PHP Scripting

• The PHP scripting language that powers WordPress works much like the hypertext markup language (HTML) that drives most of the World Wide Web. PHP takes Web programming a step further, though, by introducing variables that can solicit input and store responses in an online database. As PHP programs like WordPress become very complex, programmers tend to store small portions of the PHP code in individual files known as scripts. Rather than try to build a complex program in one very large file, according to the programming website Blue Moose Tech, programmers often create several scripts and call those scripts from a single index file.
  
  

Parse Error

• PHP is a server-side programming language, or one that relies on the server's processor to run the program rather than running it on the Web user's personal computer. As the master PHP file calls individual scripts, the server must parse those scripts into machine-readable binary code. The server reads tags and functions within each script during this process; if the script contains invalid programming tags or an error in the programming syntax, the server cannot properly parse the script and must generate an error. This error may take a number of forms, but typically generates an error message that begins with "Parse error."
  
  

WordPress Specifics

• Some common PHP scripts in a WordPress site include functions.php, the file that defines certain WordPress features, and custom_function.php, a file that defines features specific to individual themes. The blogging website BlogWeb6 explains that unexpected characters or improperly formatted commands in these files can cause WordPress to return a parse error. The Web development website The Web Tricks elaborates that any PHP script in a WordPress website can trigger a parse error, but the error typically appears as the server attempts to process some form of the functions.php script. In many cases, WordPress will list the offending file, line and character that led to a parse error.
  
  

Resolution

• Programmers at The Web Tricks offer several solutions for resolving a WordPress parse error. PHP-savvy users can use the provided error information to locate the script in question, modify the file and correct the programming error. Less savvy users may prefer to simply replace the site's functions.php file with a fresh, unedited copy available for download from the WordPress website. If the offending file is associated with a specific WordPress theme, users can use a file transfer protocol (FTP) program to access the Web server and delete the entire theme directory; this deletion will cause WordPress to default to a previously working theme.