1libppl_c(3) libppl_c overview libppl_c(3)
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6 libppl_c - the C interface of the Parma Polyhedra Library
7
9 #include <ppl_c.h>
10 cc file.c -lppl
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15 This is a short overview on how to use the Parma Polyhedra Library
16 (PPL) in your C programs on Unix-like operating systems. Note that the
17 PPL has interfaces also for C++, Java, OCaml and a number of Prolog
18 systems: look elsewhere for documentation on those. Note also that the
19 present document does not describe the library functionality, its
20 classes or its methods and functions: see The Parma Polyhedra Library
21 User's Manual (version 1.2) and The Parma Polyhedra Library C Language
22 Interface User's Manual (version 1.2) for this kind of information.
23
26 The C interface of the PPL has only one header file, named ppl_c.h. So
27 your program should contain a directive of the form
28 #include <ppl_c.h>
30 Of course, you must make sure you installed the PPL in a place where
32 the compiler can find it, either by itself or with the help of a suit‐
33 able -Idir command line option (see the file INSTALL for information on
34 how to configure the library so that it is installed in the place of
35 your choice).
36
39 In order to initialize the Parma Polyhedra Library you must call the
40 function
41 int ppl_initialize(void)
43 before using any of its functionalities. It is also a good norm to
45 call the function
46 int ppl_finalize(void)
48 when you are done with the library.
50
53 Keeping in mind that there is no substitute for a careful reading of
54 The Parma Polyhedra Library User's Manual (version 1.2) and The Parma
55 Polyhedra Library C Language Interface User's Manual (version 1.2) you
56 can find examples of use in the directories interfaces/C/tests and
57 demos/ppl_lpsol of the source distribution.
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61 Linking with the C interface of the Parma Polyhedra Library is best
62 done using the C compiler itself: usually, specifying the -lppl_c com‐
63 mand line option is enough. In fact, if you use a shared version of
64 the library, this automatically records the dependency from the PPL
65 core and the GMP libraries, something that the linker ought to deal
66 with gracefully. Otherwise you will have to add -lppl -lgmpxx -lgmp to
67 the command line. Things are more complex if you installed the PPL
68 into some nonstandard place. In this case you will have to use the
69 -Ldir option and, if you use a shared version of the library, possible
70 take further steps: see the documentation of your system for more
71 information on this subject (the Program Library HOWTO is especially
72 valuable for GNU/Linux users).
73
76 All the PPL C interface functions return an int: a negative value means
77 that an error occurred. See The Parma Polyhedra Library C Language
78 Interface User's Manual (version 1.2) for the error codes.
79
82 One of the interesting features of the Parma Polyhedra Library is the
83 possibility to implement memory-guarded computations. The idea is that
84 you can limit the amount of virtual memory available to the process,
85 launch a PPL computation, and be ready to be returned a
86 PPL_ERROR_OUT_OF_MEMORY error code. You can then take the appropriate
87 corrective measures (e.g., simplify the polyhedra and/or select less
88 precise though less complex algorithms), and restart the computation.
89 In order to do that, you should define alternative memory allocation
90 functions for GMP that throw std::bad_alloc upon memory exhaustion.
91 See libppl(3) for instructions on how to do that.
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95 At initialization time, the Parma Polyhedra Library sets the FPU round‐
96 ing mode in a way that allows its floating-point-based computations to
97 be conservative (i.e., possibly approximated but correct) and reason‐
98 ably efficient. In case your application itself uses native floating
99 point numbers and relies on a particular rounding mode (if you are in
100 doubt, assume that it does rely on round-to-nearest to be in effect),
101 you should use the function
102 int ppl_restore_pre_PPL_rounding()
104 after the PPL initialization and before using native floating point
106 numbers in the application. If your application does not use any
107 floating-point-based PPL abstraction, no further measure should be
108 taken. Otherwise, it is imperative to call the function
109 int ppl_set_rounding_for_PPL()
111 before invoking any PPL interface related to such abstractions.
113
117 ppl-config(1)
118 libppl(3)
120 Roberto Bagnara, Patricia M. Hill, and Enea Zaffanella. The Parma
122 Polyhedra Library User's Manual (version 1.2), available (in several
123 formats) at http://bugseng.com/products/ppl/ .
124 Roberto Bagnara, Patricia M. Hill, and Enea Zaffanella. The Parma
126 Polyhedra Library C Language Interface User's Manual (version 1.2),
127 available (in several formats) at http://bugseng.com/products/ppl/ .
128 David A. Wheeler. Program Library HOWTO, available (in several for‐
130 mats) at http://www.dwheeler.com/program-library/ .
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134 The latest version of the Parma Polyhedra Library and all the documen‐
135 tation is available at http://bugseng.com/products/ppl/ .
136
139 See the file CREDITS in the source distribution or use the command
140 ppl-config --credits for a list of contributors.
141
144 Report bugs to <ppl-devel@cs.unipr.it>.
145
148 Copyright (C) 2001-2010 Roberto Bagnara <bagnara@cs.unipr.it> Copyright
149 (C) 2010-2016 BUGSENG srl (http://bugseng.com)
150 This is free software; see the file COPYING in the source distribution
151 or use the command ppl-config --copying to obtain the copying condi‐
152 tions. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS
153 FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
154PPL 1.2 February 2016 libppl_c(3)