  An array of resistively and capacitively shunted Josephson junctions with
nonsinusoidal current-phase relation is considered for modelling the transition
in high-T$_c$ superconductors. The emergence of higher harmonics, besides the
simple sinusoid $I_{c}\sin\phi$, is expected for dominant \emph{d}-wave
symmetry of the Cooper pairs, random distribution of potential drops, dirty
grains, or nonstationary conditions. We show that additional cosine and sine
terms act respectively by modulating the global resistance and by changing the
Josephson coupling of the mixed superconductive-normal states. First, the
approach is applied to simulate the transition in disordered granular
superconductors with the weak-links characterized by nonsinusoidal
current-phase relation. In granular superconductors, the emergence of
higher-order harmonics affects the slope of the transition. Then, arrays of
intrinsic Josephson junctions, naturally formed by the CuO$_2$ planes in
cuprates, are considered. The critical temperature suppression, observed at
values of hole doping close to $p=1/8$, is investigated. Such suppression,
related to the sign change and modulation of the Josephson coupling across the
array, is quantified in terms of the intensities of the first and second
sinusoids of the current-phase relation. Applications are envisaged for the
design and control of quantum devices based on stacks of intrinsic Josephson
junctions.
