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/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 re-
            source file debug and informational messages is also disabled as if
            config("resource_debug", 0) 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 exam-
            ple:

                 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("re-
            source_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  con-
            version,  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/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/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 un-
            less 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 abil-
            ity 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 al-
            ready 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 noth-
            ing.  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 de-
            tails), calc will close standard input (stdin) during  startup  UN-
            LESS  the  -p flag is given on the command line.  When calc is run-
            ning 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  val-
            ues 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, brack-
     ets, 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 op-
     tion  (which it is not) and do calc objects to that it thinks of as an un-
     known option.  These cases can usually be made to work as expected by  en-
     closing 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  di-
     rectory .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  in-
     voked  without  either the -q or -e flags, these files are read in succes-
     sion 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/lib/myfile
          /usr/lib/myfile.cal
          /usr/share/calc/custom/myfile
          /usr/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 directo-
     ries, 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  ab-
     solute  pathname of the calc program and the first line ends with the flag
     -f as in:

          #!/usr/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  op-
     tional_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 "com-
     mand" 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/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 stan-
     dard 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, modu-
     lus, 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 pro-
     cedure.   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 `` '' expan-
     sion 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 op-
     erations,  function calls.  These commands are very similar to their coun-
     terparts in C.

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

     For more information use the following calc command:

          help command
          help statement
          help expression
          help operator
          help config

FILES
     /usr/bin/calc
          calc binary

     /usr/bin/cscript/*
          calc shell scripts

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

     /usr/lib/help/*
          help files

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

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

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

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

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

     /usr/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/share/calc:/usr/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/share/calc/startup

     CALCBINDINGS
          On startup (unless -h or -q was given on the command line, or -m dis-
          allows 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 sup-
          port.  In that case, the  standard  readline  mechanisms  (see  read-
          line(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 sup-
          port.

     CALCHELP
          Location of the calc help directory.

          Default value: /usr/share/calc/help

     CALCCUSTOMHELP
          Location of the calc custom help directory.

          Default value: /usr/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 Justus-
     son, 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  ac-
     tual  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  Li-
     cense,  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  Gen-
     eral 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 informa-
     tion 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  sub-
     mit 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 recom-
     mended stable release.

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