Title: Fatal Error string offset in capabilities.php 116
Last modified: August 19, 2016

---

# Fatal Error string offset in capabilities.php 116

 *  [WordyPresser](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jeremyduffy/)
 * (@jeremyduffy)
 * [16 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-string-offset-in-capabilitiesphp-116/)
 * Fatal error: Cannot use string offset as an array in C:\Stuff\Working\htdocs\
   blogname\wp-includes\capabilities.php on line 116
 * HELP!
 * I did a print of the value it was trying to work with and it returns this string:
 * a:5:{s:13:”administrator”;a:2:{s:4:”name”;s:23:”Administrator|User role”;s:12:”
   capabilities”;a:58:{s:13:”switch_themes”;b:1;s:11:”edit_themes”;b:1;s:16:”activate_plugins”;
   b:1;s:12:”edit_plugins”;b:1;s:10:”edit_users”;b:1;s:10:”edit_files”;b:1;s:14:”
   manage_options”;b:1;s:17:”moderate_comments”;b:1;s:17:”manage_categories”;b:1;
   s:12:”manage_links”;b:1;s:12:”upload_files”;b:1;s:6:”import”;b:1;s:15:”unfiltered_html”;
   b:1;s:10:”edit_posts”;b:1;s:17:”edit_others_posts”;b:1;s:20:”edit_published_posts”;
   b:1;s:13:”publish_posts”;b:1;s:10:”edit_pages”;b:1;s:4:”read”;b:1;s:8:”level_10″;
   b:1;s:7:”level_9″;b:1;s:7:”level_8″;b:1;s:7:”level_7″;b:1;s:7:”level_6″;b:1;s:
   7:”level_5″;b:1;s:7:”level_4″;b:1;s:7:”level_3″;b:1;s:7:”level_2″;b:1;s:7:”level_1″;
   b:1;s:7:”level_0″;b:1;s:17:”edit_others_pages”;b:1;s:20:”edit_published_pages”;
   b:1;s:13:”publish_pages”;b:1;s:12:”delete_pages”;b:1;s:19:”delete_others_pages”;
   b:1;s:22:”delete_published_pages”;b:1;s:12:”delete_posts”;b:1;s:19:”delete_others_posts”;
   b:1;s:22:”delete_published_posts”;b:1;s:20:”delete_private_posts”;b:1;s:18:”edit_private_posts”;
   b:1;s:18:”read_private_posts”;b:1;s:20:”delete_private_pages”;b:1;s:18:”edit_private_pages”;
   b:1;s:18:”read_private_pages”;b:1;s:12:”delete_users”;b:1;s:12:”create_users”;
   b:1;s:17:”unfiltered_upload”;b:1;s:14:”edit_dashboard”;b:1;s:14:”update_plugins”;
   b:1;s:14:”delete_plugins”;b:1;s:15:”install_plugins”;b:1;s:13:”update_themes”;
   b:1;s:16:”b:1;s:16:”Delete templates”;b:1;s:14:”Edit templates”;b:1;s:14:”View
   templates”;b:1;s:13:”Use templates”;b:1;}}s:6:”editor”;a:2:{s:4:”name”;s:16:”
   Editor|User role”;s:12:”capabilities”;a:39:{s:17:”moderate_comments”;b:1;s:17:”
   manage_categories”;b:1;s:12:”manage_links”;b:1;s:12:”upload_files”;b:1;s:15:”
   unfiltered_html”;b:1;s:10:”edit_posts”;b:1;s:17:”edit_others_posts”;b:1;s:20:”
   edit_published_posts”;b:1;s:13:”publish_posts”;b:1;s:10:”edit_pages”;b:1;s:4:”
   read”;b:1;s:7:”level_7″;b:1;s:7:”level_6″;b:1;s:7:”level_5″;b:1;s:7:”level_4″;
   b:1;s:7:”level_3″;b:1;s:7:”level_2″;b:1;s:7:”level_1″;b:1;s:7:”level_0″;b:1;s:
   17:”edit_others_pages”;b:1;s:20:”edit_published_pages”;b:1;s:13:”publish_pages”;
   b:1;s:12:”delete_pages”;b:1;s:19:”delete_others_pages”;b:1;s:22:”delete_published_pages”;
   b:1;s:12:”delete_posts”;b:1;s:19:”delete_others_posts”;b:1;s:22:”delete_published_posts”;
   b:1;s:20:”delete_private_posts”;b:1;s:18:”edit_private_posts”;b:1;s:18:”read_private_posts”;
   b:1;s:20:”delete_private_pages”;b:1;s:18:”edit_private_pages”;b:1;s:18:”read_private_pages”;
   b:1;s:16:”b:1;s:16:”Delete templates”;b:1;s:14:”Edit templates”;b:1;s:14:”View
   templates”;b:1;s:13:”Use templates”;b:1;}}s:6:”author”;a:2:{s:4:”name”;s:16:”
   Author|User role”;s:12:”capabilities”;a:12:{s:12:”upload_files”;b:1;s:10:”edit_posts”;
   b:1;s:20:”edit_published_posts”;b:1;s:13:”publish_posts”;b:1;s:4:”read”;b:1;s:
   7:”level_2″;b:1;s:7:”level_1″;b:1;s:7:”level_0″;b:1;s:12:”delete_posts”;b:1;s:
   22:”delete_published_posts”;b:1;s:14:”View templates”;b:1;s:13:”Use templates”;
   b:1;}}s:11:”contributor”;a:2:{s:4:”name”;s:21:”Contributor|User role”;s:12:”capabilities”;
   a:5:{s:10:”edit_posts”;b:1;s:4:”read”;b:1;s:7:”level_1″;b:1;s:7:”level_0″;b:1;
   s:12:”delete_posts”;b:1;}}s:10:”subscriber”;a:2:{s:4:”name”;s:20:”Subscriber|
   User role”;s:12:”capabilities”;a:2:{s:4:”read”;b:1;s:7:”level_0″;b:1;}}}
 * This is indeed NOT an array, but WHY? What did I screw up in the database that
   caused the wordpress admin functions to fail?

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

 *  Thread Starter [WordyPresser](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jeremyduffy/)
 * (@jeremyduffy)
 * [16 years, 12 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-string-offset-in-capabilitiesphp-116/#post-1094025)
 * Nevermind. I found out that it’s pulling the value from “WP NAME_user_roles from
   the options database and once I replaced that with a copy from my backup from
   a few days ago, it worked. It was definitely a problem with the data in the database.
 *  [nigel1](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nigel1/)
 * (@nigel1)
 * [16 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-string-offset-in-capabilitiesphp-116/#post-1094369)
 * Ran into the same problem. Turned out to be a magic quotes problem. Our programmer
   was doing some debugging and had turned magic_quotes_runtime to “on.” Once he
   turned it to off, everything went back to normal.

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

The topic ‘Fatal Error string offset in capabilities.php 116’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 2 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [nigel1](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nigel1/)
 * Last activity: [16 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-string-offset-in-capabilitiesphp-116/#post-1094369)
 * Status: not resolved

## Topics

### Topics with no replies

### Non-support topics

### Resolved topics

### Unresolved topics

### All topics
