Description
int 
intval ( mixed var [, int base] )
   Returns the integer value of var,
   using the specified base for the conversion 
   (the default is base 10).
  
Return Values
   The integer value of var on success, or 0 on
   failure. Empty arrays and objects return 0, non-empty arrays and
   objects return 1.
  
   The maximum value depends on the system. 32 bit systems have a 
   maximum signed integer range of -2147483648 to 2147483647. So for example 
   on such a system, intval('1000000000000') will return 
   2147483647. The maximum signed integer value for 64 bit systems is 
   9223372036854775807.
  
   Strings will most likely return 0 although this depends on the 
   leftmost characters of the string. The common rules of 
   integer casting 
   apply.