Supported data types String, Integer, Float, Boolean, Array, Object, NULL
PHP web development scripts support a variety of built-in data types by default, each having its own specific use case or programming purpose. It’s crucial for a PHP web developer to understand and Analyze these data types to work properly in PHP web development scripts.

So, let’s explore each PHP data type in more detail in PHP web development.
String PHP Data Type.
In PHP web development scripts, the string data type is a continuous sequence of characters declared within a single quote symbol (‘) or a double quote symbol (“). The string data type is used to display string or character information in PHP web development scripts.
Example of the String PHP Data Type.
<?php
$emp_name = “Siddhi deora”; // Here, the double quotes string declaration allows interpolation of variables.
$emp_company = ‘microsoft’; // Here, the single quotes string does not allow the variable interpolation features.
?>
In PHP web development scripts, the string data type with the double quotes symbol (“) provides variable interpolation services. This means that PHP web developers can insert or embed variables directly into the string.
$emp_age = 24;
echo “employee siddhi deora is $emp_age years”; // Result – employee siddhi deora is 24 years.
In PHP web development scripts, the string data type variable with a single quote symbol (‘) does not support interpolation. Therefore, if a web developer wants to add a program variable, they must concatenate it.
echo ‘Siddhi deora is ‘ . $emp_age . ‘ years’; // Result – Siddhi deora is 24 years
Integer PHP Data Type.
The integer data type in PHP web development scripts allows web developers to display a complete integer numeric value without a single decimal point in any PHP program. Variable values used here can be declared in positive or negative order.
Example of the integer PHP data type.
<?php
$emp_age = 33; // Let’s declare a positive integer variable here
$negative_value = -22; // Let’s declare a negative integer variable here
?>
In PHP web development scripts, programmers support decimal integers as well as octal base (8) integers and hexadecimal base (16) integer values.
Examples of decimal, octal, and hexadecimal variable declarations in PHP programs.
$decimal = 789; // Decimal PHP variable declaration base(10)
$octal = 0789; // Octal PHP variable declaration base(8)
$hexadecimal = 0x2D; // Hexadecimal PHP variable declaration base(16)
Float (or double) PHP Data Type.
The float data type, also known as the double data type, is used in PHP web development scripts to represent decimal or integer values with a decimal point value, or numeric values with fractional values in scientific notation.
Example of the float (or double) PHP Data Type.
<?php
$salary = 1000.70; // We create a floating-point data type here
$scientific_value = 7E-10; // Scientific notation value declaration, its equal to 7 * 10^-10
?>
The float data type is also used in PHP web development to represent scientific notation values, such as 7E-10, which represents the value 7 * 10^-10.
Boolean PHP Data Type.
In PHP web development, the Boolean data type is used to represent true or false values, where the default Boolean data type can typically output either true or false.
Example of the Boolean PHP Data Type.
<?php
$is_value = true; // represents a Boolean true-value variable
$is_value = false; // represents a Boolean false-value variable
?>
In PHP web development, Boolean values are commonly used in program logic and conditional logic, such as if-else statements.
if ($is_value) {
echo “value is true”;
} else {
echo “value is false”;
}
True and False Values in PHP Programming – In PHP web development programs, certain values are treated as “false,” which behaves like false values in Boolean contexts within the program. For example,
0 – Zero Boolean value
0.0 – Zero float Boolean value
“” – Empty string Boolean value
NULL – Boolean value
FALSE – Boolean value
Empty array Boolean value
Array PHP Data Type.
In PHP web development, the array data type is a storage collection of continuously similar values. An indexed array in PHP programming allows access and processing of array elements by their numeric index location in the storage location. An associative array allows access of array elements by their string keys. PHP programming supports both array types.
Indexed example of the array PHP data type.
<?php
$courses = array(“O level”, “A level”, “B level”); // let’s declare the course name as an indexed array
echo $courses[0]; // Result – O level
echo “\n”;
echo $courses[2]; // Result – B level
?>
Example of an associative PHP array.
<?php
$employee = array(
“emp_name” => “Harry Deora”,
“emp_age” => 21,
“country” => “India”
); // let display element of associative array
echo $employee[“emp_name”]; // Result – Harry Deora
echo “\n”;
echo $employee[“country”]; // Result – India
?>
Multidimensional arrays in PHP programming – Multiple arrays or multi-dimensional array groups can be declared as array values in PHP web development, which helps developers declare and store multi-level structured array values in PHP web development.
<?php
$table = array(
array(7, 2, 4),
array(6, 9, 10),
array(1, 2, 7)
);
echo $table[1][1]; // Result – 9
?>
Object PHP data type.
In PHP web development, the object data type is an example of a data type, similar to an OOP class. In object-oriented programming (OOP) in the high-level language C++, objects are used to encapsulate data and various methods that operate on it.
Object PHP data type example.
<?php
class employee {
public $emp_name;
public $emp_age;
function __construct($emp_name, $emp_age) {
$this->emp_name = $emp_name;
$this->emp_age = $emp_age;
}
function info() {
return “Hi, employee’s name is $this->emp_name and her age is $this->emp_age in years”;
}
}
$employee1 = new employee(“Siddhi”, 21); // we create a class object
echo $employee1->info(); // Result – Hi, employee name is Siddhi and her age is 21 years
?>
In PHP web development, class objects contain properties, variables, and methods that are user-declared. They provide PHP web developers with OOP encapsulation and inheritance features through objects.
NULL PHP data type.
In PHP web development, the NULL data type helps developers declare a variable that has no value. The NULL data type is commonly used to indicate that a program-declared variable is empty or uninitialized.
Example of the NULL PHP data type.
<?php
$data = NULL; // Here we declare a variable with a null value
var_dump($data); // Result – NULL
?>
In PHP web development, the null data type is different from an empty string (“”), zero (0), or an empty array ([]), where all data types are treated as having a value of one. In a program, the null data type indicates that any variable’s value location is empty or zero.
Summary of multiple PHP Data Types.
| Php Data Type | Php Data Type Description | Different data type Example |
| String Data Type | String data type A continuous sequence of characters alphabet | “Vcanhelpsu, Programming” |
| Integer Data Type | Integer data type holds the Whole numbers (positive or negative) numeric | 23, -987 |
| Float Data Type | Floating data type Numbers declare with decimal points or scientific notation with fractional part | 333.47, 1.4e2 |
| Boolean Data Type | Boolean data type used to Represents value in true or false nature | true, false |
| Array Data Type | Array data type used to store A collection of number, string, float in values indexed or associative nature | [“Java”, “Php”], [“emp_name” => “Rony”, “emp_age” => 22] |
| Object Data Type | Object concept derived from c++ An instance of a class in OOP with support inheritance features | new employee(“Amit”, 34) |
| NULL Data Type | Null data type used to Represents no value with empty space or zero value indication | NULL |
Various examples of null data in PHP web development.
<?php
// PHP String data type variable declaration
$info = “Welcome to vcanhelpsu”;
// PHP integer data type variable declaration
$integer = 77;
// PHP float data type variable declaration
$salary = 200.99;
// PHP Boolean data type variable declaration
$is_value = true;
// php array data type variable declaration
$city = [“India”, “Usa”, “Uk”, “China”];
// php object data type variable declaration with basic class
class employee {
public $emp_name;
public $emp_id;
public function __construct($emp_name, $emp_id) {
$this->emp_name = $emp_name;
$this->emp_id = $emp_id;
}
}
$info_employee = new employee(“Vinit”, “101”);
// php null data type variable declaration
$sample_value = NULL;
//let display individual php data type value
echo $info;
echo “\n”;
echo $integer;
echo “\n”;
echo $salary;
echo “\n”;
echo $is_value ? “True” : “False”;
echo “\n”;
echo $city[0];
echo “\n”;
echo $info_employee->emp_name;
echo “\n”;
echo is_null($sample_value) ? “No sample value” : “some value”;
?>

