Bug #81398 [Com]: Comparing int/string with max() always returns string

Edit report at https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=81398&edit=1 ID: 81398 Comment by: danack@php.net Reported by: php at ober-mail dot de Summary: Comparing int/string with max() always returns string Status: Open Type: Bug Package: *Math Functions Operating System: Debian 10 PHP Version: 8.0.10 Block user comment: N Private report: N New Comment: "will be COMPARED...The actual value RETURNED will be of the original type". Previous Comments: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2021-08-29 22:48:14] php at ober-mail dot de Well, after reading it again, it does not seem clear at all. If a string is treated as int(0), why is the string returned in my example? Isn't 1 larger than 0? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2021-08-29 22:45:47] php at ober-mail dot de Well, it says "a non-numeric string WILL BE compared to an int as though it were 0." (emphasis mine). To my understanding, the sentence you cited is the general case (comparing, maybe, an object and a resource), whereas comparing int/string is a case with defined behavior. If comparing int/string is the same as comparing any other two different types, "will be" is not a good wording, IMHO. Better completely remove the sentence then, because it does not give any information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2021-08-29 22:38:24] danack@php.net The next sentence is: "The actual value returned will be of the original type with no conversion applied." Which seems quite clear to me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2021-08-29 21:58:00] php at ober-mail dot de I'm sorry, of course the "Test script" should be: <?php var_dump(max("A", 1)); var_dump(max(1, "A")); ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2021-08-29 21:57:10] php at ober-mail dot de Description: ------------ The documentation of max() says: "Values of different types will be compared using the standard comparison rules. For instance, a non-numeric string will be compared to an int as though it were 0." Using PHP 8.0 and above, I'm observing a deviating behavior, that is, the string value is returned instead. Parameter order does not matter. If this is the intended behavior, the documentation should be updated / the cited snippet should be removed. Up to PHP 7.4.13, the observed result matches the documentation. Test script: --------------- <?php var_dump(max("A", PHP_INT_MAX)); var_dump(max(PHP_INT_MAX, "A")); Expected result: ---------------- int(1) int(1) Actual result: -------------- string(1) "A" string(1) "A" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Edit this bug report at https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=81398&edit=1