[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #64496: Type Error with gmdate() in dashboard Activity widget (was: Uncaught Error: gmdate(): Argument #2 ($timestamp) must be of type ?int, string given in wp-admin/includes/dashboard.php on line 1017)

[WordPress Trac]

#64496: Type Error with gmdate() in dashboard Activity widget
-----------------------------------------+------------------------------
 Reporter:  vanhoucke                    |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  defect (bug)                 |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal                       |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Administration               |     Version:  6.9
 Severity:  normal                       |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  has-patch reporter-feedback  |     Focuses:  ui
-----------------------------------------+------------------------------
Changes (by sabernhardt):

 * keywords:  php8.3 has-patch reporter-feedback => has-patch reporter-
     feedback
 * focuses:  ui, php-compatibility => ui


Old description:

> Uncaught Error: gmdate(): Argument #2 ($timestamp) must be of type ?int,
> string given
> in wp-admin/includes/dashboard.php on line 1017
>
> Call stack:
>
> gmdate()
>
> wp-admin/includes/dashboard.php:1017
> wp_dashboard_recent_posts()
>
> wp-admin/includes/dashboard.php:940
> wp_dashboard_site_activity()
>
> wp-admin/includes/template.php:1453
> do_meta_boxes()
>
> wp-admin/includes/dashboard.php:271
> wp_dashboard()
>
> wp-admin/index.php:204
> Query Monitor

New description:

 {{{
 Uncaught Error: gmdate(): Argument #2 ($timestamp) must be of type ?int,
 string given
 in wp-admin/includes/dashboard.php on line 1017

 Call stack:

 gmdate()
 wp-admin/includes/dashboard.php:1017

 wp_dashboard_recent_posts()
 wp-admin/includes/dashboard.php:940

 wp_dashboard_site_activity()
 wp-admin/includes/template.php:1453

 do_meta_boxes()
 wp-admin/includes/dashboard.php:271

 wp_dashboard()
 wp-admin/index.php:204

 Query Monitor
 }}}

--

Comment:

 #60629 reported the error message earlier.

 A [https://wpdirectory.net/search/01KESXCZRSGYZHHSV58ENA44W8 directory
 search] lists some of the plugins that //might// filter the 'get_the_time'
 information.

 I removed the PHP 8.3 keyword and PHP compatibility focus.
 - I did not receive errors or warnings when the filtered date was a
 numeric string or boolean `false`.
 - A non-numeric string resulted in a fatal error with PHP 8.0.30, and
 7.4.33 gave a warning for the same.


 == Testing

 I added `var_dump($time);` immediately after `$time = get_the_time( 'U'
 );` in `wp_dashboard_recent_posts()` to show the output type in my local
 trunk installation. Also, my time zone is UTC-6, which likely explains why
 the numeric string value is 6 hours different than the integer.

 With no plugins, the Activity widget used integers and displayed the
 relative post dates.
 - `int 1768214078` Today, 10:34 am
 - `int 1762863730` Nov 11th 2025, 12:22 pm

 [https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-location/ Simple Location] changed
 `get_the_date` output to a numeric string, but it still gave the same post
 dates.
 - `string '1768235678'` Today, 10:34 am
 - `string '1762885330'` Nov 11th 2025, 12:22 pm

 [https://wordpress.org/plugins/hide-metadata/ Hide/Remove Metadata], set
 to Hide By PHP and Hide published date, returned `false` in the filter.
 Then the Activity widget showed today's date without the time, still
 including the comma and space.
 - `boolean false` Jan 12th 2026,
 - `boolean false` Jan 12th 2026,

 [https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-last-modified-info/ WP Last Modified
 Info] also can return `false` with its 'get_the_time' filter, but that
 specifically does **not** run [https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser
 /wp-last-modified-info/tags/1.9.5/inc/Core/Backend/MiscActions.php#L164 in
 the admin area].

 I reproduced the fatal error by returning a string in a custom must-use
 plugin.
 {{{add_filter( 'get_the_time', function ( $the_time ) { return 'gotcha'; }
 );}}}
 - `string 'gotcha'`
 {{{
 ( ! ) Fatal error: Uncaught TypeError: gmdate(): Argument #2 ($timestamp)
 must be of type ?int, string given in ...\wp-admin\includes\dashboard.php
 on line 1017
 ( ! ) TypeError: gmdate(): Argument #2 ($timestamp) must be of type ?int,
 string given in ...\wp-admin\includes\dashboard.php on line 1017
 }}}


 == Correcting

 Plugin filters could need to avoid changing the 'get_the_time' output when
 `is_admin` or when the `$format` is `'U'`.

 If Core should update the Activity widget, I think it could change the
 list item `<span>` contents if the timestamp is not an integer. Casting to
 an integer might work with the Simple Location plugin, but other non-
 integer values are likely inappropriate (for comparison or display).

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64496#comment:4>
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