parent root
PHP: max - Manual

max

(PHP 4, PHP 5, PHP 7)

maxFind highest value

Description

max ( array $values ) : mixed
max ( mixed $value1 [, mixed $... ] ) : mixed

If the first and only parameter is an array, max() returns the highest value in that array. If at least two parameters are provided, max() returns the biggest of these values.

Note:

Values of different types will be compared using the standard comparison rules. For instance, a non-numeric string will be compared to an integer as though it were 0, but multiple non-numeric string values will be compared alphanumerically. The actual value returned will be of the original type with no conversion applied.

Caution

Be careful when passing arguments with mixed types values because max() can produce unpredictable results.

Parameters

values

An array containing the values.

value1

Any comparable value.

...

Any comparable value.

Return Values

max() returns the parameter value considered "highest" according to standard comparisons. If multiple values of different types evaluate as equal (e.g. 0 and 'abc') the first provided to the function will be returned.

If an empty array is passed, then FALSE will be returned and an E_WARNING error will be emitted.

Examples

Example #1 Example uses of max()

<?php
echo max(23167);  // 7
echo max(array(245)); // 5

// The string 'hello' when compared to an int is treated as 0
// Since the two values are equal, the order they are provided determines the result
echo max(0'hello');     // 0
echo max('hello'0);     // hello

// Here we are comparing -1 < 0, so 'hello' is the highest value
echo max('hello', -1);    // hello

// With multiple arrays of different lengths, max returns the longest
$val max(array(222), array(1111)); // array(1, 1, 1, 1)

// Multiple arrays of the same length are compared from left to right
// so in our example: 2 == 2, but 5 > 4
$val max(array(248), array(251)); // array(2, 5, 1)

// If both an array and non-array are given, the array will be returned
// as comparisons treat arrays as greater than any other value
$val max('string', array(257), 42);   // array(2, 5, 7)

// If one argument is NULL or a boolean, it will be compared against
// other values using the rule FALSE < TRUE regardless of the other types involved
// In the below example, -10 is treated as TRUE in the comparison
$val max(-10FALSE); // -10

// 0, on the other hand, is treated as FALSE, so is "lower than" TRUE
$val max(0TRUE); // TRUE
?>

See Also

  • min() - Find lowest value
  • count() - Count all elements in an array, or something in an object
add a noteadd a note

User Contributed Notes 16 notes

up
34
keith at bifugi dot com
3 years ago
The simplest way to get around the fact that max() won't give the key is array_search:

<?php
$student_grades
= array ("john" => 100, "sarah" => 90, "anne" => 100);
$top_student = array_search(max($student_grades),$student_grades); // john
?>

This could also be done with array_flip, though overwriting will mean that it gets the last max value rather than the first:

<?php
$grades_index
= array_flip($student_grades);
$top_student = $grades_index[max($student_grades)]; // anne
?>

To get all the max value keys:

<?php
$top_students
= array_keys($student_grades,max($student_grades)); // john, anne
?>
up
18
costinu
7 years ago
max(null, 0) = null
max(0, null) = 0
up
9
ries at vantwisk dot nl
10 years ago
I had several occasions that using max is a lot slower then using a if/then/else construct. Be sure to check this in your routines!

Ries
up
11
volch5 at gmail dot com
5 years ago
max() (and min()) on DateTime objects compares them like dates (with timezone info) and returns DateTime object.
<?php
$dt1
= new DateTime('2014-05-07 18:53', new DateTimeZone('Europe/Kiev'));
$dt2 = new DateTime('2014-05-07 16:53', new DateTimeZone('UTC'));
echo
max($dt1,$dt2)->format(DateTime::RFC3339) . PHP_EOL; // 2014-05-07T16:53:00+00:00
echo min($dt1,$dt2)->format(DateTime::RFC3339) . PHP_EOL; // 2014-05-07T18:53:00+03:00
?>

It works at least 5.3.3-7+squeeze17
up
10
Alex Rath
9 years ago
Notice that whenever there is a Number in front of the String, it will be used for Comparison.

<?php

  max
('7iuwmssuxue', 1); //returns 7iuwmssuxu
 
max('-7suidha', -4); //returns -4

?>

But just if it is in front of the String

<?php

  max
('sdihatewin7wduiw', 3); //returns 3

?>
up
5
ReVo_
5 years ago
Sometimes you could need to get the max from an array which looks like this:

<?php
$arrTest
= array(
    array(
"day" => 1, "b" => 10 ),
    array(
"day" => 2, "b" => 43 ),
    array(
"day" => 3, "b" => 2 ),
    array(
"day" => 4, "b" => -3 ),
    array(
"day" => 5, "b" => 4 ),
    array(
"day" => 6, "b" => -5 )
);
?>
all max functions i see around don't provide a way to get the max value of the values in (example) key "b"

<?php
function maxValueInArray($array, $keyToSearch)
{
   
$currentMax = NULL;
    foreach(
$array as $arr)
    {
        foreach(
$arr as $key => $value)
        {
            if (
$key == $keyToSearch && ($value >= $currentMax))
            {
               
$currentMax = $value;
            }
        }
    }

    return
$currentMax;
}

//                                            array       key
$value = maxValueInArray($arrTest, "b");

?>

output: 43
up
3
johnphayes at gmail dot com
13 years ago
Regarding boolean parameters in min() and max():

(a) If any of your parameters is boolean, max and min will cast the rest of them to boolean to do the comparison.
(b) true > false
(c) However, max and min will return the actual parameter value that wins the comparison (not the cast).

Here's some test cases to illustrate:

1.  max(true,100)=true
2.  max(true,0)=true
3.  max(100,true)=100
4.  max(false,100)=100
5.  max(100,false)=100
6.  min(true,100)=true
7.  min(true,0)=0
8.  min(100,true)=100
9.  min(false,100)=false
10. min(100,false)=false
11. min(true,false)=false
12. max(true,false)=true
up
3
michaelangel0 at mail.com
12 years ago
Matlab users and others may feel lonely without the double argument output from min and max functions.

To have the INDEX of the highest value in an array, as well as the value itself, use the following, or a derivative:

<?php
function doublemax($mylist){
 
$maxvalue=max($mylist);
  while(list(
$key,$value)=each($mylist)){
    if(
$value==$maxvalue)$maxindex=$key;
  }
  return array(
"m"=>$maxvalue,"i"=>$maxindex);
}
?>
up
1
php at rijkvanwel dot nl
8 years ago
To get the largest key in an array:

<?php
$array
= array( 0 => 'first', 1=> 'second', /* ... */ 99 => 'nth' );
$max_key = max( array_keys( $array ) ); // 99
?>
up
0
info at osworx dot net
8 months ago
Be aware if a array like this is used (e.g. values from a shopping cart):
<?php
Array
(
    [
0] => 142,80
   
[1] => 39,27
   
[2] => 22,80
   
[3] => 175,80
)?>
The result will be: 39,27 and not - as expected - 175,80

So, to find the max value, use integer only like:
<?php
Array
(
    [
0] => 14280
   
[1] => 3927
   
[2] => 2280
   
[3] => 17580
)?>
and you will get the correct result: 17580
up
0
sun at drupal dot org
8 years ago
Note that max() throws a warning if the array is empty:

<?php
$a
= array();
max($a);
// Warning: max(): Array must contain at least one element
?>

So make sure your data isn't empty.
up
-2
Michael Blinn
6 months ago
Be careful using max() with objects, as it returns a reference not a new object.

<?php

$min_date
= date_create('2019-03-05');
$max_date = date_create('2019-03-06');

$date_by_reference = max($min_date, $max_date);

// $date_by_reference and $max_date are now the same object

echo '$max_date is ' . date_format($max_date, 'Y-m-d') . PHP_EOL; // '2019-03-06'
echo '$date_by_reference is ' . date_format($date_by_reference, 'Y-m-d') . PHP_EOL; // '2019-03-06'

date_add($date_by_reference, date_interval_create_from_date_string('1 days')); // Add 1 day to $date_by_reference, changes $max_date too

echo '$max_date is changed ' . date_format($max_date, 'Y-m-d') . PHP_EOL; // '2019-03-07'
echo '$date_by_reference is changed ' . date_format($date_by_reference, 'Y-m-d') . PHP_EOL; // '2019-03-07'

?>
up
0
harmor
11 years ago
A way to bound a integer between two values is:

<?php
function bound($x, $min, $max)
{
     return
min(max($x, $min), $max);
}
?>

which is the same as:

<?php
$tmp
= $x;
if(
$tmp < $min)
{
   
$tmp = $min;
}
if(
$tmp > $max)
{
    
$tmp = $max;
}
$y = $tmp;
?>

So if you wanted to bound an integer between 1 and 12 for example:

Input:
<?php
$x
= 0;
echo
bound(0, 1, 12).'<br />';
$x = 1;
echo
bound($x, 1, 12).'<br />';
$x = 6;
echo
bound($x, 1, 12).'<br />';
$x = 12;
echo
bound($x, 1, 12).'<br />';
$x = 13;
echo
bound($x, 1, 12).'<br />';
?>

Output:
1
1
6
12
12
up
-1
marcini
10 years ago
Note that max() can compare dates, so if you write something like this:

<?php
$dates
= array('2009-02-15', '2009-03-15');
echo
max($dates);
?>

you will get: 2009-03-15.
up
-2
toon dot baeyens at gmail dot com
7 years ago
A little function for multi-dimensional arrays:
<?php
function amax($array){
    if(
is_array($array)){
        foreach(
$array as $key => $value){
           
$array[$key] = amax($value);
        }
        return
max($array);
    }else{
        return
$array;
    }
}
?>
up
-2
levim at php dot net
7 years ago
<?php
/**
* @param array $array
*
* @return int|null Returns the largest value of the array. Returns NULL if no
*     integers are found.
*/
function array_max_recursive(array $array) {
   
$max = NULL;
   
$stack = array($array);

    do {
       
$current = array_pop($stack );
        foreach (
$current as $value) {
            if (
is_array($value)) {
               
$stack[] = $value;
            } elseif (
filter_var($value, FILTER_VALIDATE_INT) !== FALSE) {
               
// max(NULL, 0) returns NULL, so cast it
               
$max = (int) max($max, $value);
            }
        }

    } while (!empty(
$stack));

    return
$max;
}
?>

- This function is not actually recursive, but fulfills the requirement that it works on sub-arrays.  I do this because PHP is not very good at recursion.  I also did it because I enjoy doing things this way. 
- It returns something of type int, never a string representation of an int. The exception is when you provide an array that does not contain any integers.  It will then return NULL.
- It ignores non-array, non-int values.
To Top
parent root