Title: PHP Fatal Error Fix – Array to String Conversion in cap-helper.php
Last modified: July 25, 2025

---

# PHP Fatal Error Fix – Array to String Conversion in cap-helper.php

 *  Resolved [naresh11381](https://wordpress.org/support/users/naresh11381/)
 * (@naresh11381)
 * [10 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-fatal-error-fix-array-to-string-conversion-in-cap-helper-php/)
 * **Issue:** The plugin crashes with “Array to string conversion” and “Illegal 
   offset type” errors on lines 65-66 of cap-helper.php when other plugins (like
   Bricks Builder) incorrectly set post type capability values as arrays instead
   of strings.
 * **Root Cause:** Some third-party plugins don’t follow WordPress standards and
   set 
 *     ```wp-block-code
       $wp_post_types[type]->cap->capability_name
       ```
   
 *  as arrays rather than strings, breaking the assumption in your force_distinct_post_caps()
   method.
   **Error Message**
 *     ```wp-block-code
       Error Type: - PHP Warning: Array to string conversion (line 65)- PHP Fatal error: Uncaught TypeError: Illegal offset type in isset or empty (line 66)Location: - File: /wp-content/plugins/capabilities-pro/includes/cap-helper.php- Method: CME_Cap_Helper->force_distinct_post_caps()Call Stack:CME_Cap_Helper->force_distinct_post_caps() (line 24)CME_Cap_Helper->refresh() (line 20)  CME_Cap_Helper->__construct() (functions.php:59)Root Cause: Third-party plugins setting post type capabilities as arrays instead of strings, breaking the assumption in array_unique((array) $type_obj->cap) and subsequent isset() operations.
       ```
   
 * **Recommended Fix:** Add type validation before processing capabilities to filter
   out non-string values. The attached code change adds proper type checking to 
   prevent fatal errors while maintaining functionality.
 * **Impact:** This affects any site using plugins that don’t properly handle WordPress
   capability structures, causing complete site crashes.
 * The fix I implemented resolves the immediate error while maintaining all the 
   plugin’s functionality.
 * Anyone having this issue can replace the code in cap-helper.php line 63-73 with
   the code below.
 *     ```wp-block-code
       	// count the number of post types that use each capability		foreach( $wp_post_types as $post_type => $type_obj ) {			// Convert cap object to array and filter out non-string values to prevent array-to-string conversion errors			$caps_array = (array) $type_obj->cap;			$string_caps = array();						foreach( $caps_array as $cap_key => $cap_value ) {				// Only process string capability values - skip arrays or objects that some plugins incorrectly set				if ( is_string( $cap_value ) && !empty( $cap_value ) ) {					$string_caps[] = $cap_value;				}			}						foreach( array_unique( $string_caps ) as $cap_name ) {				if ( ! isset( $this->all_type_caps[$cap_name] ) ) {					$this->all_type_caps[$cap_name] = 1;				} else {					$this->all_type_caps[$cap_name] = (int) $this->all_type_caps[$cap_name];					$this->all_type_caps[$cap_name]++;				}			}		}
       ```
   
 * Please note the fix was AI-assisted, but I hope it makes sense and helps pinpoint
   the issue for the next update.

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)

 *  Plugin Author [Olawale Adesina](https://wordpress.org/support/users/olatechpro/)
 * (@olatechpro)
 * [10 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-fatal-error-fix-array-to-string-conversion-in-cap-helper-php/#post-18571106)
 * Hi [@naresh11381](https://wordpress.org/support/users/naresh11381/)
 * Thanks for the detailed report and suggested fix. We’ve made a fix for this and
   it’ll be included in the next release.
 * I didn’t bother to send the package here since you already fix the issue from
   your end too.
 * Regards.

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)

The topic ‘PHP Fatal Error Fix – Array to String Conversion in cap-helper.php’ is
closed to new replies.

 * ![](https://ps.w.org/capability-manager-enhanced/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=
   3408171)
 * [PublishPress Capabilities - User Role Editor, Access Permissions, User Capabilities, Admin Menus](https://wordpress.org/plugins/capability-manager-enhanced/)
 * [Frequently Asked Questions](https://wordpress.org/plugins/capability-manager-enhanced/#faq)
 * [Support Threads](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/capability-manager-enhanced/)
 * [Active Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/capability-manager-enhanced/active/)
 * [Unresolved Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/capability-manager-enhanced/unresolved/)
 * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/capability-manager-enhanced/reviews/)

 * 1 reply
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [Olawale Adesina](https://wordpress.org/support/users/olatechpro/)
 * Last activity: [10 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/php-fatal-error-fix-array-to-string-conversion-in-cap-helper-php/#post-18571106)
 * Status: resolved