PHP data types are a fundamental concept to defines how variables store and manipulate data.
PHP
is a loosely typed language, which means variables do not need to be declared with a specific data
type.
An Overview of PHP Data Types
PHP has a number of primary types, sometimes known as primitive data types—which include
integers, floats, strings, and booleans. These types are foundational, meaning they represent single,
undivided values.
PHP data types can be categorized into three types, as shown below:
1. Scalar Data Types ( integer - float - string - boolean ).
2. Compound Data Types ( array - object - callable - iterable ).
3. Special Data Types ( resource - null ).
In the following section, you'll learn about the scalar types in PHP.
Exploring PHP Scalar Types
Scalar types in PHP refer to a restricted set of values that can be assigned to a variable. These include
integers, strings, floats, and booleans.
Let’s get started with PHP string types.
PHP String
A PHP string is a series of characters enclosed within single or double quotes. The string’s length
should not surpass 256 characters, and PHP lacks native support for Unicode. Strings may be
enclosed using either double or single quotation marks.
Strings deal with any text. PHP strings are used constantly, be it usernames, messages, or product
descriptions.
Here is a figure showing you the types of PHP strings.
PHP supports four types of string syntax: single-quotes, double-quotes, heredoc, and nowdoc. To
explore these in detail, navigate to the PHP string tutorial.
Anyway, In the following PHP code, you will see how to use the four types of PHP strings.
<?php
// => Double Quotes
echo "Double Quotes !"; // Output: Double Quotes !
echo "<br/>";
// => Single Quotes
echo 'Single Quotes !'; // Output: Single Quotes !
echo '<br/>';
// => Heredoc
$heredpoc = <<<IDENTIFIER
This is heredoc string <br/>
IDENTIFIER;
echo $heredpoc; // Output: This is heredoc string
// => Nowdoc
$nowdoc = <<<'EOUT'
This is nowdoc string <br/>
EOUT;
echo $nowdoc; // Output: This is nowdoc string
PHP Integer Data Type
The PHP Integer represents a numeric value that can be assigned to a PHP variable, covering
numbers from the set -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3. PHP offers four data types for handling integers: decimal,
(0,1…9),hexadecimal(0,1,…9,A,B..F), octal(0,1,…7), and binary(0,1).
The example below shows you all types of PHP integers.
<?php
// Decimal
$decimal = 500;
echo $decimal; // output: 500
// Hexadecimal
$hexadecimal = 0x5CB;
echo $hexadecimal; // output: 1483
// Octal
$octal = 0264;
echo $octal; // output: 180
// Binary
$binary = 0b010101;
echo $binary; // output: 21
PHP Float
PHP float represents numbers containing decimal points, also known as ‘double’ or ‘real numbers.’
Let’s take a look at an example.
<?php
// Float
$float = 5.15;
echo $float; // the output: 5.15
Let’s move on to the last scalar type of PHP data, which is the boolean type.
PHP Boolean
Booleans are simple but important; they have two values only: true and false. Booleans work in the
background in your conditional logic; they help PHP decide whether to run parts of your code. They
are like tiny on/off switches.
For example:
<?php
// True Boolean Value
$true = true;
echo $true; // the output: 1
// False Boolean Value
$false = false;
echo $false; // the output:
Understanding the Compound PHP Data Types
We can define compound data types as data that can contain more than one element; each element
has a different primitive PHP data type.
Examples of these compound data types include arrays, objects, callables, and iterables. Now, let’s
explore each one through a PHP code example.
PHP Array
PHP array is a list or map, encompassing various values organized by an array key. These values can
span integers, strings, booleans, or any other data type. The array key can be either a string or a
numerical index.
PHP supports two syntaxes for arrays, either [ … ] or array( … ). In the following example, you will see
how to implement it in code.
<?php
$array_1 = array( "string", 1, ["data"], true );
print_r($array_1);
// Output:
/*
Array
(
[0] => string
[1] => 1
[2] => Array
(
[0] => data
)
[3] => 1
)
*/
PHP
PHP Object
The PHP object is an instance derived from a PHP class or the primary data structure created by the
PHP class. It can be assigned to a variable or invoked using $this, which already points to a specific
object.
Let’s see an example.
<?php
class Car {
private string $model;
public function setModel($model) {
$this->model = $model;
}
}
// The object of this class
$object = new Car();
// Define a new object
$obj = new stdClass();
PHP Callable
a callable refers to a type of value that can be called as a function. This can include regular functions,
methods of an object, anonymous functions, and certain other language constructs. Essentially,
anything that can be invoked like a function is considered callable in PHP.
For example:
<?php
function exampleFunction($value) {
echo "Example Function: $value\n";
}
class ExampleClass {
public function exampleMethod($value) {
echo "Example Method: $value\n";
}
}
// Callable functions
$callableFunction = 'exampleFunction';
$callableMethod = [new ExampleClass(), 'exampleMethod'];
// Call the callables
call_user_func($callableFunction, "Hello");
call_user_func($callableMethod, "World");
To learn more about PHP callable, read this PHP callable.
Let’s move on to PHP iterable, which is the last compound type in PHP data types.
PHP Iterable
The concept of PHP iterable first appeared in PHP version 7.1. It is a term that can be employed in
the for loop or foreach. It accepts arrays or objects and can be utilized as a PHP data type.
In another definition, iterable encompasses anything suitable for use in a loop. Let’s see an example.
<?php
function exact_loop( iterable $data ) {
foreach( $data as $number ) {
echo $number;
}
}
exact_loop( [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9] );
Special PHP Data Types
There are two special data types in PHP: Null and Resource. Let’s explore each one with an example.
PHP Resource Data Type
The PHP ‘resource’ type pertains to external accesses, representing various external resources
containing information or data that requires manipulation within the main source code. Examples of
such resources include database connections, files, documents, streams, and sockets.
Let’s see an example.
<?php
$file = fopen("text", "w");
echo $file; // Resource id #5
echo get_resource_type( $file ); // stream
PHP Null Data Type
The PHP null signifies the absence of a value to an assigned PHP variable, wherein it directly means
'no value'. To check this condition, you can use the built-in PHP function is_null. Now let's dive into
the syntax of the PHP null through a simple code example.
<?php echo null ?> // no value
By the way, there is another tool that you might want to use to find out the data type in PHP. That
tool is called the function gettype. Now, let's see how to work with this function and get some insight
into the types of data within our code in PHP.
Understanding the gettype Function in PHP
The gettype function in PHP is a function that is used to return the name of the type of a variable in a
string. It returns the data type of the given variable. The function is quite useful where there is a
need to test and handle different types dynamically within your scripts. If you use gettype, then you
would know if a variable is an integer, string, array, object, etc. You can take advantage of that in
heavier and more flexible programs.
Let’s see an example.
<?php
$string = "CodedTag.com";
$integer = 55;
$bool = true;
$array = array();
echo gettype($string); // string
echo gettype($integer); // integer
echo gettype($bool); // boolean
echo gettype($array); // array
summary of PHP variable
Understanding PHP's data types is essential for effectively manipulating data in your programs.
Here's a summary of the main PHP data types:
1. Scalar Types:
o Integer: Whole numbers.
o Float: Decimal numbers.
o String: Sequence of characters.
o Boolean: Represents true or false.
2. Compound Types:
o Array: A collection of values.
o Object: Instances of classes in OOP.
3. Special Types:
o NULL: Represents no value.
o Resource: References to external resources (e.g., files, database connections).
By knowing how to work with these data types, you can build more powerful and dynamic PHP
applications, whether you're processing user input, working with databases, or performing complex
calculations.
