Note: empty array is converted to null by non-strict equal '==' comparison. Use is_null() or '===' if there is possible of getting empty array.
$a = array();
$a == null <== return true
$a === null < == return false
is_null($a) <== return false
NULL
The special NULL value represents a variable with no value. NULL is the
only possible value of type null.
A variable is considered to be null if:
-
it has been assigned the constant
NULL. -
it has not been set to any value yet.
-
it has been unset().
Syntax
There is only one value of type null, and that is the
case-insensitive constant NULL.
<?php
$var = NULL;
?>
Casting to NULL
Warning
This feature has been DEPRECATED as of PHP 7.2.0. Relying on this feature is highly discouraged.
Casting a variable to null using (unset) $var
will not remove the variable or unset its value.
It will only return a NULL value.
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User Contributed Notes 5 notes
quickpick ¶
8 years ago
Anonymous ¶
1 year ago
Note: Non Strict Comparison '==' returns bool(true) for
null == 0 <-- returns true
Use Strict Comparison Instead
null === 0 <-- returns false
Hayley Watson ¶
1 year ago
NULL is supposed to indicate the absence of a value, rather than being thought of as a value itself. It's the empty slot, it's the missing information, it's the unanswered question. It's not a jumped-up zero or empty set.
This is why a variable containing a NULL is considered to be unset: it doesn't have a value. Setting a variable to NULL is telling it to forget its value without providing a replacement value to remember instead. The variable remains so that you can give it a proper value to remember later; this is especially important when the variable is an array element or object property.
It's a bit of semantic awkwardness to speak of a "null value", but if a variable can exist without having a value, the language and implementation have to have something to represent that situation. Because someone will ask. If only to see if the slot has been filled.
kuzawinski dot marcin at NOSPAM dot gmail dot com ¶
5 years ago
Funny. It looks like, that there is one, and only one possible value for variable $a that will pass this test:
($a != NULL) && ((bool)$a == NULL)
It's "0" and it works because casting string "0" to boolean gives FALSE (and it's the only non empty string, that works this way). So remember that casting is not "transitive".
nl-x at bita dot nl ¶
12 years ago
Watch out. You can define a new constant with the name NULL with define("NULL","FOO");. But you must use the function constant("NULL"); to get it's value. NULL without the function call to the constant() function will still retrieve the special type NULL value.
Within a class there is no problem, as const NULL="Foo"; will be accessible as myClass::NULL.
