Fixing the “Syntax Error, Unexpected ‘?’” in PHP
You are not alone. This error often comes when you working with the null coalescing operator (??), which was introduced in PHP 7.0. If your server is an older version of PHP (such as 5.6), this syntax will be invalid.
Why Does This Error Happen?
The null coalescing operator ?? is a shorthand approach in PHP to check if a value exists and is not null. It works like this:
lets take example i have created variable $assigned Team and fetch the value of assigned
$assignedTeam = $row[‘assigned_upimid’] ?? null;
This means:
- If
$row['assigned_upimid']exists, assign its value to$assignedTeam. - Otherwise, assign
null.
but, This operator is not available in versions prior to PHP 7.0. Therefore , if you’re on PHP 5.6 or earlier, using ?? will throw the unexpected ‘?’ error.
How to Fix It
We have other option you can upgrade to version 7.0 or higher , that’s the easiest and most recommended solution. The null coalescing operator is clean and modern, so upgrading ensures better performance and security.
But if you’re stuck on an older version, you’ll need to replace ?? with a compatible alternative using the ternary operator:
Correct Alternative for PHP < 7.0:
$assignedTeam = isset($row[‘assigned_upimid’]) ? $row[‘assigned_upimid’] : null;
This code does the same thing:
- It checks if
$row['assigned_upimid']is set. - If yes, assigns its value.
- Otherwise, assigns
null.
Summary
- Error occurs because the
??operator is not supported in PHP 5.x. - Upgrade to PHP 7.0+ to use modern syntax.
- Or replace with the traditional ternary operator for backward compatibility.
Always try to keep your PHP version updated for security, performance, and cleaner syntax.
