Title: Fatal error saving table – DOMDocument ValueError on PHP 8 Last modified: October 9, 2025 --- # Fatal error saving table – DOMDocument ValueError on PHP 8 * [smartfinds](https://wordpress.org/support/users/smartfinds/) * (@smartfinds) * [8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-saving-table-domdocument-valueerror-on-php-8/) * Hi WP Table Builder Team, * We’re encountering a fatal error when saving a table on our WordPress site (** smartfindsmarketing.com**). The issue occurs via `admin-ajax.php` when performing a “Save Table” action. * Below is the relevant error excerpt from our `debug.log` file: * ```wp-block-code PHP Fatal error: Uncaught ValueError: DOMDocument::loadHTML(): Argument #1 ($source) must not be empty in /wp-content/plugins/wp-table-builder/vendor/rhukster/dom-sanitizer/src/DOMSanitizer.php:326 Stack trace: #0 /wp-content/plugins/wp-table-builder/vendor/rhukster/dom-sanitizer/src/DOMSanitizer.php(326): DOMDocument->loadHTML('') #1 /wp-content/plugins/wp-table-builder/inc/Shortcode_Element.php(147): DOMSanitizer->sanitize('') #2 /wp-content/plugins/wp-table-builder/inc/TableRenderer.php(234): Shortcode_Element->render() #3 /wp-content/plugins/wp-table-builder/inc/Admin_Menu.php(429): TableRenderer->render_cell() #4 /wp-includes/class-wp-hook.php(308): Admin_Menu->save_table() #5 /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php(203): do_action('wp_ajax_save_table') ``` * **What we’ve already checked:** - Running PHP 8.0. - Confirmed no database errors. - The error triggers when a table includes a shortcode or possibly an empty cell. - Other unrelated plugin warnings (“Add Search to Menu”) are present but not the root cause. * **Hypothesis:** It appears the plugin’s DOM sanitizer attempts to call `DOMDocument:: loadHTML()` on an empty string, which PHP 8+ now treats as a `ValueError`. This may need a guard to skip empty input before sanitization. * **Questions:** 1. Can you confirm if this is a known issue with WP Table Builder on PHP 8.x? 2. Is there a patch or temporary fix (e.g., conditional check) to prevent this error until an update is released? 3. Would you like me to provide a sample table export or exact steps to reproduce it? * Thank you for your time and for maintaining a great plugin! Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total) * Plugin Contributor [Saad](https://wordpress.org/support/users/protibimbok/) * (@protibimbok) * [7 months, 4 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-saving-table-domdocument-valueerror-on-php-8/#post-18676030) * Thank you for your detailed report. 1. No, it is not a known issue.2. You can replace the part in `/wp-content/plugins/wp-table-builder/inc/Shortcode_Element. php` with * `$shortcode = trim($props['shortcode'] ?? ''); if (empty($shortcode)) { $code = '';} else { $sanitizer = new DOMSanitizer(DOMSanitizer::HTML); $code = $sanitizer- >sanitize($shortcode, [ 'remove-html-tags' => false, ]);}3. Checking the instruction 2 would be more helpful.Thank you for sticking with us. * Thread Starter [smartfinds](https://wordpress.org/support/users/smartfinds/) * (@smartfinds) * [7 months, 4 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-saving-table-domdocument-valueerror-on-php-8/#post-18676170) * Hi Saad, * Thanks again for your earlier help with the PHP 8.0 `ValueError` issue. We followed your instructions to add the guard around the sanitizer, but wanted to note that the file path you provided (`/inc/Shortcode_Element.php`) does not exist in the current plugin version. * In our installation, the correct file was located at: `/inc/admin/element-classes/ elements/shortcode-element.php` * We implemented the guard there, and it did stop the original `DOMDocument::loadHTML()` fatal error on PHP 8.0. However, after applying the change, we were no longer able to access WP Table Builder in WP Admin — it displayed “Sorry, you are not allowed to access this page.” * We’ve since reverted the file to its original version, and the admin access issue disappeared immediately. So while the proposed guard fixes the fatal error itself, it appears to introduce a secondary issue in the current version of the plugin. * Would you be able to review this behavior and confirm the correct placement or logic for the guard? We’d be happy to test a corrected version or updated build if you release one. * Thanks again for your assistance, Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total) The topic ‘Fatal error saving table – DOMDocument ValueError on PHP 8’ is closed to new replies. * ![](https://ps.w.org/wp-table-builder/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=2404323) * [WP Table Builder – Drag & Drop Table Builder](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-table-builder/) * [Frequently Asked Questions](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-table-builder/#faq) * [Support Threads](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wp-table-builder/) * [Active Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wp-table-builder/active/) * [Unresolved Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wp-table-builder/unresolved/) * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wp-table-builder/reviews/) ## Tags * [admin-ajax](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/admin-ajax/) * [domdocument](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/domdocument/) * [fatal error](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/fatal-error/) * 2 replies * 2 participants * Last reply from: [smartfinds](https://wordpress.org/support/users/smartfinds/) * Last activity: [7 months, 4 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-saving-table-domdocument-valueerror-on-php-8/#post-18676170) * Status: not resolved