Why declare PHP variable type in a comment?

Question

I\'m fairly new to PHP, and I just started using NetBeans to develop my PHP code.

Out of the blue, as I entered a variable in a query, a dialog popped up and asked me to

Answer 1

Because PHP is a loose/duck typed language, when you create a large program those type hints can help you or others understand what is going on if an issue should arise. For example, expecting a mixed type and sending an integer.