Problem with php pear Spreadsheet_Excel_Writer

[doktor5000]

Hi there,
I've just installed a php PEAR extension (Spreadsheet_Excel_Writer), and tried using it with the help of the documentation on the PEAR site. But every time I receive an error

Fatal error: Call-time pass-by-reference has been removed in /usr/share/pear/Spreadsheet/Excel/Writer/Worksheet.php on line 2490

The error seems to have been dealt with, but not reflected in the package available in the repository.

In addition to this, there seems to be no other documentation but the one available on the PEAR site itself. So, if there had been another way of doing things (i.e., of coding) in line with the version on the Mageia repository, I have no way of knowing... So, would the only solution be to un-install the package, and then reinstall it from gitHub instead?

Can anybody help with that?

Thanks in advance.

[doktor5000]

So, would the only solution be to un-install the package, and then reinstall it from gitHub instead?

That seems like the case, as there has been no "official" release 0.9.4 with the patch yet (0.9.4 is flagged as beta here) as mentioned in e.g. https://pear.php.net/bugs/bug.php?id=19773

The other thing to do would be to open a Mageia bugreport, mention the error you get and the upstream bugreport and ask for an update, the patch can probably be backported to the mga6 version.
Check https://wiki.mageia.org/en/How_to_report_a_bug_properly
For completeness's sake and also to allow others to follow up on that bug report, please also post the link to it here in the thread, thanks.