calc(1)                     General Commands Manual                    calc(1)

NAME
     calc - arbitrary precision calculator

SYNOPSIS
     calc [-c] [-C] [-d]
          [-D calc_debug[:resource_debug[:user_debug]]]
          [-e] [-f filename] [-h] [-i] [-m mode] [-O]
          [-p] [-q] [-s] [-u] [-v] [[[----]] calc_cmd ......]

     #!/usr/local/bin/calc [optional_other_flags ...] -f


DESCRIPTION
     -c     Continue reading command lines even after a scan/parse error has
            caused the abandonment of a line.  Note that this option only
            deals with scanning and parsing of the calc language.  It does not
            deal with execution or run-time errors.

            For example:

                 calc read many_errors.cal

            will cause calc to abort on the first syntax error, whereas:

                 calc -c read many_errors.cal

            will cause calc to try to process each line being read despite the
            scan/parse errors that it encounters.

            By default, calc startup resource files are silently ignored if
            not found.  This flag will report missing startup resource files
            unless -d is also given.


     -C     Permit the execution of custom builtin functions.  Without this
            flag, calling the custom() builtin function will simply generate
            an error.

            Use of this flag may cause calc to execute functions that are non-
            standard and that are not portable.  Custom builtin functions are
            disabled by default for this reason.


     -d     Disable the printing of the opening title.  The printing of
            resource file debug and informational messages is also disabled as
            if config("resource_debug", 00)) had been executed.

            For example:

                 calc "read qtime; qtime(2)"

            will output something like:

                 qtime(utc_hr_offset) defined
                 It's nearly ten past six.

            whereas:

                 calc -d "read qtime; qtime(2)"

            will just print:

                 It's nearly ten past six.

            This flag disables the reporting of missing calc startup resource
            files.


            This flag also disables the printing the leading tilde. For
            example:

                 calc 2/3

            will print:

                 ~0.66666666666666666667


            whereas:

                 calc -d 2/3

            will just print:

                 0.66666666666666666667



     -D calc_debug[:resource_debug[:user_debug]]
            Force the initial value of config("calc_debug"),
            config("resource_debug") and config("user_debug").

            The : separated strings are interpreted as signed 32 bit integers.
            After an optional leading sign a leading zero indicates octal
            conversion, and a leading ``0x'' or ``0X'' hexadecimal conversion.
            Otherwise, decimal conversion is assumed.

            By default, calc__debug is 0, resource__debug is 3 and user__debug is
            0.

            For more information use the following calc command:

                 help config


     -e     Ignore any environment variables on startup.  The getenv() builtin
            will still return values, however.


     -f filename
            This flag is normally only with calc shell scripts.

            This flag is required when using calc in shell script mode.  It
            must be at the end of the initial ##!!  line of the script, as in:

                 #!/usr/local/bin/calc [optional_other_flags ...] -f

            the rest of the file will be processed in shell script mode.


            A common flag to use, prior to the -f on the #! line is the -q
            flag.  For example:

                 #!/usr/local/bin/calc -q -f


            See SHELL SCRIPT MODE section of this man page below for details.

            While the actual form of this flag is:

                 -f filename

            for systems that treat an executable that begins with ##!!  as a
            script, the path of the executable is appended by the kernel as
            the final argument to the exec() system call.  This is why the -f
            flag at the very end of the ##!!  line.

            It is possible use -f filename on the command line:

                 calc [optional_other_flags ...] -f filename

            This will cause calc to process lines in filename in shell script
            mode.


            NOTE: The use of -f does NOT imply -q and thus one would need to
            use

                 calc [optional_other_flags ...] -q -f filename

            to disable the use of calc startup files as well.


            The use of -f filename implies the -s flag.


     -h     Print a help message.  This option implies -q.  This is equivalent
            to the calc command help help.  The help facility is disabled
            unless the mode is 5 or 7.  See -m.


     -i     Become interactive if possible.  This flag will cause calc to drop
            into interactive mode after the calc__cmd arguments on the command
            line are evaluated.  Without this flag, calc will exit after they
            are evaluated.

            For example:

                 calc 2+5

            will print the value 7 and exit whereas:

                 calc -i 2+5

            will print the value 7 and prompt the user for more calc commands.


     -m mode
            This flag sets the permission mode of calc.  It controls the
            ability for calc to open files and execute programs.  Mode may be
            a number from 0 to 7.

            The mode value is interpreted in a way similar to that of the
            chmod(1) octal mode:

                 0  do not open any file, do not execute progs
                 1  do not open any file
                 2  do not open files for reading, do not execute progs
                 3  do not open files for reading
                 4  do not open files for writing, do not execute progs
                 5  do not open files for writing
                 6  do not execute any program
                 7  allow everything (default mode)

            If one wished to run calc from a privileged user, one might want
            to use -m 0 in an effort to make calc somewhat more secure.

            Mode bits for reading and writing apply only on an open.  Files
            already open are not effected.  Thus if one wanted to use the -m 0
            in an effort to make calc somewhat more secure, but still wanted
            to read and write a specific file, one might want to do in sh(1),
            ksh(1), bash(1)-like shells:

                 calc -m 0 3<a.file

            Files presented to calc in this way are opened in an unknown mode.
            Calc will attempt to read or write them if directed.

            If the mode disables opening of files for reading, then the
            startup resource files are disabled as if -q was given.  The
            reading of key bindings is also disabled when the mode disables
            opening of files for reading.


     -O     Use the old classic defaults instead of the default configuration.
            This flag as the same effect as executing config("all", "oldcfg")
            at startup time.

            NOTE: Older versions of calc used -n to setup a modified form of
            the default calc configuration.  The -n flag currently does
            nothing.  Use of the -n flag is now deprecated and may be used for
            something else in the future.


     -p     Pipe processing is enabled by use of -p.  For example:

                 calc -p "2^21701-1" | fizzbin

            In pipe mode, calc does not prompt, does not print leading tabs
            and does not print the initial header.  The -p flag overrides -i.


            When running calc as a shell script (see SHELL SCRIPT MODE for
            details), calc will close standard input (stdin) during startup
            UNLESS the -p flag is given on the command line.  When calc is
            running in shell script mode, shell scripts that call the
            prompt(str) builtin will not work properly (the prompt builtin
            will always fail) unless the -p flag is given on the command line.


     -q     Disable the reading of the startup scripts.

            This allows the script to run independently of startup scripts
            such those managed by the $CALCRC environment variable.  For
            example, this will disable the use of the common calcrc file
            (usually ~/.calcrc).


     -s     By default, all calc__cmd args are evaluated and executed.  This
            flag will disable their evaluation and instead make them available
            as strings for the argv() builtin function.


     -u     Disable buffering of stdin and stdout.


     -v     Print the calc version number and exit.


     ----     The double dash indicates to calc that no more options follow.
            Thus calc will ignore a later argument on the command line even if
            it starts with a dash.  This is useful when entering negative
            values on the command line as in:

                 calc -p -- -1 - -7



CALC COMMAND LINE
     With no calc__cmd arguments, calc operates interactively.  If one or more
     arguments are given on the command line and -s is NOT given, then calc
     will read and execute them and either attempt to go interactive according
     as the -i flag was present or absent.

     If -s is given, calc will not evaluate any calc__cmd arguments but instead
     make them available as strings to the argv() builtin function.

     Sufficiently simple commands with no characters like parentheses,
     brackets, semicolons, '*', which have special interpretations in UNIX
     shells may be entered, possibly with spaces, until the terminating
     newline.  For example:

          calc 23 + 47

     will print 70.  However, command lines will have problems:

          calc 23 * 47

          calc -23 + 47

     The first example above fails because the shell interprets the '*' as a
     file glob.  The second example fails because '-23' is viewed as a calc
     option (which it is not) and do calc objects to that it thinks of as an
     unknown option.  These cases can usually be made to work as expected by
     enclosing the command between quotes:

          calc '23 * 47'

          calc "print sqrt(2), exp(1)"

     or in parentheses and quotes to avoid leading -'s as in:

          calc '(-23 + 47)'

     One may also use a double dash to denote that calc options have ended as
     in:

          calc -- -23 + 47

          calc -q -- -23 + 47

     If '!' is to be used to indicate the factorial function, for shells like
     csh_(_1_) for which '!' followed by a non-space character is used for
     history substitution, it may be necessary to include a space or use a
     backslash to escape the special meaning of '!'.  For example, the
     command:

          print 27!^2

     may have to be replaced by:

          print 27! ^2    or      print 27\!^2

     Reading from standard input when calc is part of a pipe works as long as
     the -p flag is given to calc.  For example, this will print chongo was
     here:

          echo chongo was here | calc -p 'print fgetline(files(0));'


     while this does not:

          echo chongo was here | calc 'print fgetline(files(0));'


     nor will this print chongo was here:

          echo chongo was here | calc -i 'print fgetline(files(0));'


     This is because without -p, the interactive parser, in an effort to parse
     interactive commands, flushes data on standard input.


CALC STARTUP FILES
     Normally on startup, if the environment variable $CALCRC is undefined and
     calc is invoked without the -q flag, or if $CALCRC is defined and calc is
     invoked with -e, calc looks for a file "startup" in the calc resource
     directory .calcrc in the user's home directory, and .calcinit in the
     current directory.  If one or more of these are found, they are read in
     succession as calc scripts and their commands executed.  When defined,
     $CALCRC is to contain a ':' separated list of names of files, and if calc
     is then invoked without either the -q or -e flags, these files are read
     in succession and their commands executed.  No error condition is
     produced if a listed file is not found.

     If the mode specified by -m disables opening of files for reading, then
     the reading of startup files is also disabled as if -q was given.


CALC FILE SEARCH PATH
     If the environment variable $CALCPATH is undefined, or if it is defined
     and calc is invoked with the -e flag, when a file name not beginning with
     //, ~~ or ..//, is specified as in:

          calc read myfile

     calc searches in succession:

          ./myfile
          ./myfile.cal
          /usr/local/lib/myfile
          /usr/local/lib/myfile.cal
          /usr/local/share/calc/custom/myfile
          /usr/local/share/calc/custom/myfile.cal

     If the file is found, the search stops and the commands in the file are
     executed.  It is an error if no readable file with the specified name is
     found.  An alternative search path can be specified by defining $CALCPATH
     in the same way as PATH is defined, as a ':' separated list of
     directories, and then invoking calc without the -e flag.

     Calc treats all open files, other than stdin, stdout and stderr as files
     available for reading and writing.  One may present calc with an already
     open file using sh(1), ksh(1), bash(1)-like shells is to:

          calc 3<open_file 4<open_file2

     For more information use the following calc commands:

          help help
          help overview
          help usage
          help environment
          help config



SHELL SCRIPT MODE
     If the first line of an executable file begins ##!!  followed by the
     absolute pathname of the calc program and the first line ends with the
     flag -f as in:

          #!/usr/local/bin/calc [optional_other_flags ...] -f

     the rest of the file will be processed in shell script mode.  Note that
     -s -f must be at the end of the initial ``#!'' line.  Any other optional
     optional_other_flags must come before the -f flag.

     In shell script mode the contents of the file are read and executed as if
     they were in a file being processed by a read command, except that a
     "command" beginning with '#' followed by whitespace and ending at the
     next newline is treated as a comment.  Any optional optional_other_flags
     will be parsed first followed by the later lines within the script
     itself.

     In shell script mode, -s is always assumed.  In addition, -d and -p are
     automatically set if -i is not given.

     NOTE: The use of -f does NOT imply -q and thus one would need to use

          calc [optional_other_flags ...] -q -f filename

     to disable the use of calc startup files as well.

     For example, if the file /tmp/mersenne:

          #!/usr/local/bin/calc -q -f

          /* setup */
          argc = argv();
          program = argv(0);
          stderr = files(2);

          /* parse args */
          if (argc != 2) {
              fprintf(stderr, "usage: %s exp0, program);
              abort "must give one exponent arg";
          }
          exp = eval(argv(1));
          if (!isint(exp) || exp < 0) {
              fprintf(stderr, "%s: exp must be non-negative integer0, program);
              abort "must give one exponent arg";
          }

          /* print the mersenne number */
          print "2^": exp : "-1 =", 2^exp-1;

     is made an executable file by:

          chmod +x /tmp/mersenne

     then the command line:

          /tmp/mersenne 127

     will print:

          2^127-1 = 170141183460469231731687303715884105727

     Note that because -s is required in shell script mode non-dashed args are
     made available as strings via the argv() builtin function.  Therefore:

          2^eval(argv(1))-1

     will print the decimal value of 2^n-1 whereas

          2^argv(1)-1

     will not.


     By default, using calc startup in shell script mode, calc will close
     standard input (stdin).  Thus builtin functions such as prompt(str) will
     fail (return a null value).  Calc shell scripts that call the prompt(str)
     builtin will not work properly (the prompt builtin will always fail and
     return a null value) unless the -p flag is given on the command line.


     The following shell script will always print "got null" because stdin
     will be closed by calc during startup:


          #!/usr/bin/calc -q -f

          # The prompt will ALWAYS FAIL and return a null value
          n = prompt("Test> ");
          if (isnull(n)) {
            print("got null");
          } else {
            print("got " + n);
          }

     However the following shell script (note the -p before the -f in the 1st
     line) will be interactive, prompt with "Test> " and print the "got"
     result as expected:


          #!/usr/bin/calc -q -p -f

          n = prompt("Test> ");
          if (isnull(n)) {
            print("got null");
          } else {
            print("got " + n);
          }


     Note in the example above, the -p flag must be given before the final -f
     command line flag.


DATA TYPES
     Fundamental builtin data types include integers, real numbers, rational
     numbers, complex numbers and strings.

     By use of an object, one may define an arbitrarily complex data types.
     One may define how such objects behave a wide range of operations such as
     addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, negation, squaring,
     modulus, rounding, exponentiation, equality, comparison, printing and so
     on.

     For more information use the following calc commands:

          help types
          help obj
          show objfuncs


VARIABLES
     Variables in calc are typeless.  In other words, the fundamental type of
     a variable is determined by its content.  Before a variable is assigned a
     value it has the value of zero.

     The scope of a variable may be global, local to a file, or local to a
     procedure.  Values may be grouped together in a matrix, or into a list
     that permits stack and queue style operations.

     For more information use the following calc commands:

          help variable
          help mat
          help list
          show globals


INPUT/OUTPUT
     A leading ``0x'' implies a hexadecimal value, a leading ``0b'' implies a
     binary value, and a ``0'' followed by a digit implies an octal value.
     Complex numbers are indicated by a trailing ``i'' such as in ``3+4i''.
     Strings may be delimited by either a pair of single or double quotes.  By
     default, calc prints values as if they were floating point numbers.  One
     may change the default to print values in a number of modes including
     fractions, integers and exponentials.

     A number of stdio-like file I/O operations are provided.  One may open,
     read, write, seek and close files.  Filenames are subject to `` ''
     expansion to home directories in a way similar to that of the Korn or C-
     Shell.

     For example:

          ~/.calcrc
          ~chongo/lib/fft_multiply.cal

     For more information use the following calc command:

          help file


CALC LANGUAGE
     The calc language is a C-like language.  The language includes commands
     such as variable declarations, expressions, tests, labels, loops, file
     operations, function calls.  These commands are very similar to their
     counterparts in C.

     The language also include a number of commands particular to calc itself.
     These include commands such as function definition, help, reading in
     resource files, dump files to a file, error notification, configuration
     control and status.

     For more information use the following calc command:

          help command
          help statement
          help expression
          help operator
          help config


FILES
     /usr/local/bin/calc
          calc binary

     /usr/local/bin/cscript/*
          calc shell scripts

     /usr/local/lib/*.cal
          calc standard resource files

     /usr/local/lib/help/*
          help files

     /usr/local/lib/bindings
          non-GNU-readline command line editor bindings

     /usr/local/include/calc/*.h
          include files for C interface use

     /usr/local/lib/libcalc.a
          calc binary link library

     /usr/local/lib/libcustcalc.a
          custom binary link library

     /usr/local/share/calc/custom/*.cal
          custom resource files

     /usr/local/share/calc/custhelp/*
          custom help files


ENVIRONMENT
     CALCPATH
          A :-separated list of directories used to search for calc resource
          filenames that do not begin with /, ./ or ~.

          Default value: .:./cal:~/.cal:/usr/local/share/calc:
          /usr/local/share/calc/custom

     CALCRC
          On startup (unless -h or -q was given on the command line), calc
          searches for files along this :-separated environment variable.

          Default value: ./.calcinit:~/.calcrc:/usr/local/share/calc/startup

     CALCBINDINGS
          On startup (unless -h or -q was given on the command line, or -m
          disallows opening files for reading), calc reads key bindings from
          the filename specified by this environment variable.  The key
          binding file is searched for along the $CALCPATH list of
          directories.

          Default value: binding

          This variable is not used if calc was compiled with GNU-readline
          support.  In that case, the standard readline mechanisms (see
          readline(3)) are used.

     CALCHISTFILE
          Location of the calc history file.

          Default value: ~/.calc_history

          This variable is not used if calc was compiled with GNU-readline
          support.

     CALCHELP
          Location of the calc help directory.

          Default value: /usr/local/share/calc/help

     CALCCUSTOMHELP
          Location of the calc custom help directory.

          Default value: /usr/local/share/calc/custhelp


CREDIT
     The main chunk of calc was written by David I. Bell.

     The calc primary mirror, and calc bug report processing is performed by
     Landon Curt Noll.

     Landon Curt Noll maintains the master reference source, performs release
     control functions as well as other calc maintenance functions.

     Thanks for suggestions and encouragement from Peter Miller, Neil
     Justusson, and Landon Noll.

     Thanks to Stephen Rothwell for writing the original version of hist.c
     which is used to do the command line editing.

     Thanks to Ernest W. Bowen for supplying many improvements in accuracy and
     generality for some numeric functions.  Much of this was in terms of
     actual code which I gratefully accepted.  Ernest also supplied the
     original text for many of the help files.

     Portions of this program are derived from an earlier set of public domain
     arbitrarily precision routines which was posted to the net around 1984.
     By now, there is almost no recognizable code left from that original
     source.

COPYING // CALC GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
     Calc is open software, and is covered under version 2.1 of the GNU Lesser
     General Public License.  You are welcome to change it and/or distribute
     copies of it under certain conditions.  The calc commands:

          help copyright
          help copying
          help copying-lgpl
          help credit

     should display the contents of the COPYING and COPYING-LGPL files.  Those
     files contain information about the calc's GNU Lesser General Public
     License, and in particular the conditions under which you are allowed to
     change it and/or distribute copies of it.

     You should have received a copy of the version 2.1 of the GNU Lesser
     General Public License.  If you do not have these files, write to:

          Free Software Foundation, Inc.
          51 Franklin Street
          Fifth Floor
          Boston, MA  02110-1301
          USA

     Calc is copyrighted in several different ways.  These ways include:

          Copyright (C) year  David I. Bell
          Copyright (C) year  David I. Bell and Landon Curt Noll
          Copyright (C) year  David I. Bell and Ernest Bowen
          Copyright (C) year  David I. Bell, Landon Curt Noll and Ernest Bowen
          Copyright (C) year  Landon Curt Noll
          Copyright (C) year  Ernest Bowen and Landon Curt Noll
          Copyright (C) year  Ernest Bowen
          Copyright (C) year  Petteri Kettunen and Landon Curt Noll
          Copyright (C) year  Christoph Zurnieden
          Copyright (C) year  Landon Curt Noll and Thomas Jones-Low
          Copyright (C) year  Klaus Alexander Seistrup and Landon Curt Noll

     This man page is:

          Copyright (C) 1999-2023  Landon Curt Noll

     and is covered under version 2.1 GNU Lesser General Public License.

     A few files in calc are covered under "The Unlicense".  For more
     information on this license, see:

          https://unlicense.org


CALC QUESTIONS
     To ask the calc maintainers a general question about calc, see the output
     of the following calc command:


          ; help question

     or read the source file:


          QUESTIONS


     or visit the following URL:

          https://github.com/lcn2/calc/blob/master/QUESTIONS


BUG REPORTS // BUG FIXES
     To inform the calc maintainers about a bug, or to submit a bug fix, see
     the output of the following calc command:


          ; help bugs

     or read the source file:


          BUGS

     or visit the following URL:

          https://github.com/lcn2/calc/blob/master/BUGS


CONTRIBUTING CODE TO CALC
     Calc is open source.  You are welcome to contribute code to calc, or
     submit bug fixes to to calc.

     To contribute code to calc, please see see the output of the following
     calc command:


          ; help contrib


     or read the source file:


          CONTRIB-CODE

     or visit the following URL:

          https://github.com/lcn2/calc/blob/master/CONTRIB-CODE


CALC WEB SITE
     Landon Noll maintains the calc web site is located at:

          www.isthe.com/chongo/tech/comp/calc/

CALC SOURCE CODE
     The latest version of calc source code may be obtained at the following
     GitHub repo:

          https://github.com/lcn2/calc

     The very latest calc source is found at the top master branch.

     You may download the calc releases from:

          https://github.com/lcn2/calc/releases

     The releases marked ((Pre-release)) are beta releases.

     The most recent release that is NOT  marked ((Pre-release)) is the
     recommended stable release.

Share and enjoy!  :-)                ^..^                              calc(1)
