PHP Type Casting

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Type casting is converting an expression of a given one type into another type. It is denoted by (type). It is used to convert lower data type to higher data type to avoid data loss.

There are two types of type casting:

  • Implicit conversion
  • Explicit conversion
PHP type casting

Syntax:-

 (type)value;

Implicit conversion:

It does not require any operator for converted. They are automatically performed when a value is copied to a consistent type in the program.

The value has been promoted from int to double and we have not to specify any type-casting operator. This is known as standard conversion.

Example:-

<?php
$i = 20;
$p = $i; // Implicit casting from int to float (handled automatically in PHP)

echo "Implicit value is " . $p . "\n";
?>
Run ›

Explicit conversion:

Many conversions that involve a different interpretation of the value require an explicit conversion.

They are not automatically performed. It need to give explicit type casting in the program.

Example:-

<?php
$i = 9;
$j = 2;

$z = (float) $i / $j;  // Explicit casting from int to float

echo "Value of Z : " . $z . "\n";
?>
Run ›
notepad

If the float is converted to int, data which is present after the decimal point will be lost.

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