PHP Tutorial
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PHP Null Coalescing Operator
June 25, 2021 - In this tutorial, you'll learn about the PHP Null coalescing operator to assign a value to a variable if the variable doesn't exist or null.
PHP
php.net › manual › en › migration70.new-features.php
PHP: New features - Manual
It returns its first operand if it exists and is not null; otherwise it returns its second operand. <?php // Fetches the value of $_GET['user'] and returns 'nobody' // if it does not exist.
Videos
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PHP Null Coalescing Operators: Do You Use Them? - YouTube
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Tutorialspoint
tutorialspoint.com › home › php › php null coalescing operator
PHP Null Coalescing Operator
May 26, 2007 - Let us use the ternary operator ... set"; echo "The value of x is $var"; ?> ... The Null Coalescing Operator is represented by the "??" symbol....
W3schools
w3schools.tech › tutorial › php › php_null_coalescing_operator
PHP - Null Coalescing Operator - PHP Operators - W3schools
For example, you can use it with the ternary operator: $age = $user['age'] ?? null; $message = $age ? ($age >= 18 ? "Welcome!" : "Sorry, adults only.") : "Age not provided."; echo $message; Here, we first check if age is set using the Null Coalescing Operator.
YouTube
youtube.com › pradip mehta
null coalescing operator php | Null coalescing operator php w3schools | ?? operator in php #shorts - YouTube
In PHP 7, a new feature, null coalescing operator (??) has been introduced. It is used to replace the ternary operation in conjunction with isset() function....
Published March 25, 2021 Views 74
Rip Tutorial
riptutorial.com › null coalescing operator (??)
PHP Tutorial => Null Coalescing Operator (??)
Null coalescing is a new operator introduced in PHP 7. This operator returns its first operand if it is set and not NULL.
Educative
educative.io › answers › what-is-a-null-coalescing-operator-in-php
What is a null coalescing operator in PHP?
To use the null coalescing operator in PHP, simply use the ?? between two expressions or variables.
Max Scripting
maxscripting.com › home › php null coalescing operator tutorial with examples
PHP Null Coalescing Operator Tutorial with Examples
October 18, 2024 - The null coalescing operator checks if the left-hand value is set and not null. If the left-hand value is set, it returns that value; otherwise, it returns the right-hand value. ... <?php // Example 1: Variable is set and not null $var1 = "Hello, ...
Stitcher
stitcher.io › blog › php-8-nullsafe-operator
PHP 8: the null safe operator | Stitcher.io
Sometimes you could use either the null coalescing or nullsafe operator, and other times you'd need to use a specific one. The difference is that the nullsafe operator uses a form of "short circuiting": writing ?-> will cause PHP to look at whats on the lefthand side of this operator, if it's null then the righthand side will simply be discarded.
Top answer 1 of 7
78
From the docs:
Coalesce equal or ??=operator is an assignment operator. If the left parameter is null, assigns the value of the right parameter to the left one. If the value is not null, nothing is done.
Example:
// The following lines are doing the same
$this->request->data['comments']['user_id'] = $this->request->data['comments']['user_id'] ?? 'value';
// Instead of repeating variables with long names, the equal coalesce operator is used
$this->request->data['comments']['user_id'] ??= 'value';
So it's basically just a shorthand to assign a value if it hasn't been assigned before.
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Null coalescing assignment operator chaining:
$a = null;
$b = null;
$c = 'c';
$a ??= $b ??= $c;
print $b; // c
print $a; // c
Example at 3v4l.org
Linux Hint
linuxhint.com › null_coalescing_php
How to use PHP Null Coalescing Operator – Linux Hint
The null coalescing operator can be used with two or more variables. In this example, the operator is used to check the values of different variables. <?php //Define two variables $var1 = 'This is the first string value.'; $var3 = 'This is the third string value.'; $var4 = NULL; $var5 = 'This is the fifth string value.'; $var6 = ''; //Check the value of the variables $result1 = $var1 ??
PHP
wiki.php.net › rfc › null_coalesce_equal_operator
PHP RFC: Null Coalescing Assignment Operator
If the value is not null, nothing is made. // The folloving lines are doing the same $this->request->data['comments']['user_id'] = $this->request->data['comments']['user_id'] ?? 'value'; // Instead of repeating variables with long names, the equal coalesce operator is used $this->request->data['comments']['user_id'] ??= 'value';
Steemit
steemit.com › utopian-io › @gentlemanoi › php7-how-to-use-null-coalescing-operator
PHP7 : How to use Null Coalescing Operator — Steemit
February 8, 2018 - For an empty string, the null coalescing operator will output an empty string because variable $a is not null. While the ternary operator will output 'String B' because empty string is false. <?php $b = 'String B'; echo $a ??
Stitcher
stitcher.io › blog › shorthand-comparisons-in-php
Shorthand comparisons in PHP | Stitcher.io
The null coalescing operator is used to provide default values instead of null · The spaceship operator is used to compare two values
FlatCoding
flatcoding.com › home › php null coalescing operator: handling null values
PHP Null Coalescing Operator: Handling Null Values - FlatCoding
June 30, 2025 - The PHP null coalescing operator (??) checks if a variable is null or unset and sets a default value. Click to see syntax and examples.
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › php › what-is-the-use-of-null-coalesce-operator
What is the use of Null Coalesce Operator ? - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - <?php echo 'Output when values are not Set'."\xA<br>"; // Using ternary operator $name = isset($_GET['name']) ? $_GET['name'] : 'Default'; echo 'Name : '.$name."\xA<br>"; // Using Null Coalescing $age = $_GET['age'] ?? 'Default'; echo 'Age : ' .$age."\xA \xA<br><br>"; echo 'Output when values are Set'."\xA<br>"; $_GET['name']='GFG'; $_GET['age']='18'; // Using ternary operator $name = isset($_GET['name']) ?
W3Schools
w3schools.com › php › php_examples.asp
PHP Examples
Arithmetic operator: Addition (+) ... operator: Inequality (<>) Array operator: Non-identity (!==) Conditional assignment operator: Ternary (?:) Conditional assignment: Null coalescing (??)...
dailycomputerscience
dailycomputerscience.com › post › php-8-null-coalescing-operator
PHP 8 Null Coalescing Operator
October 5, 2024 - Without the null coalescing operator, ... introduced the null coalescing assignment operator (??=), which allows you to assign a value to a variable only if it is null....
Top answer 1 of 10
204
There is a new operator in php 5.3 which does this: ?:
// A
echo 'A' ?: 'B';
// B
echo '' ?: 'B';
// B
echo false ?: 'B';
// B
echo null ?: 'B';
Source: http://www.php.net/ChangeLog-5.php#5.3.0
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PHP 7 introduced a real coalesce operator:
echo $_GET['doesNotExist'] ?? 'fallback'; // prints 'fallback'
If the value before the ?? does not exists or is null the value after the ?? is taken.
The improvement over the mentioned ?: operator is, that the ?? also handles undefined variables without throwing an E_NOTICE.