How should non-integer values, such as color codes, be handled in PHP when storing them in variables?

Non-integer values, such as color codes, should be stored as strings in PHP variables. This is because color codes are typically represented as strings of characters (e.g., "#FF0000" for red). Storing them as integers would result in data loss or incorrect values. Therefore, always store non-integer values like color codes as strings to ensure their integrity.

$colorCode = "#FF0000";