PHP how to get the type of a variable

To get the type of a variable in PHP, you need to call the gettype() function.

The syntax of the gettype() function is as follows:

gettype(mixed $value): string

You need to pass the variable you want to check as the function’s parameter.

This function then returns a string that represents the type of the variable.

Here’s an example of running the function:

$str = "Hello World!";
echo gettype($str); // string

$bool = true;
echo gettype($bool); // boolean

$arr = array(1, 2, 3);
echo gettype($arr); // array

// 👇 you can also pass a value directly
echo gettype(72); // integer
echo gettype(5.789); // double

Possible values for the returned string are as follows:

• string
• boolean
• integer
• double
• array
• object
• resource
• resource (closed) available since PHP 7.2
• NULL
• unknown type

There is no float type because it will be returned as a double by the function.

And that’s how you get the type of a variable in PHP.

The gettype() function reference can be found at: https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.gettype.php

Thanks for reading! 🙏