max()

(Macro) Calculates the maximum of two numbers.

Syntax

max(x, y)

Parameters

x: the first number; may be any number or numeric expression.

y: the second number; may be any number or numeric expression.

Returns

The larger of the two parameter values.

Example

sensVal = max(senVal, 20); // assigns sensVal to the larger of sensVal or 20
                           // (effectively ensuring that it is at least 20)

Note

Perhaps counter-intuitively, max() is often used to constrain the lower end of a variable’s range, while min() is used to constrain the upper end of the range.

Warning

Because of the way max() is implemented, avoid using other functions inside the parentheses. It may lead to incorrect results:

max(a--, 0);   // avoid this - yields incorrect results

a--;           // use this instead -
max(a, 0);     // keep other operations outside max()

Arduino Compatibility

The Maple version of max() is compatible with Arduino.

See Also

• min()
• constrain()

License and Attribution

This documentation page was adapted from the Arduino Reference Documentation, which is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.