Provided by: libppl-dev_1.1-1ubuntu1_amd64 
NAME
libppl_c - the C interface of the Parma Polyhedra Library
SYNOPSIS
#include <ppl_c.h>
cc file.c -lppl
DESCRIPTION
This is a short overview on how to use the Parma Polyhedra Library (PPL) in your C
programs on Unix-like operating systems. Note that the PPL has interfaces also for C++,
Java, OCaml and a number of Prolog systems: look elsewhere for documentation on those.
Note also that the present document does not describe the library functionality, its
classes or its methods and functions: see The Parma Polyhedra Library User's Manual
(version 1.0) and The Parma Polyhedra Library C Language Interface User's Manual (version
1.0) for this kind of information.
INCLUDING THE HEADER FILE
The C interface of the PPL has only one header file, named ppl_c.h. So your program
should contain a directive of the form
#include <ppl_c.h>
Of course, you must make sure you installed the PPL in a place where the compiler can find
it, either by itself or with the help of a suitable -Idir command line option (see the
file INSTALL for information on how to configure the library so that it is installed in
the place of your choice).
INITIALIZING AND FINALIZING THE LIBRARY
In order to initialize the Parma Polyhedra Library you must call the function
int ppl_initialize(void)
before using any of its functionalities. It is also a good norm to call the function
int ppl_finalize(void)
when you are done with the library.
USING THE LIBRARY
Keeping in mind that there is no substitute for a careful reading of The Parma Polyhedra
Library User's Manual (version 1.0) and The Parma Polyhedra Library C Language Interface
User's Manual (version 1.0) you can find examples of use in the directories
interfaces/C/tests and demos/ppl_lpsol of the source distribution.
LINKING WITH THE LIBRARY
Linking with the C interface of the Parma Polyhedra Library is best done using the C
compiler itself: usually, specifying the -lppl_c command line option is enough. In fact,
if you use a shared version of the library, this automatically records the dependency from
the PPL core and the GMP libraries, something that the linker ought to deal with
gracefully. Otherwise you will have to add -lppl -lgmpxx -lgmp to the command line.
Things are more complex if you installed the PPL into some nonstandard place. In this
case you will have to use the -Ldir option and, if you use a shared version of the
library, possible take further steps: see the documentation of your system for more
information on this subject (the Program Library HOWTO is especially valuable for
GNU/Linux users).
RETURN VALUES
All the PPL C interface functions return an int: a negative value means that an error
occurred. See The Parma Polyhedra Library C Language Interface User's Manual (version
1.0) for the error codes.
IMPLEMENTING MEMORY-GUARDED COMPUTATIONS
One of the interesting features of the Parma Polyhedra Library is the possibility to
implement memory-guarded computations. The idea is that you can limit the amount of
virtual memory available to the process, launch a PPL computation, and be ready to be
returned a PPL_ERROR_OUT_OF_MEMORY error code. You can then take the appropriate
corrective measures (e.g., simplify the polyhedra and/or select less precise though less
complex algorithms), and restart the computation. In order to do that, you should define
alternative memory allocation functions for GMP that throw std::bad_alloc upon memory
exhaustion. See libppl(3) for instructions on how to do that.
USING NATIVE FLOATING POINT NUMBERS
At initialization time, the Parma Polyhedra Library sets the FPU rounding mode in a way
that allows its floating-point-based computations to be conservative (i.e., possibly
approximated but correct) and reasonably efficient. In case your application itself uses
native floating point numbers and relies on a particular rounding mode (if you are in
doubt, assume that it does rely on round-to-nearest to be in effect), you should use the
function
int ppl_restore_pre_PPL_rounding()
after the PPL initialization and before using native floating point numbers in the
application. If your application does not use any floating-point-based PPL abstraction,
no further measure should be taken. Otherwise, it is imperative to call the function
int ppl_set_rounding_for_PPL()
before invoking any PPL interface related to such abstractions.
SEE ALSO
ppl-config(1)
libppl(3)
Roberto Bagnara, Patricia M. Hill, and Enea Zaffanella. The Parma Polyhedra Library
User's Manual (version 1.0), available (in several formats) at
http://bugseng.com/products/ppl/ .
Roberto Bagnara, Patricia M. Hill, and Enea Zaffanella. The Parma Polyhedra Library C
Language Interface User's Manual (version 1.0), available (in several formats) at
http://bugseng.com/products/ppl/ .
David A. Wheeler. Program Library HOWTO, available (in several formats) at
http://www.dwheeler.com/program-library/ .
AVAILABILITY
The latest version of the Parma Polyhedra Library and all the documentation is available
at http://bugseng.com/products/ppl/ .
AUTHOR
See the file CREDITS in the source distribution or use the command ppl-config --credits
for a list of contributors.
REPORTING BUGS
Report bugs to <ppl-devel@cs.unipr.it>.
COPYRIGHT AND NO WARRANTY
Copyright (C) 2001-2010 Roberto Bagnara <bagnara@cs.unipr.it> Copyright (C) 2010-2013
BUGSENG srl (http://bugseng.com)
This is free software; see the file COPYING in the source distribution or use the command
ppl-config --copying to obtain the copying conditions. There is NO warranty; not even for
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.