- preg_match: documentation ( source)
<?php
$_GET['week_of']=20151116;
if(isset($_GET['week_of'])&&preg_match('/^[0-9]{8}$/',$_GET['week_of'])){
$week_of=$_GET['week_of'];
$week_of=DateTime::createFromFormat('Ymd',$week_of);
}else{
$week_of=0;
}
echo $week_of;