php get first digit of number
// in case the number is a string $s = '123'; $a = $s[0]; echo $a; // 1 // in case the number is an integer // Possibility 1 $k = 123; $s = $k.''; // or: $s = (string)$k; $a = $s[0]; echo $a; // 1 // Possibility 2 $k = 123; $a = floor($k/100); echo $a; // 1 // Possibility 3 $k = 123; $a = substr($k, 0, 1); echo $a; // 1