi Long, Thanks for your response! I tried the workaround as you mentioned and it does prevent the error from occuring so that is a good thing! But now when I try to translate my settings page content by switching to the english page, editing the fields an pressing save. It does not do anything. The changes get reverted and I see my original language content. Also I read that in the original thread the problem occurs because a flexible content field is cloned on a settings page. In my case i have a field group with a flexible content field that i use on multiple pages, so i set the display conditions to the specific options page. I am not using the clone field here. I also updated my memory limit. Is there anything else i can try to get my content translated? Kind regards, Justin New threads created by Long Nguyen and linked to this one are listed below: https://wpml.org/forums/topic/the-changes-on-the-options-page-get-reverted-and-i-see-my-original-language-content/
February 19, 2024 at 9:28 am #15316755
Long Nguyen WPML Supporter since 02/2022 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh (GMT+07:00)	Hi, I would like to request temporary access (wp-admin and FTP) to your site to take a better look at the issue. It would be better to have a testing site where the issue is replicated. Your next reply is set to private to share the info. ❌ IMPORTANT: Please backup your database and website before proceeding ❌ You can use this plugin to create the backup: https://wordpress.org/plugins/duplicator/ ✙ I would need your permission to de-activate and re-activate Plugins and the Theme to change configurations on the site if needed. This is also a reason the backup is critical. Look forward to your reply. Thanks
February 21, 2024 at 2:38 am #15325149
Long Nguyen WPML Supporter since 02/2022 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh (GMT+07:00)	Hi, After restoring your site on my localhost, I can see the issue. It is a different issue so I will split it into a new ticket for better handling. Here is the URL https://wpml.org/forums/topic/the-changes-on-the-options-page-get-reverted-and-i-see-my-original-language-content/ If you see the main issue of this ticket with an error when saving options page is resolved, please mark it as Resolved. Thanks.
February 21, 2024 at 8:14 am #15325713
justind-19	Hi Long, Thanks for the help! This issue is indeed solved. However I have still one question. I now edited the plugin source files with this fix. This is something I'd rather not do. When I update the plugin this change will be gone. Is this patch coming in a future release of the plugin? Or is there any other way I can patch this bug from my custom theme or using a custom plugin? Thanks!
February 21, 2024 at 9:31 am #15326334
Long Nguyen WPML Supporter since 02/2022 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh (GMT+07:00)	Hi, I'm afraid that there isn't a way to use the workaround in a custom theme or plugin. This issue has been escalated to our development team, you can apply the workaround when there is an update including the fix for this issue. Thanks for your patience.
February 21, 2024 at 9:35 am #15326350
justind-19	Alright, thats what we will have to do then. Hope it will be fixed soon. Thanks for the help!