# `&str`
A borrowed string. When this type is encountered, you are given a reference to
the actual zend string memory, rather than copying the contents like if you were
taking an owned `String` argument.
| No | Yes | No | Yes | `zend_string` (C-string) |
Note that you cannot expect the function to operate the same by swapping out
`String` and `&str` - since the zend string memory is read directly, this
library does not attempt to parse `double` types as strings.
See the [`String`](./string.md) for a deeper dive into the internal structure of
PHP strings.
## Rust example
```rust,no_run
# #![cfg_attr(windows, feature(abi_vectorcall))]
# extern crate ext_php_rs;
# use ext_php_rs::prelude::*;
#[php_function]
pub fn str_example(input: &str) -> String {
format!("Hello {}", input)
}
#[php_function]
pub fn str_return_example() -> &'static str {
"Hello from Rust"
}
# fn main() {}
```
## PHP example
```php
<?php
var_dump(str_example("World")); // string(11) "Hello World"
var_dump(str_example(5)); // Invalid
var_dump(str_return_example());
```