This module wraps the MPFR library functions. The MPFR library is a C library for multiple-precision floating-point computations with exact rounding (also called correct rounding). It is based on the GMP multiple-precision C library. The main goal of MPFR is to provide a library for multiple-precision floating-point computation which is both efficient and has a well-defined semantics. It copies the good ideas from the ANSI/IEEE-754 standard for double-precision floating-point arithmetic (53-bit mantissa). It also offers a wide range of trig, log, and other functions, and constants. MPFR, like GMP, is free. It is distributed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (GNU Lesser GPL). Because this module wraps the MPFR functions, it requires that both the GMP C library and the MPFR C library have been installed. For the GMP library see: http://gmplib.org For the MPFR library see: http://www.mpfr.org Minimum required version of gmp is gmp-4.2.0. Minimum required version of mpfr is mpfr-2.4.0. Some features of Math::MPFR require later versions of the gmp and mpfr libraries. You'll get errors if you try to build Math::MPFR against an insufficiently recent version of the mpfr library. To build this module you need perl 5.6.0 or later. I'm not sure of all the requirements to get it to build with earlier versions of perl, but it's definite that the XS code relating to operator overloading will not compile with perl versions prior to 5.6. Build in the usual way: perl Makefile.PL make make test make install When building this module, the GMP and MPFR libraries will need to be accessible. If those files are in a location where your compiler does not find them by default, then instead of running 'perl Makefile.PL', you'll need to run: perl Makefile.pl INC="-I/path/to/gmp_includes -I/path/to/mpfr_includes" LIBS="-L/path/to/mpfr_lib -lmpfr -L/path/to/gmp_lib -lgmp" ================================== 64-bit-int and long double support ================================== If your perl's Config reports that 'ivsize' is greater than or equal to 8, then Math::MPFR will, by default, be built with access to the mpfr_*_uj and mpfr_*_sj functions. Else, access to those functions is, by default, denied. You can override the default by opening up the Makefile.PL and uncommenting the appropriate line (just a few lines down from the top of the file ... the comments in that file should make it clear). Similarly, if your perl's Config reports that 'nvsize' is greater than 8 then Math::MPFR will, by default, be built with access to the mpfr_*_ld functions. Else, access to those functions is, by default, denied. Again, you can override the default by opening up the Makefile.PL and uncommenting the appropriate line. I believe it to be both unnecessary and inadvisable to override the default - but if you do find that you need to override the default, please let me know. That you have found it necessary to override the default is something I probably ought to know about. I am contactable by email at sisyphus at(@) cpan dot (.) org. ========================================================= Conversion between Math::Decimal64 and Math::MPFR objects ========================================================= The functions Rmpfr_set_decimal64 and Rmpfr_get_decimal64 allow conversion between Math::Decimal64 (_Decimal64) and Math::MPFR (mpfr_t) objects. For this feature to be available you firstly need a compiler that has the _Decimal64 data type. Then you need to build and install Math::Decimal64. You'll also need to have the mpfr library (version 3.1.1 at least) configured to handle the _Decimal64-mpfr_t conversions. See the mpfr documentation for details of that aspect. If those pre-conditions are met, you also need to provide D64=1 as a command line argument to 'perl Makefile.PL'. (Altenatively you could edit the Makefile.PL before building Math::MPFR and set its $have_decimal64 variable to 1.) Similarly, ensuring that Decimal64 support is *not* built in can be achieved by leaving $have_decimal64 set to zero. ========================================================== Conversion between Math::LongDouble and Math::MPFR objects ========================================================== There are 2 functions provided for conversion between Math::LongDouble and Math::MPFR objects: Rmpfr_set_LD (assign the value of a Math::LongDouble object to a Math::MPFR object) Rmpfr_get_LD (assign the value of a Math::MPFR object to a Math::Long Double object) If your perl's nvtype is long double, just use Rmpfr_set_ld and Rmpfr_get_ld instead. Math::LongDouble provides 'long double' support for perls whose nvtype is 'double'.