PHP Data Types

PHP Tutorial

PHP Data Types

PHP supports 8 primary data types that you can use to store different kinds of values.

1. String

A string is a sequence of characters.


✔ Strings can be created using single (‘ ’) or double (“ ”) quotes.

2. Integer

Whole numbers (positive or negative) without decimals.


3. Float (Double)

Numbers with decimal values.


4. Boolean

Can be either:

  • true

  • false

Useful in conditions, loops, and logical expressions.

5. Array

A variable that can store multiple values.

PHP has:

  • Indexed arrays

  • Associative arrays

  • Multidimensional arrays

6. Object

Used for object-oriented programming (OOP).
Created from classes.


 

7. NULL

A special type that represents no value.

Means the variable exists but has no value.

8. Resource

Used to store references to external resources like:

  • Database connections

  • File handles

  • Curl handlers

Example (MySQL connection):

Here $conn is a resource.

 Checking Data Type — var_dump()

You can inspect the type and value using:


Output example:

string(5) "Hello"
int(100)
float(12.5)
bool(true)
array(3) { ... }

Automatic Type Conversion (Type Juggling)

PHP is loosely typed → it automatically converts types.


 

Type Casting

Manually convert data types:


 Summary Table

Data Type Example
String "Hello"
Integer 25
Float 10.5
Boolean true / false
Array [1,2,3]
Object new ClassName()
NULL null
Resource DB connection

If you want, I can explain the next topic:
👉 PHP Strings
👉 PHP Constants
👉 PHP Operators
👉 PHP Arrays

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