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 inte‐
              gers.  After an optional leading sign a  leading  zero  indicates
              octal conversion, and a leading ``0x'' or ``0X'' hexadecimal con‐
              version.  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  equiva‐
              lent  to  the  calc command help help.  The help facility is dis‐
              abled 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 com‐
              mands.

       -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  configura‐
              tion.   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
              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  ex‐
              ample,  this will disable the use of the common calcrc file (usu‐
              ally ~/.calcrc).

       -s     By default, all calc_cmd args are evaluated and  executed.   This
              flag  will  disable their evaluation and instead make them avail‐
              able 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  accord‐
       ing as the -i flag was present or absent.

       If  -s  is  given, calc will not evaluate any calc_cmd arguments but in‐
       stead 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
       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  his‐
       tory substitution, it may be necessary to include a space or use a back‐
       slash 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 re‐
       source  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  de‐
       fined, $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/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 $CAL‐
       CPATH in the same way as PATH is defined, as a ':' separated list of di‐
       rectories, 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
       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  it‐
       self.

       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.  There‐
       fore:

            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  al‐
       ways  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" re‐
       sult 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 includ‐
       ing 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 `` '' ex‐
       pansion 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  it‐
       self.  These include commands such as function definition, help, reading
       in  resource files, dump files to a file, error notification, configura‐
       tion control 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/share/doc/calc/examples/*
            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/local/share/calc:
            /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/local/share/calc/startup:
            /usr/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 bind‐
            ing 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 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
            support.

       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
       actual code which I gratefully accepted.  Ernest also supplied the orig‐
       inal text for many of the help files.

       Portions of this program are derived from an earlier set of  public  do‐
       main  arbitrarily  precision routines which was posted to the net around
       1984.  By now, there is almost no recognizable code left from that orig‐
       inal 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 dis‐
       tribute 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 Pub‐
       lic License, and in particular the conditions under which  you  are  al‐
       lowed 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  infor‐
       mation on this license, see:

            https://unlicense.org

CALC QUESTIONS
       To  ask the calc maintainers a general question about calc, see the out‐
       put 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  rec‐
       ommended stable release.

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