function is_zipcode_valid($zipcode){ ... }
if I call that function with is_zipcode_valid(08004);
my parameter 08004 gets in as 8004, basically it removed all precending 0's.
How can I get around that problem?
thanks
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1Zipcodes and postal codes are not numbers. They are identifiers that happen to contain numerical digits. Always handle them as strings.staticsan– staticsan2010-04-23 01:17:11 +00:00Commented Apr 23, 2010 at 1:17
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4 Answers
Pass it as a string and modify your function to expect a string instead:
is_zipcode_valid('08004');
It's not possible to preserve leading zeros when using integers. If an integer value has a leading zero, it is interpreted in base 8. Here is an example:
echo 010; // Output is 8.
6 Comments
vick
I store the zipcode in a variable $zipcode; how can I tell php that its a string and not integer? Ideally I would like my function to be bulletproof and be able to handle both strings and integers, im sure there is a way.
Ayman Hourieh
@vick - Where do you get the variable's value from? If it's from a form submission, then it's already a string.
vick
its used in numerous places..in other functions, sometimes I fetch it from mysql and use that function, its widely used in a big system
Will Shaver
You can always cast it to as string: $val = (string) $val2;
Ayman Hourieh
@vik - Just make sure it's always handled as a string. If a ZIP code has leading zeros, the zeros may be irreversibly lost once you convert it to an integer.
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PHP treats integers as base8 numbers if a leading zero is present. Pass your number as a string
Comments
As everyone says pass it in as a string.
if php5 you can make sure it is string going in by casting
$zipcode = (string) $zipcode;
or
$zipcode = "$zipcode";
function is_zipcode_valid( $zipcode){
is_string($zipcode) //returns true
}
See Php.Net
Note: Instead of casting a variable to a string , it is also possible to enclose the variable in double quotes.
//create zipcode from number function
function form_zipcode($zipcode,$desiredLength){
if(str_len($zipcode) != $desiredLength)
{
return str_pad($zipcode,$desiredLength,"0",STR_PAD_LEFT);
}
else
{
return $zipcode;
}
}
Using form_zipcode(55,5) would return "00055";
5 Comments
vick
ok thanks!! but I want that to happen in the function.. I want this to work even is_zipcode_valid(55); that should get converted to 00055 within the function.
Shaun Hare
I would say it is not a is_zipcode_valid() function that you want it is a form_zipcode() function To do what you want you could just use str_pad I will edit above
vick
that does not work when I try form_zipcde(01002); it returns 00514
Shaun Hare
?? 1. You need to pass in both params
Marc B
01002 is treated as an octal number, which is 514 decimal
Sorry typo last night (GMT here)
<?php
echo form_zipcode("55",5);
function form_zipcode($zipcode,$desiredLength){
if(strlen($zipcode) != $desiredLength)
{
return str_pad($zipcode,$desiredLength,"0",STR_PAD_LEFT);
}
else
{
return $zipcode;
}
}
?>
Works as expected returns 00055 That not what you require??
1 Comment
Marc B
Alternatively,
sprintf('%05d', $zipcode) would work as well