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This is dc.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.3 from dc.texi.
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This is dc.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.8 from dc.texi.
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* dc: (dc). Arbitrary precision RPN "Desktop Calculator".
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This file documents `dc', an arbitrary precision calculator.
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Published by the Free Software Foundation, Inc. 59 Temple Place,
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Suite 330 Boston, MA 02111 USA
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Published by the Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin Street,
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Fifth Floor Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
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Copyright (C) 1984, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000 Free Software Foundation,
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Copyright (C) 1984, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2006 Free Software
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Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
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manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
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File: dc.info, Node: Introduction, Next: Invocation, Prev: Top, Up: Top
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`dc' is a reverse-polish desk calculator which supports unlimited
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`dc' is a reverse-polish desk calculator which supports unlimited
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precision arithmetic. It also allows you to define and call macros.
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Normally `dc' reads from the standard input; if any command arguments
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are given to it, they are filenames, and `dc' reads and executes the
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normal output is to standard output; all error messages are written to
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To exit, use `q'. `C-c' does not exit; it is used to abort macros
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that are looping, etc. (Currently this is not true; `C-c' does exit.)
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To exit, use `q'. `C-c' (or whatever other keystroke your system
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uses to generate a `SIGINT') does not exit; it is used to abort macros
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that are looping, etc.
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A reverse-polish calculator stores numbers on a stack. Entering a
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number pushes it on the stack. Arithmetic operations pop arguments off
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the stack and push the results.
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To enter a number in `dc', type the digits, with an optional decimal
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point. Exponential notation is not supported. To enter a negative
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number, begin the number with `_'. `-' cannot be used for this, as it
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is a binary operator for subtraction instead. To enter two numbers in
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succession, separate them with spaces or newlines. These have no
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To enter a number in `dc', type the digits (using upper case letters
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`A' through `F' as "digits" when working with input bases greater than
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ten), with an optional decimal point. Exponential notation is not
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supported. To enter a negative number, begin the number with `_'. `-'
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cannot be used for this, as it is a binary operator for subtraction
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instead. To enter two numbers in succession, separate them with spaces
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or newlines; these have no meaning as commands.
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File: dc.info, Node: Invocation, Next: Printing Commands, Prev: Introduction, Up: Top
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`dc' may be invoked with the following command-line options:
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`dc' may be invoked with the following command-line options:
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`--expression=EXPR'
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File: dc.info, Node: Printing Commands, Next: Arithmetic, Prev: Invocation, Up: Top
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Prints the value on the top of the stack, without altering the
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code is due to the ~ computing the characters backwards, and the
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desire to ensure that all registers wind up back in their original
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states.) (Details of the behavior with a number are a GNU
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extension. Traditional `dc' happened to "support" similar
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functionality for a limited range of inputs as an accidental
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side-effect of its internal representation of numbers.)
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Prints the entire contents of the stack without altering anything.
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This is a good command to use if you are lost or want to figure
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out what the effect of some command has been.
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All numeric output is split to fit within 70 columns, by default.
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When a number is broken up in this way, the split is indicated by a "\"
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at the end of the to-be-continued output lines. The column width at
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which output is split can be overridden by setting the DC_LINE_LENGTH
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environment variable to the desired width. A DC_LINE_LENGTH of 0
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(zero) disables the line-split feature altogether. Invalid values of
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DC_LINE_LENGTH are silently ignored. (The DC_LINE_LENGTH variable is a
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File: dc.info, Node: Arithmetic, Next: Stack Control, Prev: Printing Commands, Up: Top
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Pops two values off the stack, adds them, and pushes the result.
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File: dc.info, Node: Stack Control, Next: Registers, Prev: Arithmetic, Up: Top
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Clears the stack, rendering it empty.
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File: dc.info, Node: Registers, Next: Parameters, Prev: Stack Control, Up: Top
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`dc' provides at least 256 memory registers(1), each named by a
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single character. You can store a number in a register and retrieve it
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`dc' provides at least 256 memory registers(1), each named by a single
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character. You can store a number in a register and retrieve it later.
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Pop the value off the top of the stack and store it into register
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File: dc.info, Node: Parameters, Next: Strings, Prev: Registers, Up: Top
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`dc' has three parameters that control its operation: the precision,
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`dc' has three parameters that control its operation: the precision,
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the input radix, and the output radix. The precision specifies the
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number of fraction digits to keep in the result of most arithmetic
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operations. The input radix controls the interpretation of numbers
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Pushes the current precision on the stack.
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File: dc.info, Node: Strings, Next: Status Inquiry, Prev: Parameters, Up: Top
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`dc' has a limited ability to operate on strings as well as on
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numbers; the only things you can do with strings are print them and
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execute them as macros (which means that the contents of the string are
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processed as `dc' commands). Both registers and the stack can hold
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strings, and `dc' always knows whether any given object is a string or
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a number. Some commands such as arithmetic operations demand numbers
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as arguments and print errors if given strings. Other commands can
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accept either a number or a string; for example, the `p' command can
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accept either and prints the object according to its type.
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`dc' has a limited ability to operate on strings as well as on numbers;
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the only things you can do with strings are print them and execute them
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as macros (which means that the contents of the string are processed as
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`dc' commands). Both registers and the stack can hold strings, and
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`dc' always knows whether any given object is a string or a number.
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Some commands such as arithmetic operations demand numbers as arguments
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and print errors if given strings. Other commands can accept either a
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number or a string; for example, the `p' command can accept either and
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prints the object according to its type.
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Makes a string containing CHARACTERS and pushes it on the stack.
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File: dc.info, Node: Status Inquiry, Next: Miscellaneous, Prev: Strings, Up: Top
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Pops a value off the stack, calculates the number of digits it has
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(or number of characters, if it is a string) and pushes that
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Note that the digit count for a number does _not_ include any
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leading zeros, even if those appear to the right of the radix
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point. This may seem a bit strange at first, but it is compatable
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with historical implementations of `dc', and can be argued to be
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useful for computing the magnitude of a value: `dSaXLaZ-' will
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compute the power-of-ten multiplier which would be needed to shift
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the decimal point to be immediately before the leftmost non-zero
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Pops a value off the stack, calculates the number of fraction
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digits it has, and pushes that number. For a string, the value
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File: dc.info, Node: Reporting bugs, Prev: Miscellaneous, Up: Top
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Email bug reports to <bug-dc@gnu.org>.
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Email bug reports to <bug-dc@gnu.org>.
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Node: Introduction1664
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Node: Invocation2889
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Node: Printing Commands3739
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Node: Arithmetic5101
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Node: Stack Control8014
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Ref: Registers-Footnote-19461
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Node: Parameters9613
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Node: Status Inquiry14033
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Node: Miscellaneous14590
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Node: Reporting bugs15557
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Node: Introduction1688
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Node: Invocation3037
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Node: Printing Commands3888
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Node: Arithmetic5933
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Node: Stack Control8850
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Ref: Registers-Footnote-110302
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Node: Parameters10454
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Node: Status Inquiry14876
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Node: Miscellaneous15936
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Node: Reporting bugs16909
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