Warning: Creating default object from empty value in flexslider_optionset_load() (line 281 of E:\Websites\....\sites\all\modules\contrib\flexslider\flexslider.module).

I hit the same error w/ PHP 8.x. I let AI help me with a possible fix. In case it helps others.

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The error message indicates that the property "options" is being modified on a null value in the function flexslider_optionset_load().

To fix this issue, you can add a null check before attempting to modify the "options" property. Here's an updated version of the code that includes the null check:

/**
 * Fetches the given option set and returns it as an object or NULL if no set could be found.
 */
function flexslider_optionset_load($optionset_name) {
  ctools_include('export');
  $optionset = ctools_export_crud_load('flexslider_optionset', $optionset_name);
  
  if ($optionset !== null) {
    // Ensure the optionset is typecast after being loaded from DB
    _flexslider_typecast_optionset($optionset->options);
  }
  
  return $optionset;
}

In the updated code, we added an if statement to check if $optionset is not null before attempting to modify the "options" property. If $optionset is null, the modification will not be executed.

By including this null check, you can prevent the "Attempt to modify property on null" error.

Provided the patch changes suggested in #3, please review