I've made a bunch of updates and fixes to the participants panel over the last few weeks which I think will have fixed this issue. I can't replicate the bug in the current development build.

Could you test this against an updated version and let me know.

I pulled the current Yii branch from github. It says Version 2.0b2. Still getting the same error.

If I try to edit the participant email (as opposed to attributes) it generates this message too.
[08-May-2012 11:27:55] PHP Fatal error: Call to a member function bindParam() on a non-object in /Users/fred/Dropbox/MAMP/htdocs/limesurvey/application/models/Participants.php on line 153

Update: The Attribute problem only happens when:

1) You are changing an existing value in an attribute. For example if there is an attribute called "Customer" and you try to change it from "Yes" to "No"
2) The attribute is a drop-down list attribute. The error doesn't happen on a text box attribute.

Maybe this will help reproduce it.

Hello,
When I update Lime surveys From the version 1.90 to 2.0b1, I have the same problem :
The LimeSurvey database is being upgraded (2012-05-25 11:15:47) .
Please be patient...
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fatal error: Call to a member function getText() on a non-object in C:\Program Files\EasyPHP-5.3.9\www\limesurvey\application\helpers\update\upgrade-all_helper.php on line 201

Regards
Xavier

@Xavier: I think you may have put this comment in the wrong place - your issue is not related to the attribute values.

@Fred - it's killing me, I just can't replicate. I've created an attribute called 'Customer', added the values "Yes" and "No" to it. Then I've edited a participants attributes, set the "Customer" attribute to "Yes". Saved it. Reloaded the grid, edited it and changed it to "No". Reloaded the grid. All saved, all worked, no errors!

Maybe you could post a screenshot of the error message?

Hi Jason, I just tried again and still getting the same error. Maybe it's just me.

By the way, one other oddity I notice with editing drop down participant attributes: If you edit the row by clicking on the pencil icon at the left, then the attribute value field opens in a text-box control, but if you edit it by double-clicking on the attribute value field, it is a drop down control.

Fred, did you try to reproduce this at a fresh database that was not generated by LS1.92 but by a fresh LS2 install?

Marcel, yes this is on my LS2 test system. Just to be sure I just wiped everything out, downloaded the Version 2.0RC2 Build 120528 from the Limesurvey site, let it install and create a new database, and cleared my browser cache. Still getting the same error PHP Fatal error: Call to a member function bindParam() on a non-object in /MAMP/htdocs/limesurvey/application/models/ParticipantAttributeNames.php on line 201.

If you can't reproduce it then maybe it is something to do with my dev setup (MAMP).

Closing because of inactivity. I'm going to assume the problem is resolved in the current release. If it isn't please reopen.

Sorry to re-open this but still having the same problem with RC7. The same error also appears when you edit a participant name or email address. In that case it is : PHP Fatal error: Call to a member function bindParam() on a non-object in /MAMP/htdocs/ls2/application/models/Participants.php on line 153

Another related item: Drop down attributes aren't behaving correctly (or at least, as I would expect them to). If you add a participant, then expose their attributes, then click on the "pencil" icon to edit a dropdown attribute, it opens a text box rather than a drop-down list. You can enter any value you like in the text box and save it, so there is no validation.

The only way to show the drop-down control is to not use the edit icon, but rather double-click on the blank space where the value would be (or to double-click on the value if it is already entered and you are trying to edit it).

Fix committed to Yii branch: http://bugs.limesurvey.org/plugin.php?page=Source/view&id=9173

Fix committed to Yii branch: http://bugs.limesurvey.org/plugin.php?page=Source/view&id=9174

@fred, although I was still unable to replicate the problem both of the functions where you are getting errors use a Yii method called ->addParams which I've found problematic in other instances. So I've removed that and used a different method. Could you see if it makes a difference for you?

Hi Jason, I put your four file changes in and everything is working now! Tested the dropdown functionality, editing attributes, and editing participants. No more error. Great job. I was kind of blaming the jqgrid control for this, but sounds like it was the Yii->jqgrid connection.