Find the minimum string in one or more lists

Summary

The min macro compares strings lexicographically using Java’s String.compareTo() and returns the minimum (lowest) value.

Syntax 

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

Parameters

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

Behavior

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

Examples

Find minimum string:

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

Multiple lists:

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

Numeric strings (lexicographic):

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

Use Cases

  • Finding lowest string value
  • String comparison
  • Alphabetic sorting (first)
  • String selection
  • Data analysis

Notes

  • Lexicographic (dictionary) ordering
  • Case-sensitive (“A” < “a”)
  • Not numeric comparison
  • For numeric min, use proper number comparison
  • See also: ${max} for maximum
  • See also: ${vmin} for version comparison
  • See also: ${nmin} for numeric comparison

See test cases in MacroTestsForDocsExamples.java