Why Are My PDO MySQL Integer Retrieves Strings, and How Can I Fix It?

PDO's Stringified Numeric Retrieval: A Mystery Unveiled

While utilizing PDO alongside MySQL, you may have encountered an oddity: retrieving integer values from the database only to end up with string representations instead of numerical types. Let's delve into how to remedy this predicament.

A Failed Attribute Modification

Within the realm of PDO's attributes lies PDO::ATTR_STRINGIFY_FETCHES, which supposedly resolves this very issue. However, attempts to modify it for MySQL drivers often yield an error message.

Numeric Strings: A Norm?

Surprisingly, obtaining strings rather than numbers from database queries is more commonplace than you may think. This behavior is due to the default setting of PDO's emulation of prepared statements.

The Solution: Prepared Statements Without Emulation

The key to resolving this dilemma lies in disabling the emulation of prepared statements. Here's how:

    new PDO($dsn, $user, $pass, array(
        PDO::ATTR_EMULATE_PREPARES => false
    ))

By turning off emulation, you allow mysqlnd (available in PHP 5.3 and later) to return native data types from prepared statements, including integers as numeric values.

Worthy Side Note

It's worth mentioning that employing prepared statements is a highly recommended practice regardless of numeric retrieval concerns. Not only does it enhance code security but also potentially boosts performance. So, consider this solution a silver lining in your quest for efficient data handling.

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