PHP 7.0.6 Released

    gettype

    (PHP 4, PHP 5, PHP 7)

    gettype — Get the type of a variable

    Description

    string gettype ( mixed $var )

    Returns the type of the PHP variable var. For type checking, use is_* functions.

    Parameters

    var

    The variable being type checked.

    Return Values

    Possible values for the returned string are:

    Examples

    Example #1 gettype() example

    <?php

    $data     = array(1, 1., NULL, new stdClass, 'foo');

    foreach (    $data as $value) {
        echo     gettype($value), "\n";
    }

    ?>

    The above example will output something similar to:

    integer
double
NULL
object
string

    See Also

    • settype() - Set the type of a variable
    • get_class() - Returns the name of the class of an object
    • is_array() - Finds whether a variable is an array
    • is_bool() - Finds out whether a variable is a boolean
    • is_callable() - Verify that the contents of a variable can be called as a function
    • is_float() - Finds whether the type of a variable is float
    • is_int() - Find whether the type of a variable is integer
    • is_null() - Finds whether a variable is NULL
    • is_numeric() - Finds whether a variable is a number or a numeric string
    • is_object() - Finds whether a variable is an object
    • is_resource() - Finds whether a variable is a resource
    • is_scalar() - Finds whether a variable is a scalar
    • is_string() - Find whether the type of a variable is string
    • function_exists() - Return TRUE if the given function has been defined
    • method_exists() - Checks if the class method exists

    User Contributed Notes

    PPKu-N0-SPAM-schy at mediasoft-berlin dot de
    5 years ago
    After some testing I found a bug in my function "myGetType":
    The check for "is_callable" was done before "is_string", so that something like <?php echo myGetType("max"); ?> would output: "function reference" instead of "string"

    "is_callable" and "is_string" can't be checked together in this method, so I've removed the check for is_callable because it's a very rare usage case and if it's a valid string the check for is_callable never executes because is_string would be reached first (or vice-versa).

    So here is the new function without "is_callable"-Check:
    <?php
            /**
         * Returns the type of the var passed.
         *
         * @param mixed $var Variable
         * @return string Type of variable
         */
            function myGetType($var)
        {
            if (    is_array($var)) return "array";
            if (    is_bool($var)) return "boolean";
            if (    is_float($var)) return "float";
            if (    is_int($var)) return "integer";
            if (    is_null($var)) return "NULL";
            if (    is_numeric($var)) return "numeric";
            if (    is_object($var)) return "object";
            if (    is_resource($var)) return "resource";
            if (    is_string($var)) return "string";
            return     "unknown type";
        }
    ?>
    matt at appstate
    11 years ago
    Here is something that had me stumped with regards to gettype and is_object.
    Gettype will report an incomplete object as such, whereas is_object will return FALSE.

    <?php
    if (!is_object($incomplete_obj)) {
       echo     'This variable is not an object, it is a/an ' . gettype($incomplete_obj);
    }
    ?>

    Will print:
    This variable is not an object, it is a/an object
    gilthansNOSPAM at gmail dot com
    10 years ago
    NaN and #IND will return double or float on gettype, while some inexistent values, like division by zero, will return as a boolean FALSE. 0 by the 0th potency returns 1, even though it is mathematically indetermined.

    <?php
    $number     = 5/0;
    $number2 = sqrt(-3);
    $number3 = pow(0, 0);
    $number4 = 0/0;

    echo     $number."<br />";
    echo     $number2."<br />";
    echo     $number3."<br />";
    echo     $number4."<br />";
    echo     "<br />";
    echo     gettype($number)."<br />";
    echo     gettype($number2)."<br />";
    echo     gettype($number3)."<br />";
    echo     gettype($number4);
    ?>

    This will return:

    -1.#IND
    1

    boolean
    double
    integer
    boolean

    0
    1
    1
    0
    PHP Warning: Division by zero in C\test.php on line 2 PHP Warning: Division by zero in C:\test.php on line 5
    SoN9ne at gmail dot com
    5 years ago
    This is my work around for the gettype warning. Hope some find it useful.

    <?php
            /**
         * Returns the type of the passed var
         * - PHP warns against using gettype(), this is my workaround
         *
         * @param mixed $var
         * @return string
         */
            function myGetType($var)
        {
            if (    is_array($var)) return "array";
            if (    is_bool($var)) return "boolean";
            if (    is_callable($var)) return "function reference";
            if (    is_float($var)) return "float";
            if (    is_int($var)) return "integer";
            if (    is_null($var)) return "NULL";
            if (    is_numeric($var)) return "numeric";
            if (    is_object($var)) return "object";
            if (    is_resource($var)) return "resource";
            if (    is_string($var)) return "string";
            return     "unknown type";
        }
    ?>

    [EDITOR thiago NOTE: Code has been updated by PPKu-N0-SPAM-schy at mediasoft-berlin dot de]
    langpavel at phpskelet dot org
    4 years ago
    This function returns string representation of type. This is generalization of get_class(). I try to order is_* tests by density of occurence, but is bad idea to use result of this call in conditions for performance reasons, usefull and better than gettype for debugging messages.
    Note, that last line should not be never executed.
    Also has no sense to make input parameter optional.

    <?php
    function get_type($var)
    {
        if(    is_object($var))
            return     get_class($var);
        if(    is_null($var))
            return     'null';
        if(    is_string($var))
            return     'string';
        if(    is_array($var))
            return     'array';
        if(    is_int($var))
            return     'integer';
        if(    is_bool($var))
            return     'boolean';
        if(    is_float($var))
            return     'float';
        if(    is_resource($var))
            return     'resource';
            //throw new NotImplementedException();
            return 'unknown';
    }
    ?>
    Wilson212
    4 years ago
    I did some benchmarking and your method here is alot slower then using the actual gettype(); (Using php 5.3.4)
    ddr-2kpp (at) web dot de
    1 year ago
    Hi there,

    this fastest solution I found to identify a variable type without using gettype function:
    <?PHP
    function typeof($var) {
      if (    is_object($var))
        return     "object";

      if (    is_resource($var))
        return     "resource";

      return ((    $var === null) ? "null" :
          (((bool)    $var === $var) ? "bool" :
           (((float)    $var === $var) ? "float" :
            (((int)    $var === $var) ? "int" :
             (((string)    $var === $var) ? "string" :
                      "unknown"
                  )
             )
            )
           )
          );
    }
    ?>
    Maybe someone has a more elegant solution to check for object and resource types...

    The complete script - including several identify- and timing functions follow:
    #!/usr/bin/php
    <?PHP
    function typeof_trinary($var) {
      if (    is_object($var))
        return     "object";

      if (    is_resource($var))
        return     "resource";

      return ((    $var === null) ? "null" :
          (((bool)    $var === $var) ? "bool" :
           (((float)    $var === $var) ? "float" :
            (((int)    $var === $var) ? "int" :
             (((string)    $var === $var) ? "string" :
                      "unknown"
                  )
             )
            )
           )
          );
       }

    function     typeof_if_query($var) {
      
      if (    is_object($var))
        return     "object";

      if (    is_resource($var))
        return     "resource";
     
      if ((bool)    $var === $var)
          return     "bool";

      if ((float)    $var === $var)
        return     "float";

      if ((int)    $var === $var)
        return     "int";

      if ((string)    $var === $var)
        return     "string";

      if (    null === $var)
        return     "null";

      return     "unknown";
    }

    function     typeof_gettype($var) {
        return \    gettype($var);
    }

    $var = 100;

    echo     "start@ " . \date("Y-m-d H:i:s") . "\n";
    echo     "\$var = $var - gettype(\$var) = " . gettype($var) . "\n\n";
    $time = -\microtime(true);

    echo     "typeof_if_query(\$var) = " . typeof_if_query($var) . "\n";
    $time += \microtime(true);
    echo     "duration: " . \sprintf("%0.10f",$time) . "\n\n";

    $time = -\microtime(true);

    echo     "typeof_gettype(\$var) = " . typeof_gettype($var) . "\n";
    $time += \microtime(true);
    echo     "duration: " . \sprintf("%0.10f",$time) . "\n\n";

    $time = -\microtime(true);

    echo     "typeof_trinary(\$var) = " . typeof_trinary($var) . "\n";
    $time += \microtime(true);
    echo     "duration: " . \sprintf("%0.10f",$time) . "\n\n";
    ?>

    My console output - try the script several times!:
    $ ./gettype.php
    start@ 2015-01-10 01:10:37
    $var = 100 - gettype($var) = integer

    typeof_if_query($var) = int
    duration: 0.0000500679

    typeof_gettype($var) = integer
    duration: 0.0000309944

    typeof_trinary($var) = int
    duration: 0.0000240803
    wojciech dot fornal at gmail dot com
    1 year ago
    @langpavel at phpskelet dot org

    Doesn't the gettype return the string already? Using get_class seems to be the only "useful" part of that solution. All that can be reduced to somewhere half in terms of the amount of code.
    andrey at php dot net
    8 years ago
    The function returns "unicode" for Unicode strings in PHP6.
    sneskid at hotmail dot com
    9 years ago
    I wrote my own gettype function by just using the default is_? functions, but it took twice as long as gettype... So I decided to use gettype with a twist.

    Taking the warnings about gettype to heart, and depending on your custom needs, it's worthwhile to dynamically test the gettype result with a known variable, and link the result to a predefined result. Like so:

    <?php
    /*
    dynamically create an array by using known variable types
    link with a predefined value
    */
    $R=array();
    $R[gettype(.0)]='number';
    $R[gettype(0)]='number';
    $R[gettype(true)]='boolean';
    $R[gettype('')]='string';
    $R[gettype(null)]='null';
    $R[gettype(array())]='array';
    $R[gettype(new stdClass())]='object';

    // what is
    function wis_($v){
        global     $R;
        return     $R[gettype($v)];
    }

    echo     wis_('hello') . '<br/>'; // "string"
    echo wis_(24) . '<br/>'; // "number"
    echo wis_(0.24) . '<br/>'; // "number"
    echo wis_(null) . '<br/>'; // "null"
    echo wis_($R) . '<br/>'; // "array"
    ?>
    You won't need to worry about changes in gettype's return strings in future versions.
    If the result evaluates to false then you know the variable tested is some "other" type.

    I also find these useful
    <?php
    function is_num($v){return (is_int($v) || is_double($v));}
    function     is_box($v){return (is_array($v)||is_object($v));}

    echo     is_num(null) . '<br/>'; // false
    echo is_num(false) . '<br/>'; // false
    echo is_num('123') . '<br/>'; // false
    echo is_num(123) . '<br/>'; // true
    echo is_num(123.0) . '<br/>'; // true
    ?>
    skatebiker at hotmail dot com
    8 years ago
    In some rare cases a class instance object returns false when an object but gettype() returns "object".

    <?php
    $x     = new classvar();

    $save = serialize($x);

    // ......

    $obj = unserialize($save);
    // here sometimes is_object() returns FALSE
    if (is_object($x) || gettype($x) === "object")
    {
           // ... do something
    }
    ?>
    Crysis nerd
    5 years ago
    I wanted to compare the type of 2 vars.
    1st method: Use this Funktion (gettype) and compare with ==
    2nd method: Compare every type per is_[type]
    Here a little Benchmark:
    (I had to break line twice..)

    <?php
    $var1     = "Hallo";
    $var2 = "Käsekuchen";
    $var3 = 3.141526;
    $Start = microtime(true);
    for(    $i=0;$i<10000;$i++)
    {
    if(    is_bool($var1)&&is_bool($var2)||is_int($var1)&&
    is_int($var2)||is_string($var1)&&is_string($var2)||
    is_object($var1)&&is_object($var2)||is_array($var1)
    &&    is_array($var2))
        {
                //same
            }
        if(    is_bool($var3)&&is_bool($var2)||is_int($var3)&&
    is_int($var2)||is_string($var3)&&is_string($var2)||
    is_object($var3)&&is_object($var2)||is_array($var3)
    &&    is_array($var2))
        {
                //same
            }
    }
    $time = microtime(true)-$Start;
    echo     "Zeit fuer if abfrage:  ".$time."<br>";

    $Start = microtime(true);
    for(    $i=0;$i<10000;$i++)
    {
        if(    gettype($var1)==gettype($var2))
        {
                //same
            }
        if(    gettype($var3)==gettype($var2))
        {
                //same
            }
    }
    $time = microtime(true)-$Start;
    echo     "Zeit fuer funktion  :  ".$time;
    ?>

    Output:
    Zeit fuer if abfrage: 0.0257611274719
    Zeit fuer funktion : 0.0139331817627

    So the function isnt so slow...

    Lukas
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