Bug #34399 [Com]: modulus operator truncates decimal operands

Edit report at https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=34399&edit=1 ID: 34399 Comment by: sjaakdewaal at gmail dot com Reported by: me at lucasoman dot com Summary: modulus operator truncates decimal operands Status: Not a bug Type: Bug Package: Math related Operating System: Fedora Core 3 PHP Version: 4.4.0 Block user comment: N Private report: N New Comment: Y THO? Previous Comments: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2005-09-10 22:54:49] sniper@php.net In PHP modulus can only be used on integers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2005-09-07 06:45:14] me at lucasoman dot com I realize that this may not be considered a bug, per se, because the software behaves as intended. I'm simply questioning your intentions. As a developer, myself, I enjoy hiding behind the it-works-as-intended-so-shut-up excuse, also. "In PHP modulus can only be used on integers." I'm well aware of this. PHP does not exist in its own mathematical cosmos. You wouldn't change the addition operator to integer-only because that would be mathematically inconsistent and incorrect. The operator would only be able to be used in a small subset of its space. The restriction is arbitrary. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2005-09-07 04:18:08] iliaa@php.net Thank you for taking the time to write to us, but this is not a bug. Please double-check the documentation available at http://www.php.net/manual/ and the instructions on how to report a bug at http://bugs.php.net/how-to-report.php In PHP modulus can only be used on integers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2005-09-06 23:33:55] me at lucasoman dot com Description: ------------ This issue has been brought up before, but not in so many words. The modulus operator (%) truncates float operands and always returns an integer result. Some languages behave similarly, some do not. Java, for one, correctly performs the float calculation. I see no reason--besides ease of coding or perhaps for the sake of efficient code--that such an arbitrary limitation would be placed on a general mathematical operator. Some limitations, like disallowing division by zero, are not arbitrary; these are required mathematically. However, restricting modulus to integer operands is not mathematically logical. You may make the suggestion that I write my own float modulus function that performs recursive subtractions. However, if your reason for coding mod as an integer operator is efficiency, writing <i>script</i> code to perform this calculation--especially on large numbers--is most certainly not more efficient. I (humbly) request that you reconsider the way you've coded the mod operator. Reproduce code: --------------- print(4.5 % 2); Expected result: ---------------- .5 Actual result: -------------- 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Edit this bug report at https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=34399&edit=1