In PHP, type-testing functions are available to help developers determine the type of a variable. These functions take a variable as an argument and return a boolean value, either true or false, indicating whether the variable belongs to a specific type.
Let’s explore PHP’s type-testing functions and understand their purposes.
1. is_array()
The is_array() function checks whether a variable is an array. It returns true if the variable is an array, and false otherwise. For example, is_array($var) would return true if $var is an array.
2. is_double(), is_float(), is_real()
These functions are interchangeable and serve the same purpose. They check whether a variable is a float (floating-point number). They return true if the variable is a float, and false otherwise.
3. is_long(), is_int(), is_integer()
Similarly, these functions are interchangeable and serve the same purpose. They check whether a variable is an integer. They return true if the variable is an integer, and false otherwise.
4. is_string()
The is_string() function checks whether a variable is a string. It returns true if the variable is a string, and false otherwise.
5. is_bool()
The is_bool() function checks whether a variable is a boolean. It returns true if the variable is a boolean (either true or false), and false otherwise.
6. is_object()
The is_object() function checks whether a variable is an object. It returns true if the variable is an object, and false otherwise.
7. is_resource()
The is_resource() function checks whether a variable is a resource. It returns true if the variable is a resource, such as a database connection or file handle, and false otherwise.
8. is_null()
The is_null() function checks whether a variable is null. It returns true if the variable is null, and false otherwise.
9. is_scalar()
The is_scalar() function checks whether a variable is a scalar value, meaning it is an integer, boolean, string, or float. It returns true if the variable is a scalar value, and false otherwise.
10. is_numeric()
The is_numeric() function checks whether a variable is numeric or a numeric string. It returns true if the variable is any kind of number or a numeric string, and false otherwise.
11. is_callable()
The is_callable() function checks whether a variable is the name of a valid function. It returns true if the variable is callable as a function, and false otherwise.
These type-testing functions are useful in situations where you need to validate the type of a variable before performing certain operations. They allow you to ensure that the variable is of the expected type and handle it accordingly in your PHP code.
In conclusion, PHP’s type-testing functions provide convenient ways to determine the type of a variable. By utilizing these functions, developers can perform type checking and validation, enabling them to create more robust and reliable PHP applications.
