I don’t remember subscribing to either. I just followed the instructions provided by the plugin to set up a basic PayPal Payments Standard.
Then I use their SOAP thing.
Buttons Stopped Working - DEPRECATED_PARAM_MODIFY
I am using PayPal Standard for my subscription website. I have paypal payments pro on another account for another ecommerce and really dont need it. When you ask for payflow, paypal agents tell you that paypal payments pro is the same thing. So its always been kind of confusing. I am also not using s2member. I am using optimize press, which seems to generated the same code that Sim Architect posted. I found this thread by searching for DEPRECATED_PARAM_MODIFY.
OptimizePress is an old fork of s2member but is not related to s2member. Solutions proposed here will only apply to s2member plugin. You can bug OptimizePress support if you want to. If we solve it here you can refer the OptimizePress support to the solution.
So I believe I have figured out the oblique error reference. The problem appears to be the inclusion of the “modify” parameter.
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Here is the PayPal announcement of the deprecation of the Modify parameter: https://developer.paypal.com/docs/paypal-payments-standard/integration-guide/Appx-websitestandard-htmlvariables/#deprecated-variables
POSSIBLE SOLUTION:
Delete line #34 in /src/includes/templates/buttons/paypal-checkout-button.php ( <input type="hidden" name="modify" value="0" /> ). This parameter has been deprecated.
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Thank you so much! That did the trick for me. I use the Divi theme’s pricing tables so I have to use url links for my subscription buttons and don’t use the shortcode generated by s2Member. I originally used the shortcode generator to get the url’s though. I just removed the &modify=0 from my url links and it’s back to working. The buttons had stopping working earlier today and I wouldn’t have known but a customer just told me she’s been getting that error all day. Yesterday it was fine though. Paypal’s deprecated variables page you linked to just shows modify=1 and modify=2 as being deprecated in 2019, so the modify=0 should be fine still…but it’s obviously not so they must need to update that page still something changed in last 24 hours (unless I’m missing something). Wow, that’s awesome that you found that though…good investigating! I haven’t had anyone go through the whole signup process since I just fixed it so hopefully the rest goes smoothly and as usual. I will give an update after I get my next subscriber. Thanks again!
OMG!!!
Thank you SO VERY MUCH!!!
It works now! I can roll back my regular buttons and stop the madness I have been for the past day or two with the manual ones!
You are welcome Nicole. I expect that some coder at PayPal looked at the modify=0 and thought…“hey…that was deprecated in 2019…might as well delete it”.
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Glad it helped 
@clavaque - DEPRECATED PAYPAL OPTION needs to be removed in the next s2member plugin up-issue. Cheers
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The situation is back to normal for me this morning at 9:20am (Paris Time) without changing anything from my end. I suppose PayPal did take some action to solve that.
Here is the simple shortcode I use in my case:
[s2Member-PayPal-Button level=“1” ccaps="" desc=“Abonnement” ps=“paypal” lc="" cc=“EUR” dg=“0” ns=“1” custom=“lachaineguitare.com” ta=“0” tp=“0” tt=“M” ra=“10” rp=“1” rt=“M” rr=“1” rrt="" rra=“1” image=“http://lachaineguitare.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bouton_acheter150.png” output=“button” /]
Thanks a lot for the input and let’s hope PayPal will not break it again!
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Nice. I had to change mine back then. Not risking the unchanged code though. I am staying with @onepresstech solution.
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That’s good news @pjournel. I checked your site and you are passing the modify parameter so it is possible PayPal either restored processing the Modify parameter or they have phased it out and the change is still propagating through its multi-server infrastructure and caches so operation will be intermittent until it no longer works. Hard to say. At least you know what the problem is and what the fix is if this bug rears its ugly head again.
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It’s your call. Keep an eye on it.
The thing is, PayPal has deprecated the Modify parameter but they did it in what appears to be a two-stage process. In 2019 PayPal deprecated the Modify=1 and Modify=2 and left Modify=0 (the default) in place. The guidance in the PayPal API documentation instructed coders to switch their code to Modify=0 (the only remaining supported value for this parameter). But why would PayPal bother to leave a parameter in the API with only one value! Kind of useless. I think on the weekend a coder at PayPal probably thought so as well and deleted it. Oops…but he didn’t tell anyone in advance…there is no mention of the parameter being fully deprecated in the PayPal API documentation AND since PayPal should be maintaining multiple API versions even if the Modify parameter is deprecated it shouldn’t affect us since we operate using an older API version.
But this bug did happen. So your guess is as good as mine as to whether it will occur again or not. The parameter has been deprecated so it doesn’t do anything. No upside to keeping it…only possible downside. So I would delete it.
We are reliant on @clavaque to make this a permanent change in the next s2member plugin update otherwise we all have to remember to delete this line of html on future plugin updates.
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Thanks a ton for your insight. Very useful.
You are most welcome
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I think paypal fixed it overnight. I had this problem too (got several emails from customers who could not check out) - but didn’t notice at first because i use a custom button code - and have modify only included for people who want to subscribe to yearly payments. I did not have modify for one time payments.
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I have also replaced the automatic generated buttons and have found that paypal now works again too. Thank you for this insight, and I will forward the thread to the OP support as well.
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Tim, I hope Cristian (who we never see anymore) is paying you for the time you spend here helping people.
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Just a community member giving back
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