Skip to the content
Documentation
Help Start
Reading in:
  • German: 9,059 of 9,059 pages
About the help in other languages
All help pages

Type operators

The 13 operators of eZTemplateTypeOperator (is_array, is_boolean, is_integer, is_float, is_numeric, is_string, is_object, is_null, is_class, is_set, is_unset, get_type, get_class) with their input rules and examples…

Download as PDF

Address: https://doc.exponential.earth/learninminutes/exphelp/viewer/help/template-operators/type-operators.md

On this page

Type operators

These operators test what kind of value a variable holds, and say it. They are registered by eZTemplateTypeOperator (lib/eztemplate/classes/eztemplatetypeoperator.php) through lib/eztemplate/classes/eztemplateautoload.php. None has named parameters.

Contents

  1. The PHP type tests
  2. is_class
  3. is_set and is_unset
  4. get_type and get_class
  5. Related pages

The PHP type tests

Eight operators map one to one to a PHP function ($PHPNameMap in the class):

OperatorPHP functionGenerated reference
is_arrayis_array()is_array
is_booleanis_bool()is_boolean
is_integeris_integer()is_integer
is_floatis_float()is_float
is_numericis_numeric()is_numeric
is_stringis_string()is_string
is_objectis_object()is_object
is_nullis_null()is_null

is_array, is_boolean, is_integer, is_float, is_numeric, is_string, is_object, is_null

Without parameters they test the piped input. In the interpreter, with parameters they test every parameter and return true only when all pass (checkType()); the input is then ignored. They return a boolean.

The compiled form (isTransform()) tests only the first value. Compiled on a development installation, is_integer( 1, 2, 'three' ) was true, where the interpreter says false. Test one value per call: and( $a|is_integer, $b|is_integer ).

ParameterTypeRequiredDefault
values to testmixednothe input

A string that holds digits is a string: '42'|is_integer is false, '42'|is_numeric is true. Attribute values read from content are often strings for that reason.

{def $node = fetch( 'content', 'node', hash( 'node_id', 89 ) )}
array( 1 )|is_array = {array( 1 )|is_array|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
true()|is_boolean = {true()|is_boolean|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
42|is_integer = {42|is_integer|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
'42'|is_integer = {'42'|is_integer|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
'42'|is_numeric = {'42'|is_numeric|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
1.5|is_float = {1.5|is_float|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
'text'|is_string = {'text'|is_string|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
$node|is_object = {$node|is_object|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
$node.parent_node_id|is_null = {$node.parent_node_id|is_null|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
is_integer( 1, 2, 'three' ) = {is_integer( 1, 2, 'three' )|choose( 'false', 'true' )}

Output:

array( 1 )|is_array = true
true()|is_boolean = true
42|is_integer = true
'42'|is_integer = false
'42'|is_numeric = true
1.5|is_float = true
'text'|is_string = true
$node|is_object = true
$node.parent_node_id|is_null = false
is_integer( 1, 2, 'three' ) = false

The same template compiled on a development installation; the last line differs:

Output with the template compiler (compiled into a scratch folder):

array( 1 )|is_array = true
true()|is_boolean = true
42|is_integer = true
'42'|is_integer = false
'42'|is_numeric = true
1.5|is_float = true
'text'|is_string = true
$node|is_object = true
$node.parent_node_id|is_null = false
is_integer( 1, 2, 'three' ) = true

is_class

is_class

Whether a value is an object of a given class. The class name is compared case-insensitively. With one parameter (the class name) it tests the piped input; with two, it tests the second parameter. A value that is not an object is of no class, so the answer is false (the code checks is_object() before get_class(), which would throw a TypeError on PHP 8).

ParameterTypeRequiredDefault
class namestringyesnone
valuemixednothe input

Returns a boolean. Generated reference: is_class.

{def $node = fetch( 'content', 'node', hash( 'node_id', 89 ) )}
$node|is_class( 'eZContentObjectTreeNode' ) = {$node|is_class( 'eZContentObjectTreeNode' )|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
is_class( 'ezcontentobject', $node.object ) = {is_class( 'ezcontentobject', $node.object )|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
'text'|is_class( 'eZContentObject' ) = {'text'|is_class( 'eZContentObject' )|choose( 'false', 'true' )}

Output:

$node|is_class( 'eZContentObjectTreeNode' ) = true
is_class( 'ezcontentobject', $node.object ) = true
'text'|is_class( 'eZContentObject' ) = false

Use the piped form. The compiled code treats the first value as the object and the second as the class name, so compiled on a development installation the call form is_class( 'ezcontentobject', $node.object ) was false.

Output with the template compiler (compiled into a scratch folder):

$node|is_class( 'eZContentObjectTreeNode' ) = true
is_class( 'ezcontentobject', $node.object ) = false
'text'|is_class( 'eZContentObject' ) = false

is_set and is_unset

is_set

Whether the parameter is set: not null, and existing. The parameter is read with the existence check of elementValue(), so an undefined variable or a missing hash key gives false without the "Unknown template variable" error. It does not use the piped input; without a parameter it reports a missing parameter. A second parameter logs an "extra parameters" warning.

ParameterTypeRequiredDefault
valuemixedyesnone

Returns a boolean. Generated reference: is_set.

is_unset

The opposite of is_set, with the same rules.

ParameterTypeRequiredDefault
valuemixedyesnone

Returns a boolean. Generated reference: is_unset.

{def $settings = hash( 'title', 'Hello' )}
is_set( $settings.title ) = {is_set( $settings.title )|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
is_set( $settings.subtitle ) = {is_set( $settings.subtitle )|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
is_set( $not_defined ) = {is_set( $not_defined )|choose( 'false', 'true' )}
is_unset( $not_defined ) = {is_unset( $not_defined )|choose( 'false', 'true' )}

Output:

is_set( $settings.title ) = true
is_set( $settings.subtitle ) = false
is_set( $not_defined ) = false
is_unset( $not_defined ) = true

get_type and get_class

get_type

Describes the first parameter, or the piped input: null, boolean[true] or boolean[false], object[<class>], array[<count>], string[<length in bytes>], and otherwise PHP's gettype() (integer, double). Useful while debugging a template.

ParameterTypeRequiredDefault
valuemixednothe input

Returns a string. Generated reference: get_type.

get_class

The class name of an object, in lower case; an empty string for a value that is not an object.

ParameterTypeRequiredDefault
valuemixednothe input

Returns a string. Generated reference: get_class.

{def $node = fetch( 'content', 'node', hash( 'node_id', 89 ) )
     $missing = fetch( 'content', 'node', hash( 'node_id', 999999999 ) )}
{foreach array( 42, 1.5, 'Fit', true(), array( 1, 2 ), $node, $node.data_map.title, $missing ) as $v}{$v|get_type} {/foreach}

$node|get_class = {$node|get_class}
get_class( $node.object ) = {get_class( $node.object )}
'text'|get_class = [{'text'|get_class}]

Output:

integer double string[3] boolean[true] array[2] object[eZContentObjectTreeNode] object[eZContentObjectAttribute] null 
$node|get_class = ezcontentobjecttreenode
get_class( $node.object ) = ezcontentobject
'text'|get_class = []

Become an Exponential Partner

Partners share their information, provide funding, contribute back and develop the products with us, and that is how Exponential grows. A partner website and dashboard are planned for mid-2027: please become a partner today to speed up our growth rate and land new features faster.

Partners: start here How to apply

Something wrong on this page? Report an error

Documentation license

This documentation is free documentation, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License 1.3 or later.

Exponential Copyright © 1998-2026 Exponential Foundation and 7x