How to Fix the 'A non well formed numeric value encountered' Error in PHP?

Error: "A non well formed numeric value encountered"

When you encounter this error in PHP, it indicates that you are attempting to use a non-numeric value where a numerical value is required. Specifically, when you try to use date("d",$_GET['start_date']), you are attempting to extract the day of the month from a string that represents a date, but PHP expects a numeric value (a UNIX timestamp).

Solution:

To resolve this issue, you need to convert the string date representation into a UNIX timestamp using the strtotime() function. Here's an updated code that will work correctly:

$unix_timestamp = strtotime($_GET['start_date']);
$day_of_month = date("d", $unix_timestamp);

General Troubleshooting Tips:

When faced with such errors, it's essential to investigate the problematic value using var_dump() to determine the correct course of action. You can consider the following scenarios:

• Incorrect Variable: If the value is an array instead of a number, use var_dump() to understand the array structure and locate the correct element to use.
• Convertable Value: If the value can be converted to a number, do so. As in this case, convert the string date to a UNIX timestamp using strtotime().

• Invalid Value: If the value cannot be converted, you need to address the issue:

  • Validate user input to prevent incorrect values from being passed from forms.
  • Ensure that functions are returning appropriate numerical values. Avoid casting problematic values as numbers.

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