@ggoffy Point 1:

If you only need the count as a single value, [$count] = $xoopsDB->fetchRow($result) is more explicit and safer than $count = $xoopsDB->fetchRow($result), because:

• With $count = $xoopsDB->fetchRow($result), $count would be an array ([5]), and you’d need to access $count[0] later.
• With [$count] = ..., you directly get the scalar value (5), which aligns with the condition later if ((int)$count > 0) .

hi, sorry, didn't realize that fetchRow provides an array :(
therefore code is working properly

nevertheless I would avoid second DB query:

$count = count($xoopsDB->fetchRow($result));
if ((int)$count > 0) {
$block['modules'][0]['adminlink'] = XOOPS_URL . '/modules/news/admin/index.php?op=newarticle';
[$block['modules'][0]['pendingnum']] = $count ;
$block['modules'][0]['lang_linkname'] = _MB_SYSTEM_SUBMS;
}

Good point - I'll streamline it later

However, sometimes you'll need to run it twice, because some of the functions (like the fetchRow($result) requires mysqli_result, otherwise it will crash XOOPS.. Therefore:

1. get $result from $xoopsDB->query($sql);
2. Check: if ($xoopsDB->isResultSet($result))
3. Only if it is mysqli_result, then you run fetchRow($result)

@ggoffy, please check it out - I've made some improvements

1. got error: Warning: Undefined global variable $module_handler in file /modules/system/blocks/system_blocks.php line 204

therefore I changed into

$module_handler = xoops_getHandler('module');
if (xoops_isActiveModule($module) && $module_handler->getCount(new Criteria('dirname', $module))) {

2. code is not working with empy $condition

suggestion:

        $sql = "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM " . $xoopsDB->prefix($table);
        if ('' !== $condition) {
            $sql .= " WHERE $condition";
        }

3. I would remove $index from function checkPendingContent($module, $table, $condition, $adminlink, $lang_linkname, &$block, $index, $xoopsDB) {
   and change line $block['modules'][$index] = [ into $block['modules'][] = [

@ggoffy thanks for testing it. Regarding removing $index from function checkPendingContent(), is there anywhere an dependency on the index number?

I don't think that there is a dependency, because in the block itself there is only a simple walk through a foreach

@ggoffy your improvements are now included, please check if it works for you

works fine, thank you