why does this if () always evaluate to true?

[NotGiven]

I have the code below that always evaluates to true. Why and what do I do
about it? Many thanks in advance!

In the code, I have tried sending in the URL
?indentNum=23
?indentNum=23.2
?indentNum=23sadkjsi8
?indentNum=aanns

No matter what I throw at it, it always evaluates to true despite echo'ing
different numbers.

=================================================
echo "<H1>abs value = ".abs($_GET['indentNum'])."</H1>";
echo "<H1>GET = ".$_GET['indentNum']."</H1>";

if (abs($_GET['identNum']) == $_GET['identNum']) {
echo "<H1>GOOD NUMBER</H1>";
} else {
echo "<H1>NOT A GOOD NUMBER</H1>";
}

[kingofkolt]

"NotGiven" <no****@nonegiven.net> wrote in message
news:Vw*******************@bignews3.bellsouth.net. ..

I have the code below that always evaluates to true. Why and what do I do
about it? Many thanks in advance!

In the code, I have tried sending in the URL
?indentNum=23
?indentNum=23.2
?indentNum=23sadkjsi8
?indentNum=aanns

No matter what I throw at it, it always evaluates to true despite echo'ing
different numbers.

=================================================
echo "<H1>abs value = ".abs($_GET['indentNum'])."</H1>";
echo "<H1>GET = ".$_GET['indentNum']."</H1>";

if (abs($_GET['identNum']) == $_GET['identNum']) {
echo "<H1>GOOD NUMBER</H1>";
} else {
echo "<H1>NOT A GOOD NUMBER</H1>";
}

I think the function you're looking for is is_numeric()
(http://us2.php.net/manual/en/function.is-numeric.php), not abs().

- JP

[NotGiven]

thanks but acutally they are measuring different things. Mine evaluates
whether the absolute value is == to the value itself. is_numeric determines
whether it's numeric - could still be negative.

"kingofkolt" <je**********@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:CR5%c.254581$8_6.131379@attbi_s04...

"NotGiven" <no****@nonegiven.net> wrote in message
news:Vw*******************@bignews3.bellsouth.net. ..

I have the code below that always evaluates to true. Why and what do I
do
about it? Many thanks in advance!

In the code, I have tried sending in the URL
?indentNum=23
?indentNum=23.2
?indentNum=23sadkjsi8
?indentNum=aanns

No matter what I throw at it, it always evaluates to true despite
echo'ing
different numbers.

=================================================
echo "<H1>abs value = ".abs($_GET['indentNum'])."</H1>";
echo "<H1>GET = ".$_GET['indentNum']."</H1>";

if (abs($_GET['identNum']) == $_GET['identNum']) {
echo "<H1>GOOD NUMBER</H1>";
} else {
echo "<H1>NOT A GOOD NUMBER</H1>";
}

I think the function you're looking for is is_numeric()
(http://us2.php.net/manual/en/function.is-numeric.php), not abs().

- JP

[Michael Fesser]

.oO(NotGiven)

I have the code below that always evaluates to true. Why and what do I do
about it? Many thanks in advance!
It's because of PHP's implicit type casting and interpreting of numbers
stored in strings.
In the code, I have tried sending in the URL
?indentNum=23
?indentNum=23.2
?indentNum=23sadkjsi8
?indentNum=aanns

No matter what I throw at it, it always evaluates to true despite echo'ing
different numbers.
Your code will evaluate to FALSE only for negative numbers. For your
examples the results after an implicit type cast are:

23 => 23
23.2 => 23.2
23sadkjsi8 => 23
aanns => 0

Obviously these numbers are all positive. PHP also casts the right hand
side of the comparison statement, so

abs(x) == x

=> TRUE
if (abs($_GET['identNum']) == $_GET['identNum']) {
echo "<H1>GOOD NUMBER</H1>";
} else {
echo "<H1>NOT A GOOD NUMBER</H1>";
}

Some questions:

1) Why do you need such things at all?
2) How do you define a "good number", is it any valid int or float
number?

I wouldn't bother about good or bad numbers, but simply take what PHP is
able to make from it (using floatval() for example) and then check if
the submitted number is within a valid range if necessary.

HTH
Micha

[Andy Hassall]

On Mon, 6 Sep 2004 18:31:05 -0400, "NotGiven" <no****@nonegiven.net> wrote:

I have the code below that always evaluates to true. Why and what do I do
about it? Many thanks in advance!

In the code, I have tried sending in the URL
?indentNum=23
?indentNum=23.2
?indentNum=23sadkjsi8
?indentNum=aanns

No matter what I throw at it, it always evaluates to true despite echo'ing
different numbers.

=============================================== ==
echo "<H1>abs value = ".abs($_GET['indentNum'])."</H1>";
echo "<H1>GET = ".$_GET['indentNum']."</H1>";

if (abs($_GET['identNum']) == $_GET['identNum']) {
echo "<H1>GOOD NUMBER</H1>";
} else {
echo "<H1>NOT A GOOD NUMBER</H1>";
}

Well, it's true for all those cases:

abs(23) == 23
abs(23.2) == 23.2

abs('23sadkjsi8') == 23
but since it's comparing them as numbers '23sadkjsi8' == 23 as well

abs('aanns') == 0
but since it's comparing them as numbers, 'aanns' == 0 as well
<pre>
<?php
$a = array('23', '23.2', '23sadkjsi8', 'aanns');

foreach ($a as $i)
{
var_dump($i);
var_dump(abs($i));
var_dump((float)$i);
var_dump((int)$i);
var_dump(abs($i) == $i);
print "--\n";
}

?>
</pre>

Output:

string(2) "23"
int(23)
float(23)
int(23)
bool(true)
--
string(4) "23.2"
float(23.2)
float(23.2)
int(23)
bool(true)
--
string(10) "23sadkjsi8"
int(23)
float(23)
int(23)
bool(true)
--
string(5) "aanns"
int(0)
float(0)
int(0)
bool(true)
--
Do you want "if (is_numeric($_GET['identNum']) && $_GET['identNum'] >= 0)" ?

--
Andy Hassall / <an**@andyh.co.uk> / <http://www.andyh.co.uk>
<http://www.andyhsoftware.co.uk/space> Space: disk usage analysis tool

[NotGiven]

Thanks - that was almost there. I changed it to integer,

if (is_integer($_GET['identNum']) && $_GET['identNum'] >= 0)

And that worked the way I needed.

Thanks so much for everyone's help!
"Andy Hassall" <an**@andyh.co.uk> wrote in message
news:qq********************************@4ax.com...

On Mon, 6 Sep 2004 18:31:05 -0400, "NotGiven" <no****@nonegiven.net>
wrote:

I have the code below that always evaluates to true. Why and what do I do
about it? Many thanks in advance!

In the code, I have tried sending in the URL
?indentNum=23
?indentNum=23.2
?indentNum=23sadkjsi8
?indentNum=aanns

No matter what I throw at it, it always evaluates to true despite echo'ing
different numbers.

================================================ =
echo "<H1>abs value = ".abs($_GET['indentNum'])."</H1>";
echo "<H1>GET = ".$_GET['indentNum']."</H1>";

if (abs($_GET['identNum']) == $_GET['identNum']) {
echo "<H1>GOOD NUMBER</H1>";
} else {
echo "<H1>NOT A GOOD NUMBER</H1>";
}

Well, it's true for all those cases:

abs(23) == 23
abs(23.2) == 23.2

abs('23sadkjsi8') == 23
but since it's comparing them as numbers '23sadkjsi8' == 23 as well

abs('aanns') == 0
but since it's comparing them as numbers, 'aanns' == 0 as well
<pre>
<?php
$a = array('23', '23.2', '23sadkjsi8', 'aanns');

foreach ($a as $i)
{
var_dump($i);
var_dump(abs($i));
var_dump((float)$i);
var_dump((int)$i);
var_dump(abs($i) == $i);
print "--\n";
}

?>
</pre>

Output:

string(2) "23"
int(23)
float(23)
int(23)
bool(true)
--
string(4) "23.2"
float(23.2)
float(23.2)
int(23)
bool(true)
--
string(10) "23sadkjsi8"
int(23)
float(23)
int(23)
bool(true)
--
string(5) "aanns"
int(0)
float(0)
int(0)
bool(true)
--
Do you want "if (is_numeric($_GET['identNum']) && $_GET['identNum'] >= 0)"
?

--
Andy Hassall / <an**@andyh.co.uk> / <http://www.andyh.co.uk>
<http://www.andyhsoftware.co.uk/space> Space: disk usage analysis tool

[Jasper Bryant-Greene]

NotGiven wrote:

In the code, I have tried sending in the URL
?indentNum=23
?indentNum=23.2
?indentNum=23sadkjsi8
?indentNum=aanns

Thanks - that was almost there. I changed it to integer,

if (is_integer($_GET['identNum']) && $_GET['identNum'] >= 0)

And that worked the way I needed.

Thanks so much for everyone's help!

You have a spelling mistake in there too - if you were passing
indentNum=23 then shouldn't you be checking $_GET['indentNum'] rather
than $_GET['identNum'] (missing 'n' in 'indent').

--
Jasper Bryant-Greene
Cabbage Promotions

[NotGiven]

thanks

"Jasper Bryant-Greene" <ja******@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:Gh*********************@news.xtra.co.nz...

NotGiven wrote:

In the code, I have tried sending in the URL
?indentNum=23
?indentNum=23.2
?indentNum=23sadkjsi8
?indentNum=aanns

Thanks - that was almost there. I changed it to integer,

if (is_integer($_GET['identNum']) && $_GET['identNum'] >= 0)

And that worked the way I needed.

Thanks so much for everyone's help!

You have a spelling mistake in there too - if you were passing
indentNum=23 then shouldn't you be checking $_GET['indentNum'] rather than
$_GET['identNum'] (missing 'n' in 'indent').

--
Jasper Bryant-Greene
Cabbage Promotions

[Michael Fesser]

.oO(NotGiven)

Thanks - that was almost there. I changed it to integer,

if (is_integer($_GET['identNum']) && $_GET['identNum'] >= 0)

And that worked the way I needed.

Sure?

From <http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.is-int.php>:

"Note: To test if a variable is a number or a numeric string (such as
form input, which is always a string), you must use is_numeric()."

Additionally the above code will cause a notice if there's no
URL-parameter 'indentNum'.

Micha