How do I convert a string to a number in PHP

Question

I want to convert these types of values, '3', '2.34', '0.234343', etc. to a number. In JavaScript we can use Number(), but is there any similar method available in PHP?

Input                     Output 
'2'                               2 
'2.34'                          2.34 
'0.3454545'                0.3454545

Answer 1

You don't have to do this, since PHP will coerce the type for you in most circumstances. For situations where you do want to explicitly convert the type, try casting it by using:

$num = "3.14"; 
$int = (int)$num; 
$float = (float)$num