Why Are MySQL Integer Fields Returned as Strings in PHP?

MySQL Integer Fields Returned as Strings in PHP

When retrieving data from a MySQL database using PHP, it's commonly observed that integer fields are returned as strings. This can be disconcerting, as one would expect an integer field to yield an integer value.

To understand this behavior, it's essential to note that PHP automatically converts all data retrieved from MySQL into strings. This conversion occurs regardless of the actual datatype in the database.

To circumvent this issue and obtain the correct integer value, there are two viable approaches:

1. Explicit Type Casting: To explicitly convert a string to an integer, you can use the (int) type cast operator or the intval() function.

$id = (int) $row['userid'];

$id = intval($row['userid']);

2. PDO: If you're utilizing PHP Data Objects (PDO), you can leverage its built-in data type casting capabilities. By setting the fetch mode to PDO::FETCH_ASSOC, you can retrieve data with the appropriate data types, including integers.

$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT userid FROM DB WHERE name='john'");
$stmt->execute();
$row = $stmt->fetch(\PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);
$id = $row['userid']; // Returns an integer

The above is the detailed content of Why Are MySQL Integer Fields Returned as Strings in PHP?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!