jstl <c:when> tag wrong result

Question

<c:set var="pageCount" value="16"></c:set>
<c:set var="maxSugguestPage" value="7"></c:set>
<c:choose>
    <c:when test="${pageCount < maxSugguestPage}"> <!-- why this block executed? -->
        <c:forEach begin="1" end="${pageCount}" var="index">
            <li><a href="#">${index }</a></li>
        </c:forEach>
    </c:when>
    <c:otherwise>
        <c:set var="firstDot" value="true"></c:set>
        <c:forEach begin="1" end="${pageCount - 1}" var="index">
        <c:choose>
            <c:when test="${index > maxSugguestPage and firstDot == true}">
                <li><a href="#">..</a></li>
                <c:set var="firstDot" value="false"></c:set>
            </c:when>
            <c:otherwise>
                <c:if test="${firstDot == true}">
                    <li><a href="#">${index }</a></li>
                </c:if>
            </c:otherwise>
        </c:choose>
        </c:forEach>
        <li><a href="#">${pageCount }</a></li>
    </c:otherwise>
</c:choose>

this is a jsp file using jstl ,but there are some problem with the tag <c:when> .
I declare two variables called pageCount and maxSuggestPage , it's very obvious pageCount > maxSugguestPage , but when using <c:when test="${pageCount < maxSuggestPage}"> , the code block in it executed and the <c:otherwise> block not.

Answer 1

You have set the values as strings, not as numbers. Those strings are lexicographically compared.

Set them as numbers instead.

<c:set var="pageCount" value="${16}" />
<c:set var="maxSugguestPage" value="${7}" />

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Unrelated to the concrete problem, it's unnecessary to compare a boolean expression to a fixed boolean value in a boolean statement like so ${firstDot == true} . Just use the boolean expression right away like so ${firstDot} .