max (';' LIST )*

Summary

The max macro compares strings lexicographically using Java’s String.compareTo() and returns the maximum (highest) value.

Syntax

${max;<list>[;<list>...]}

Parameters

• list - One or more semicolon-separated lists of strings

Behavior

• Compares strings lexicographically
• Case-sensitive comparison
• Returns the highest string value
• Uses standard Java string ordering

Examples

Find maximum string:

${max;apple,banana,cherry}
# Returns: "cherry"

Multiple lists:

${max;abc,xyz;def,mno}
# Returns: "xyz"

Numeric strings (lexicographic):

${max;1,10,2,20}
# Returns: "20" (lexicographic, not numeric)

Use Cases

• Finding highest string value
• String comparison
• Alphabetic sorting (last)
• String selection
• Data analysis

Notes

• Lexicographic (dictionary) ordering
• Case-sensitive (“Z” < “a”)
• Not numeric comparison
• For numeric max, use proper number comparison
• See also: ${min} for minimum
• See also: ${vmax} for version comparison
• See also: ${nmax} for numeric comparison

See test cases in MacroTestsForDocsExamples.java