1.2.810. No Max On Empty Array

Using max() or min() on an empty array leads to a valueError exception.

Until PHP 8, max() and min() would return null in case of empty array. This might be confusing with actual values, as an array can contain null. null has a specific behavior when comparing with other values, and should be avoided with max() and sorts. Until PHP 8.0, a call on an empty array would return null, and a warning.

<?php

// Throws a value error
$a = max([]);

$array = [];
if (empty($array)) {
     $a = null;
} else {
     $a = max($array);
}


var_dump(min([-1,  null])); // NULL
var_dump(max([-1,  null])); // -1
var_dump(max([1,  null]));  // 1

?>

1.2.810.1. Suggestions

• Check the content of the array before giving it to max() or min()

1.2.810.2. Specs

Short name	Structures/NoMaxOnEmptyArray
Rulesets	All, Changed Behavior, CompatibilityPHP80
Exakat since	2.5.2
Severity	Minor
Time To Fix	Quick (30 mins)
Changed Behavior	PHP 8.0 - More
Precision	High
Available in	Entreprise Edition, Exakat Cloud