Table of Contents
PHP Comparison Operators: Comparing Values in PHP
The PHP comparison operators are used to compare two values (number or string):
| Operator | Name | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| == | Equal | $x == $y | Returns true if $x is equal to $y |
| === | Identical | $x === $y | Returns true if $x is equal to $y, and they are of the same type |
| != | Not equal | $x != $y | Returns true if $x is not equal to $y |
| <> | Not equal | $x <> $y | Returns true if $x is not equal to $y |
| !== | Not identical | $x !== $y | Returns true if $x is not equal to $y, or they are not of the same type |
| > | Greater than | $x > $y | Returns true if $x is greater than $y |
| < | Less than | $x < $y | Returns true if $x is less than $y |
| >= | Greater than or equal to | $x >= $y | Returns true if $x is greater than or equal to $y |
| <= | Less than or equal to | $x <= $y | Returns true if $x is less than or equal to $y |
| <=> | Spaceship | $x <=> $y | Returns an integer less than, equal to, or greater than zero, depending on if $x is less than, equal to, or greater than $y. Introduced in PHP 7. |
Example: == Equal
Code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$x = 100;
$y = "100";
var_dump($x == $y); // returns true because values are equal
?>
</body>
</html>
Output:
This will produce the following result
bool(true)
Example: === Identical
Code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$x = 200;
$y = "100";
var_dump($x === $y); // returns false because types are not equal
?>
</body>
</html>
Output:
This will produce the following result
bool(false)
Example: != Not equal
Code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$x = 20;
$y = "20";
var_dump($x != $y); // returns false because values are equal
?>
</body>
</html>
Output:
This will produce the following result
bool(false)
Example: <> Not equal
Code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$x = 20;
$y = "20";
var_dump($x <> $y); // returns false because values are equal
?>
</body>
</html>
Output:
This will produce the following result
bool(false)
Example: !== Not identical
Code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$x = 100;
$y = "100";
var_dump($x !== $y); // returns true because types are not equal
?>
</body>
</html>
Output:
This will produce the following result
bool(true)
Example: > Greater than
Code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$x = 90;
$y = 50;
var_dump($x > $y); // returns true because $x is greater than $y
?>
</body>
</html>
Output:
This will produce the following result
bool(true)
Example: < Less than
Code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$x = 20;
$y = 50;
var_dump($x < $y); // returns true because $x is less than $y
?>
</body>
</html>
Output:
This will produce the following result
bool(true)
Example: >= Greater than or equal to
Code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$x = 70;
$y = 70;
var_dump($x >= $y); // returns true because $x is greater than or equal to $y
?>
</body>
</html>
Output:
This will produce the following result
bool(true)
Example: <= Less than or equal to
Code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$x = 60;
$y = 60;
var_dump($x <= $y); // returns true because $x is less than or equal to $y
?>
</body>
</html>
Output:
This will produce the following result
bool(true)
Example: <=> Spaceship
Code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$x = 5;
$y = 10;
echo ($x <=> $y); // returns -1 because $x is less than $y
echo "<br>";
$x = 10;
$y = 10;
echo ($x <=> $y); // returns 0 because values are equal
echo "<br>";
$x = 15;
$y = 10;
echo ($x <=> $y); // returns +1 because $x is greater than $y
?>
</body>
</html>
Output:
This will produce the following result
-1
0
1