php man page for max

MAX(3)									 1								    MAX(3)

max - Find highest value

SYNOPSIS
       mixed max (array  $values)

DESCRIPTION
       mixed max (mixed  $value1, mixed  $value2, [mixed  $...])

	If  the  first	and  only  parameter is an array, max(3) returns the highest value in that array. If at least two parameters are provided,
       max(3) 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  com-
	      pared  to  an  integer  as though it were 0, but multiple string values will be compared alphanumerically. The actual value returned
	      will be of the original type with no conversion applied.

PARAMETERS
	      o $values
		- An array containing the values.

	      o $value1
		- Any comparable value.

	      o $value2
		- Any comparable value.

	      o $...
		- Any comparable value.

RETURN VALUES
       max(3) 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.

EXAMPLES
       Example #1

	      Example uses of max(3)

	      <?php
	      echo max(2, 3, 1, 6, 7);	// 7
	      echo max(array(2, 4, 5)); // 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(2, 2, 2), array(1, 1, 1, 1)); // 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(2, 4, 8), array(2, 5, 1)); // 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(2, 5, 7), 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(-10, FALSE); // -10

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

SEE ALSO
       min(3), count(3).

PHP Documentation Group 														    MAX(3)