# String comparison inside a update\_by\_query api script

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/string-comparison-inside-a-update-by-query-api-script/316024>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [October 7, 2022, 12:51am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/string-comparison-inside-a-update-by-query-api-script/316024 "2022-10-07T00:51:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![djoobbani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@djoobbani](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/djoobbani)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2022, 12:51am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/string-comparison-inside-a-update-by-query-api-script/316024/1 "2022-10-07T00:51:35Z")

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I am performing a Update\_by\_query api and inside its script i need to do string comparison  
of two different parameteres, similar to how u would do it with intgers:  
So, i need to do something like this with string:  
string str1 "ABC";  
string str2 "abc";  
if (str1 \> str2)  
OR  
if (str1 \< str2)  
and so on.  
I keep getting elastic: Error 400 (Bad Request): failed to execute script [type=illegal\_argument\_exception] when i use \> or \< characters? Please advice! Thanks!

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 12:51am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/string-comparison-inside-a-update-by-query-api-script/316024/2 "2022-11-04T00:51:44Z")

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