Main index | Section 3 | Options |
#include <libutil.h>
If the formatted number (including suffix) would be too long to fit into buf, then divide number by 1024 until it will. In this case, prefix suffix with the appropriate designator. The humanize_number() function follows the traditional computer science conventions by default, rather than the IEE/IEC (and now also SI) power of two convention or the power of ten notion. This behaviour however can be altered by specifying the HN_DIVISOR_1000 and HN_IEC_PREFIXES flags.
The traditional (default) prefixes are:
Prefix | Description | Multiplier | Multiplier 1000x |
(note) | kilo | 1024 | 1000 |
M | mega | 1048576 | 1000000 |
G | giga | 1073741824 | 1000000000 |
T | tera | 1099511627776 | 1000000000000 |
P | peta | 1125899906842624 | 1000000000000000 |
E | exa | 1152921504606846976 | 1000000000000000000 |
Note: An uppercase K indicates a power of two, a lowercase k a power of ten.
The IEE/IEC (and now also SI) power of two prefixes are:
Prefix | Description | Multiplier |
Ki | kibi | 1024 |
Mi | mebi | 1048576 |
Gi | gibi | 1073741824 |
Ti | tebi | 1099511627776 |
Pi | pebi | 1125899906842624 |
Ei | exbi | 1152921504606846976 |
The len argument must be at least 4 plus the length of suffix, in order to ensure a useful result is generated into buf. To use a specific prefix, specify this as scale (multiplier = 1024 ^ scale; when HN_DIVISOR_1000 is specified, multiplier = 1000 ^ scale ). This cannot be combined with any of the scale flags below.
The following flags may be passed in scale:
HN_AUTOSCALE | Format the buffer using the lowest multiplier possible. |
HN_GETSCALE | Return the prefix index number (the number of times number must be divided to fit) instead of formatting it to the buffer. |
The following flags may be passed in flags:
HN_DECIMAL | If the final result is less than 10, display it using one decimal place. |
HN_NOSPACE | Do not put a space between number and the prefix. |
HN_B | Use ‘B’ (bytes) as prefix if the original result does not have a prefix. |
HN_DIVISOR_1000 | |
Divide number with 1000 instead of 1024. | |
HN_IEC_PREFIXES | |
Use the IEE/IEC notion of prefixes (Ki, Mi, Gi...). This flag has no effect when HN_DIVISOR_1000 is also specified. | |
HUMANIZE_NUMBER (3) | October 7, 2013 |
Main index | Section 3 | Options |
Please direct any comments about this manual page service to Ben Bullock. Privacy policy.
“ | This philosophy, in the hands of amateurs, leads to inexplicably mind-numbing botches like the existence of two programs, “head” and “tail,” which print the first part or the last part of a file, depending. Even though their operations are duals of one another, “head” and “tail” are different programs, written by different authors, and take different options! | ” |
— The Unix Haters' handbook |