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How to Use PHP’s is_numeric and intval Functions Together for Number Conversion?

gitbox 2025-09-30
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<p><hr></p>
<p></span><?php<br>
/*<br>
Title: How to Use PHP’s is_numeric and intval Functions Together for Number Conversion?</p>
<p>When handling number conversion in PHP, is_numeric() and intval() are two very practical functions. Using them together effectively ensures type safety and accurate conversion.</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>is_numeric() function</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>is_numeric() checks whether a variable is a number or a numeric string. It can determine integers, decimals, and numbers in scientific notation. It returns a boolean value true or false.</p>
<p>Example:<br>
*/<br>
$value1 = "123";<br>
$value2 = "12.34";<br>
$value3 = "abc";</p>
<p>var_dump(is_numeric($value1)); // true<br>
var_dump(is_numeric($value2)); // true<br>
var_dump(is_numeric($value3)); // false</p>
<p>/*<br>
2. intval() function</p>
<p>intval() is used to convert a variable into an integer. If the variable is a string, it will attempt to parse the numeric part. If it’s a float, it will take the integer part directly.</p>
<p>Example:<br>
*/<br>
$floatValue = 12.99;<br>
$stringValue = "456xyz";</p>
<p>echo intval($floatValue);   // 12<br>
echo intval($stringValue);  // 456</p>
<p>/*<br>
3. Using is_numeric() and intval() together</p>
<p>When handling user input or external data, we often need to first check if it’s numeric, and then safely convert it to an integer. This avoids unexpected non-numeric content causing program errors.</p>
<p>Example:<br>
*/<br>
$input = "789.56";</p>
<p>if (is_numeric($input)) {<br>
$intValue = intval($input);<br>
echo "The entered integer value is: " . $intValue;<br>
} else {<br>
echo "The input is not a valid number";<br>
}</p>
<p>/*<br>
In the example above:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>First, use is_numeric() to check if $input is a number.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Then, use intval() to convert it into an integer.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>This ensures only valid numbers are converted, preventing potential errors caused by non-numeric input.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Summary:</p>
<ul data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">
<li>
<p>is_numeric() is used to determine if a variable is numeric.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>intval() is used to safely convert a number or numeric string into an integer.</p>
</li>
<li data-is-last-node="">
<p data-is-last-node="">Using them together provides better safety and reliability in data handling and type conversion.<br>
*/<br>
?><br>
</span>