Hello Internals, I would like to gather feedback on the proposal to add an "is_integer_safe()" function to PHP. The idea came to me while replying to a thread [1], but I think creating a discussion is more appropriate.
Here are a few reasons I think this would be useful: - PHP automatically converts integers that exceed PHP_INT_MAX to float, which can cause undetected precision loss. This function would allow checking that an integer remains within safe bounds before critical operations ; - Integer limits vary between 32-bit and 64-bit systems. This function would provide a standardized way to check the portability of integer values across different architectures ; - This would improve code readability. We had the case in Symfony [2] to implement a JSONPath crawler, and the solution feels hacky to say the least ; - PHP already has functions like `is_finite()` and `is_nan()` for floats. Adding `is_integer_safe()` would logically complete this set of type validation functions. - Of course more optimized than dealing with strings and using arithmetic operators on strings ; - As PHP continues to evolve towards stricter type safety (strict_types, typed properties, etc.), having more granular type validation functions supports this direction. If this proposition gets some interest, I'll take care of the implementation in the engine. I guess it would also require an RFC. Best, Alex [1] https://externals.io/message/128032 [2] https://github.com/symfony/symfony/blob/d3a0df0243e1c68598fa066eaa6cd0cf39f256dc/src/Symfony/Component/JsonPath/JsonPathUtils.php#L243
