diff --git a/api/src/Storage/Merge.php b/api/src/Storage/Merge.php
index 2140ad1eec..f30f5c9e0c 100644
--- a/api/src/Storage/Merge.php
+++ b/api/src/Storage/Merge.php
@@ -703,8 +703,10 @@ abstract class Merge
 		}
 		// alternative syntax using double curly brackets (eg. {{cat_id}} instead $$cat_id$$),
 		// agressivly removing all xml-tags eg. Word adds within placeholders
-		$content = preg_replace_callback('/{{[^}]+}}/i',create_function('$p','return \'$$\'.strip_tags(substr($p[0],2,-2)).\'$$\';'),$_content);
-
+		$content = preg_replace_callback('/{{[^}]+}}/i', function($matches)
+		{
+			return '$$'.strip_tags(substr($matches[0], 2, -2)).'$$';
+		}, $_content);
 		// Handle escaped placeholder markers in RTF, they won't match when escaped
 		if($mimetype == 'application/rtf')
 		{
diff --git a/api/src/Vfs.php b/api/src/Vfs.php
index f23a32464e..9b620071c3 100644
--- a/api/src/Vfs.php
+++ b/api/src/Vfs.php
@@ -570,14 +570,11 @@ class Vfs extends Vfs\StreamWrapper
 				self::_check_add($options,$path,$result);
 			}
 		}
-		// sort code, to place directories before files, if $dirsontop enabled
-		$dirsfirst = $dirsontop ? '($a[mime]==\''.self::DIR_MIME_TYPE.'\')!==($b[mime]==\''.self::DIR_MIME_TYPE.'\')?'.
-			'($a[mime]==\''.self::DIR_MIME_TYPE.'\'?-1:1):' : '';
 		// ordering of the rows
 		if (isset($options['order']))
 		{
-			$sort = strtolower($options['sort']) == 'desc' ? '-' : '';
-			switch($options['order'])
+			$sort_desc = strtolower($options['sort']) == 'desc';
+			switch($order = $options['order'])
 			{
 				// sort numerical
 				case 'size':
@@ -586,32 +583,46 @@ class Vfs extends Vfs\StreamWrapper
 				case 'mode':
 				case 'ctime':
 				case 'mtime':
-					$code = $dirsfirst.$sort.'($a[\''.$options['order'].'\']-$b[\''.$options['order'].'\']);';
-					// always use name as second sort criteria
-					$code = '$cmp = '.$code.' return $cmp ? $cmp : strcasecmp($a[\'name\'],$b[\'name\']);';
-					$ok = uasort($result,create_function('$a,$b',$code));
+					$ok = uasort($result, function($a, $b) use ($dirsontop, $sort_desc, $order)
+					{
+						$cmp = $a[$order] - $b[$order];
+						// sort code, to place directories before files, if $dirsontop enabled
+						if ($dirsontop && ($a['mime'] == self::DIR_MIME_TYPE) !== ($b['mime'] == self::DIR_MIME_TYPE))
+						{
+							$cmp = $a['mime' ] == self::DIR_MIME_TYPE ? -1 : 1;
+							$sort_desc = false;
+						}
+						// reverse sort for descending
+						if ($sort_desc) $cmp *= -1;
+						// always use name as second sort criteria
+						if (!$cmp) $cmp = strcasecmp($a['name'], $b['name']);
+						return $cmp;
+					});
 					break;
 
 				// sort alphanumerical
 				default:
-					$options['order'] = 'name';
+					$order = 'name';
 					// fall throught
 				case 'name':
 				case 'mime':
-					$code = $dirsfirst.$sort.'strcasecmp($a[\''.$options['order'].'\'],$b[\''.$options['order'].'\']);';
-					if ($options['order'] != 'name')
+					$ok = uasort($result, function($a, $b) use ($dirsontop, $order, $sort_desc)
 					{
+						$cmp = strcasecmp($a[$order], $b[$order]);
+						// sort code, to place directories before files, if $dirsontop enabled
+						if ($dirsontop && ($a['mime'] == self::DIR_MIME_TYPE) !== ($b['mime'] == self::DIR_MIME_TYPE))
+						{
+							$cmp = $a['mime' ] == self::DIR_MIME_TYPE ? -1 : 1;
+							$sort_desc = false;
+						}
+						// reverse sort for descending
+						if ($sort_desc) $cmp *= -1;
 						// always use name as second sort criteria
-						$code = '$cmp = '.$code.' return $cmp ? $cmp : strcasecmp($a[\'name\'],$b[\'name\']);';
-					}
-					else
-					{
-						$code = 'return '.$code;
-					}
-					$ok = uasort($result,create_function('$a,$b',$code));
+						if (!$cmp && $order != 'name') $cmp = strcasecmp($a['name'], $b['name']);
+						return $cmp;
+					});
 					break;
 			}
-			//echo "<p>order='$options[order]', sort='$options[sort]' --> uasort($result,create_function(,'$code'))=".array2string($ok)."</p>>\n";
 		}
 		// limit resultset
 		self::$find_total = count($result);
diff --git a/calendar/inc/class.calendar_bo.inc.php b/calendar/inc/class.calendar_bo.inc.php
index e4aee72b21..8f41ca3e22 100644
--- a/calendar/inc/class.calendar_bo.inc.php
+++ b/calendar/inc/class.calendar_bo.inc.php
@@ -1854,7 +1854,12 @@ class calendar_bo
 				if ($bdays)
 				{
 					// sort by month and day only
-					usort($bdays,create_function('$a,$b','return (int) $a[\'bday\'] == (int) $b[\'bday\'] ? strcmp($a[\'bday\'],$b[\'bday\']) : (int) $a[\'bday\'] - (int) $b[\'bday\'];'));
+					usort($bdays, function($a, $b)
+					{
+						return (int) $a['bday'] == (int) $b['bday'] ?
+							strcmp($a['bday'], $b['bday']) :
+							(int) $a['bday'] - (int) $b['bday'];
+					});
 					foreach($bdays as $pers)
 					{
 						if (empty($pers['bday']) || $pers['bday']=='0000-00-00 0' || $pers['bday']=='0000-00-00' || $pers['bday']=='0.0.00')
diff --git a/calendar/inc/class.calendar_so.inc.php b/calendar/inc/class.calendar_so.inc.php
index 080509c3d6..daefcc2c80 100644
--- a/calendar/inc/class.calendar_so.inc.php
+++ b/calendar/inc/class.calendar_so.inc.php
@@ -603,7 +603,11 @@ class calendar_so
 		if ($cat_id)
 		{
 			$cats = $GLOBALS['egw']->categories->return_all_children($cat_id);
-			array_walk($cats,create_function('&$val,$key','$val = (int) $val;'));
+			array_walk($cats, function(&$val, $key)
+			{
+				unset($key);	// not used, but required by function signature
+				$val = (int) $val;
+			});
 			if (is_array($cat_id) && count($cat_id)==1) $cat_id = $cat_id[0];
 			$sql = '(cal_category'.(count($cats) > 1 ? " IN ('".implode("','",$cats)."')" : '='.$this->db->quote((int)$cat_id));
 			foreach($cats as $cat)
diff --git a/mail/inc/class.mail_compose.inc.php b/mail/inc/class.mail_compose.inc.php
index 58db61e888..60f9040943 100644
--- a/mail/inc/class.mail_compose.inc.php
+++ b/mail/inc/class.mail_compose.inc.php
@@ -850,7 +850,10 @@ class mail_compose
 									if ($contacts && $accounts)
 									{
 										$contacts = array_merge($contacts,$accounts);
-										usort($contacts,create_function('$a,$b','return strcasecmp($a["n_fn"],$b["n_fn"]);'));
+										usort($contacts, function($a, $b)
+										{
+											return strcasecmp($a['n_fn'], $b['n_fn']);
+										});
 									}
 									elseif($accounts)
 									{
diff --git a/setup/inc/class.setup_translation.inc.php b/setup/inc/class.setup_translation.inc.php
index e635c3a566..e0f49f35d8 100644
--- a/setup/inc/class.setup_translation.inc.php
+++ b/setup/inc/class.setup_translation.inc.php
@@ -141,7 +141,10 @@ class setup_translation
 				}
 			}
 			$d->close();
-			uasort($languages,create_function('$a,$b','return strcmp(@$a[\'descr\'],@$b[\'descr\']);'));
+			uasort($languages, function($a, $b)
+			{
+				return strcmp(@$a['descr'], @$b['descr']);
+			});
 		}
 		else
 		{