Division of PHP_INT_MIN by -1 is not an integer

Description

In the specific case of the integer division of PHP_MIN_INT by -1, a specific error is reported: the result is not an integer.

In fact, - PHP_INT_MIN = PHP_INT_MAX + 1: PHP_INT_MIN is larger than PHP_INT_MAX, in absolute value. It implies that multiplying, or dividing it by -1, cannot be represented as a integer.

Since the intdiv() has a return type of int, returning a float is not possible. Hence, the specific error.

Any other argument is valid, as it will be within the range of the integers.

Last, using the / operator works, since the operator doesn’t have a return type.

Example

<?php

intdiv(PHP_MIN_INT, -1);

?>

Solutions

  • Check both operands before feeding them to the intdiv() function.

  • Use /, and then check if it is an integer or not.

  • Convert the values to float, and then, convert the result of the division to integer.