PHP Variable Handling is_float() Function

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The PHP Variable Handling is_float() function is used to check whether a variable is a floating-point number (decimal). This function is available in PHP versions 4, 5, 7, and 8. It helps to identify numbers with decimal points, like 3.14 or 2.5. If the variable is a float, the function returns true. If the variable is not a float (such an integer or a string), it returns false.

This method is useful when working with numbers that require decimal values. To determine whether a variable is a number (including numeric strings), call is_numeric(). The is_float() function is a simple but useful function for dealing with decimal numbers.

Syntax

Below is the syntax of the PHP Variable Handling is_float() function −

bool is_float ( mixed $value )

Parameters

This function accepts $value parameter which is the variable that you want to check.

Return Value

The is_float() function returns TRUE if the variable is a float. And returns FALSE if the variable is not a float.

PHP Version

First introduced in core PHP 4, the is_float() function continues to function easily in PHP 5, PHP 7, and PHP 8.

Example 1

Here is the basic example of the PHP Variable Handling is_float() function to check if a given number is a float. It uses is_float() to verify whether a variable holds a floating point value and prints the result.

<?php
   // A float number
   $number = 3.14; 
   if (is_float($number)) {
      echo "The number is a float.";
   } else {
      echo "The number is not a float.";
   }
?>

Output

Here is the outcome of the following code −

The number is a float.

Example 2

In the below PHP code we will use the is_float() function and check different types of variables like integer, string, float, and boolean with the help of the is_float() and prints whether they are floats or not.

<?php
   // Array with different types of values
   $values = [3.14, 10, "5.6", true]; 

   foreach ($values as $value) {
      if (is_float($value)) {
         echo "$value is a float.\n";
      } else {
         echo "$value is not a float.\n";
      }
   }
?> 

Output

This will generate the below output −

3.14 is a float.
10 is not a float.
5.6 is not a float.
1 is not a float.

Example 3

This below program checks if user input is a float. As is_float() function does not work with strings so we will first convert it to a float using (float).

<?php
   // User input (a string)
   $userInput = "7.89"; 

   // Convert string to float
   $convertedValue = (float) $userInput; 

   if (is_float($convertedValue)) {
      echo "User input '$userInput' is now a float.";
   } else {
      echo "User input '$userInput' is not a float.";
   }
?> 

Output

This will create the below output −

User input '7.89' is now a float.

Example 4

In the following example, we are using the is_float() function and define a function checkIfFloat() which takes an array of values and checks each one by returning a result for each.

<?php
   function checkIfFloat($values) {
      foreach ($values as $value) {
         if (is_float($value)) {
            echo "$value is a float.\n";
         } else {
            echo "$value is not a float.\n";
         }
      }
   }

   // Test function with different values
   $testValues = [12.5, "10.2", 8, 3.14, false];
   checkIfFloat($testValues);
?> 

Output

Following is the output of the above code −

12.5 is a float.
10.2 is not a float.
8 is not a float.
3.14 is a float.
false is not a float.