How to convert a string into number in PHP?

PHP provides several methods to convert strings into numbers. The most common approaches are type casting, built-in functions like intval() and floatval(), and adding zero to the string.

Using Type Casting

Type casting is the most direct method to convert a string to a specific numeric type ?

<?php
    $str = "150";
    $num = (int)$str;
    echo "Original String: $str<br>";
    echo "Converted Integer: $num";
?>

Original String: 150
Converted Integer: 150

Using floatval() Function

For decimal numbers, use floatval() to convert strings to floating-point numbers ?

<?php
    $str = "100.56";
    echo "String: $str<br>";
    $num = floatval($str);
    echo "Number (Float): $num";
?>

String: 100.56
Number (Float): 100.56

Using intval() Function

The intval() function extracts integer values from strings, including those with mixed content ?

<?php
    $str1 = "123abc";
    $str2 = "456.78";
    
    echo "String 1: $str1 ? " . intval($str1) . "<br>";
    echo "String 2: $str2 ? " . intval($str2);
?>

String 1: 123abc ? 123
String 2: 456.78 ? 456

Comparison

Conclusion

Use type casting (int) or (float) for clean numeric strings, and intval() or floatval() functions when dealing with mixed content or when you need more explicit conversion.