Config
filter.default=special_chars
API
<?php
$email   
filter_input(INPUT_POST'name'FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL);
$age     filter_input(INPUT_POST'age'FILTER_VALIDATE_INT);  
$url     filter_input(INPUT_COOKIE'url'FILTER_VALIDATE_URL);  
$raw_msg filter_input(INPUT_POST'msg'FILTER_UNSAFE_RAW);  
$options filter_input(INPUT_GET'options'FILTER_SANITIZE_SPECIAL_CHARS);

$data filter_var($user_dataFILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
?>
All the Filters
<table border="2" style="font-size:.9em; background:#fff;">
<?php
function test($data) {
  return 
strtoupper($data);
}
$data = array("PHP","123","123abc<>()","O'Henry""하퍼");

echo 
"<tr><th> </th><td>PHP</td><td>123</td><td>123abc&lt;&gt;()</td>";
echo 
"<td>O'Henry</td><td>하퍼</td></tr>\n";
foreach(
filter_list() as $filter) {
  
$id filter_id($filter);
  switch(
$filter) {
    case 
'validate_regexp':
      foreach(
$data as $k=>$v)
        
$result[$k] = filter_var($v,$id,array('options'=>array("regexp"=>'/^O.*/')));
      break;
    case 
'callback':
      foreach(
$data as $k=>$v)
        
$result[$k] = filter_var($v,$id,array("options"=>"test"));
      break;
    case 
'validate_url':
      foreach(
$data as $k=>$v)
        
$result[$k] = filter_var($v,$id,FILTER_FLAG_SCHEME_REQUIRED);
      break;
    default:
      foreach(
$data as $k=>$v)
        
$result[$k] = filter_var($v,$id);
      break;
  }
  echo 
"<tr><th align='left'>$filter</th>";
  foreach(
$result as $v)
    echo 
"<td>".htmlspecialchars($v)."</td>";
  echo 
"</td></tr>\n";
}
?>
</table>
Output
PHP123123abc<>()O'Henry하퍼
int123
boolean
float123
validate_regexpO'Henry
validate_domainPHP123123abc<>()O'Henry하퍼
validate_url
validate_email
validate_ip
validate_mac
stringPHP123123abc()O&#39;Henry하퍼
strippedPHP123123abc()O&#39;Henry하퍼
encodedPHP123123abc%3C%3E%28%29O%27Henry%ED%95%98%ED%8D%BC
special_charsPHP123123abc&#60;&#62;()O&#39;Henry하퍼
full_special_charsPHP123123abc&lt;&gt;()O&#039;Henry하퍼
unsafe_rawPHP123123abc<>()O'Henry하퍼
emailPHP123123abcO'Henry
urlPHP123123abc<>()O'Henry
number_int123123
number_float123123
magic_quotesPHP123123abc<>()O\'Henry하퍼
add_slashesPHP123123abc<>()O\'Henry하퍼
callbackPHP123123ABC<>()O'HENRY하퍼
filter_var_array/filter_input_array
<?php
error_reporting
(E_ALL E_STRICT);
$data = array(
   
'product_id'    => 'libgd<script>',
   
'component'    => '10',
   
'versions'      => '2.0.33',
   
'testscalar'    => array('2''23''10''12'),
   
'testarray'    => '2',
);

$args = array(
   
'product_id'  => FILTER_SANITIZE_ENCODED,
   
'component'    => array('filter'    => FILTER_VALIDATE_INT,
                           
'flags'    => FILTER_FLAG_ARRAY,
                           
'options'  => array('min_range' => 1'max_range' => 10)
                           ),
   
'versions'    => FILTER_SANITIZE_ENCODED,
   
'doesnotexist' => FILTER_VALIDATE_INT,
   
'testscalar'  => array(
                           
'filter' => FILTER_VALIDATE_INT,
                           
'flags'  => FILTER_FLAG_SCALAR,
                           ),
   
'testarray'    => array(
                           
'filter' => FILTER_VALIDATE_INT,
                           
'flags'  => FILTER_FLAG_ARRAY,
                           )

);

// $myinputs = filter_input_array(INPUT_POST, $args);
$myinputs filter_var_array($data$args);
var_dump($myinputs);
?>
Output
array(6) {
  ["product_id"]=> array(1) {
    [0]=> string(17) "libgd%3Cscript%3E"
  }
  ["component"]=> array(1) {
    [0]=> int(10)
  }
  ["versions"]=> array(1) {
    [0]=> string(6) "2.0.33"
  }
  ["doesnotexist"]=> NULL
  ["testscalar"]=> bool(false)
  ["testarray"]=> array(1) {
    [0]=> int(2)
  }
}