Bit::Vector::Overload - phpMan

Bit::Vector::Overload(User Contributed Perl DocumentatBit::Vector::Overload(3)

NAME
       Bit::Vector::Overload - Overloaded operators add-on for Bit::Vector
USAGE
       Note that you do not need to ""use Bit::Vector;"" in addition to this
       module.
       Simply ""use Bit::Vector::Overload;"" INSTEAD of ""use Bit::Vector;"".
       You can still use all the methods from the "Bit::Vector" module in
       addition to the overloaded operators and methods provided here after
       that.
SYNOPSIS
         Configuration
             $config = Bit::Vector->Configuration();
             Bit::Vector->Configuration($config);
             $oldconfig = Bit::Vector->Configuration($newconfig);
         String Conversion
             $string = "$vector";             #  depending on configuration
             print "\$vector = '$vector'\n";
         Emptyness
             if ($vector)  #  if not empty (non-zero)
             if (! $vector)  #  if empty (zero)
             unless ($vector)  #  if empty (zero)
         Complement (one's complement)
             $vector2 = ~$vector1;
             $vector = ~$vector;
         Negation (two's complement)
             $vector2 = -$vector1;
             $vector = -$vector;
         Norm
             $norm = abs($vector);  #  depending on configuration
         Absolute
             $vector2 = abs($vector1);  #  depending on configuration
         Concatenation
             $vector3 = $vector1 . $vector2;
             $vector1 .= $vector2;
             $vector1 = $vector2 . $vector1;
             $vector2 = $vector1 . $scalar;  #  depending on configuration
             $vector2 = $scalar . $vector1;
             $vector .= $scalar;
         Duplication
             $vector2 = $vector1 x $factor;
             $vector x= $factor;
         Shift Left
             $vector2 = $vector1 << $bits;
             $vector <<= $bits;
         Shift Right
             $vector2 = $vector1 >> $bits;
             $vector >>= $bits;
         Union
             $vector3 = $vector1 | $vector2;
             $vector1 |= $vector2;
             $vector2 = $vector1 | $scalar;
             $vector |= $scalar;
             $vector3 = $vector1 + $vector2;  #  depending on configuration
             $vector1 += $vector2;
             $vector2 = $vector1 + $scalar;
             $vector += $scalar;
         Intersection
             $vector3 = $vector1 & $vector2;
             $vector1 &= $vector2;
             $vector2 = $vector1 & $scalar;
             $vector &= $scalar;
             $vector3 = $vector1 * $vector2;  #  depending on configuration
             $vector1 *= $vector2;
             $vector2 = $vector1 * $scalar;
             $vector *= $scalar;
         ExclusiveOr
             $vector3 = $vector1 ^ $vector2;
             $vector1 ^= $vector2;
             $vector2 = $vector1 ^ $scalar;
             $vector ^= $scalar;
         Set Difference
             $vector3 = $vector1 - $vector2;  #  depending on configuration
             $vector1 -= $vector2;
             $vector1 = $vector2 - $vector1;
             $vector2 = $vector1 - $scalar;
             $vector2 = $scalar - $vector1;
             $vector -= $scalar;
         Addition
             $vector3 = $vector1 + $vector2;  #  depending on configuration
             $vector1 += $vector2;
             $vector2 = $vector1 + $scalar;
             $vector += $scalar;
         Subtraction
             $vector3 = $vector1 - $vector2;  #  depending on configuration
             $vector1 -= $vector2;
             $vector1 = $vector2 - $vector1;
             $vector2 = $vector1 - $scalar;
             $vector2 = $scalar - $vector1;
             $vector -= $scalar;
         Multiplication
             $vector3 = $vector1 * $vector2;  #  depending on configuration
             $vector1 *= $vector2;
             $vector2 = $vector1 * $scalar;
             $vector *= $scalar;
         Division
             $vector3 = $vector1 / $vector2;
             $vector1 /= $vector2;
             $vector1 = $vector2 / $vector1;
             $vector2 = $vector1 / $scalar;
             $vector2 = $scalar / $vector1;
             $vector /= $scalar;
         Modulo
             $vector3 = $vector1 % $vector2;
             $vector1 %= $vector2;
             $vector1 = $vector2 % $vector1;
             $vector2 = $vector1 % $scalar;
             $vector2 = $scalar % $vector1;
             $vector %= $scalar;
         Exponentiation
             $vector3 = $vector1 ** $vector2;
             $vector1 **= $vector2;
             $vector2 = $vector1 ** $scalar;
             $vector2 = $scalar ** $vector1;
             $vector **= $scalar;
         Increment
             ++$vector;
             $vector++;
         Decrement
             --$vector;
             $vector--;
         Lexical Comparison (unsigned)
             $cmp = $vector1 cmp $vector2;
             if ($vector1 lt $vector2)
             if ($vector1 le $vector2)
             if ($vector1 gt $vector2)
             if ($vector1 ge $vector2)
             $cmp = $vector cmp $scalar;
             if ($vector lt $scalar)
             if ($vector le $scalar)
             if ($vector gt $scalar)
             if ($vector ge $scalar)
         Comparison (signed)
             $cmp = $vector1 <=> $vector2;
             if ($vector1 < $vector2)  #  depending on configuration
             if ($vector1 <= $vector2)
             if ($vector1 > $vector2)
             if ($vector1 >= $vector2)
             $cmp = $vector <=> $scalar;
             if ($vector < $scalar)  #  depending on configuration
             if ($vector <= $scalar)
             if ($vector > $scalar)
             if ($vector >= $scalar)
         Equality
             if ($vector1 eq $vector2)
             if ($vector1 ne $vector2)
             if ($vector eq $scalar)
             if ($vector ne $scalar)
             if ($vector1 == $vector2)
             if ($vector1 != $vector2)
             if ($vector == $scalar)
             if ($vector != $scalar)
         Subset Relationship
             if ($vector1 <= $vector2)  #  depending on configuration
         True Subset Relationship
             if ($vector1 < $vector2)  #  depending on configuration
         Superset Relationship
             if ($vector1 >= $vector2)  #  depending on configuration
         True Superset Relationship
             if ($vector1 > $vector2)  #  depending on configuration
IMPORTANT NOTES
       o Boolean values
         Boolean values in this module are always a numeric zero ("0") for
         "false" and a numeric one ("1") for "true".
       o Negative numbers
         Numeric factors (as needed for the ""<<"", "">>"" and ""x""
         operators) and bit numbers are always regarded as being UNSIGNED.
         As a consequence, whenever you pass a negative number for such a
         factor or bit number, it will be treated as a (usually very large)
         positive number due to its internal two's complement binary
         representation, usually resulting in malfunctions or an "index out of
         range" error message and program abortion.
         Note that this does not apply to "big integer" decimal numbers, which
         are (usually) passed as strings, and which may of course be negative
         (see also the section "Big integers" a little further below).
       o Overloaded operators configuration
         Note that the behaviour of certain overloaded operators can be
         changed in various ways by means of the ""Configuration()"" method
         (for more details, see the description of this method further below).
         For instance, scalars (i.e., numbers and strings) provided as
         operands to overloaded operators are automatically converted to bit
         vectors, internally.
         These scalars are thereby automatically assumed to be indices or to
         be in hexadecimal, binary, decimal or enumeration format, depending
         on the configuration.
         Similarly, when converting bit vectors to strings using double quotes
         (""), the output format will also depend on the previously chosen
         configuration.
         Finally, some overloaded operators may have different semantics
         depending on the proper configuration; for instance, the operator "+"
         can be the "union" operator from set theory or the arithmetic "add"
         operator.
         In all cases (input, output and operator semantics), the defaults
         have been chosen in such a way so that the behaviour of the module is
         backward compatible with previous versions.
       o "Big integers"
         As long as "big integers" (for "big integer" arithmetic) are small
         enough so that Perl doesn't need scientific notation (exponents) to
         be able to represent them internally, you can provide these "big
         integer" constants to the overloaded operators of this module (or to
         the method ""from_Dec()"") in numeric form (i.e., either as a numeric
         constant or expression or as a Perl variable containing a numeric
         value).
         Note that you will get an error message (resulting in program
         abortion) if your "big integer" numbers exceed that limit.
         Because this limit is machine-dependent and not obvious to find out,
         it is strongly recommended that you enclose ALL your "big integer"
         constants in your programs in (double or single) quotes.
         Examples:
             $vector /= 10;  #  ok because number is small
             $vector /= -10;  #  ok for same reason
             $vector /= "10";  #  always correct
             $vector += "1152921504606846976";  #  quotes probably required here
         All examples assume
             Bit::Vector->Configuration("input=decimal");
         having been set beforehand.
         Note also that this module does not support scientific notation
         (exponents) for "big integer" decimal numbers because you can always
         make the bit vector large enough for the whole number to fit without
         loss of precision (as it would occur if scientific notation were
         used).
         Finally, note that the only characters allowed in "big integer"
         constant strings are the digits 0..9 and an optional leading sign
         (""+"" or ""-"").
         All other characters produce a syntax error.
       o Valid operands for overloaded operators
         All overloaded operators expect at least one bit vector operand, in
         order for the operator to "know" that not the usual operation is to
         be carried out, but rather the overloaded variant.
         This is especially true for all unary operators:
                             "$vector"
                             if ($vector)
                             if (!$vector)
                             ~$vector
                             -$vector
                             abs($vector)
                             ++$vector
                             $vector++
                             --$vector
                             $vector--
         For obvious reasons the left operand (the "lvalue") of all assignment
         operators is also required to be a bit vector:
                                 .=
                                 x=
                                 <<=
                                 >>=
                                 |=
                                 &=
                                 ^=
                                 +=
                                 -=
                                 *=
                                 /=
                                 %=
                                **=
         In the case of three special operators, namely ""<<"", "">>"" and
         ""x"", as well as their related assignment variants, ""<<="", "">>=""
         and ""x="", the left operand is ALWAYS a bit vector and the right
         operand is ALWAYS a number (which is the factor indicating how many
         times the operator is to be applied).
         In all truly binary operators, i.e.,
                                 .
                                 |
                                 &
                                 ^
                                 +
                                 -
                                 *
                                 /
                                 %
                                **
                             <=>   cmp
                              ==    eq
                              !=    ne
                              <     lt
                              <=    le
                              >     gt
                              >=    ge
         one of either operands may be replaced by a Perl scalar, i.e., a
         number or a string, either as a Perl constant, a Perl expression or a
         Perl variable yielding a number or a string.
         The same applies to the right side operand (the "rvalue") of the
         remaining assignment operators, i.e.,
                                 .=
                                 |=
                                 &=
                                 ^=
                                 +=
                                 -=
                                 *=
                                 /=
                                 %=
                                **=
         Note that this Perl scalar should be of the correct type, i.e.,
         numeric or string, for the chosen configuration, because otherwise a
         warning message will occur if your program runs under the ""-w""
         switch of Perl.
         The acceptable scalar types for each possible configuration are the
         following:
             input = bit indices    (default)  :    numeric
             input = hexadecimal               :    string
             input = binary                    :    string
             input = decimal                   :    string     (in general)
             input = decimal                   :    numeric    (if small enough)
             input = enumeration               :    string
         NOTE ALSO THAT THESE SCALAR OPERANDS ARE CONVERTED TO BIT VECTORS OF
         THE SAME SIZE AS THE BIT VECTOR WHICH IS THE OTHER OPERAND.
         The only exception from this rule is the concatenation operator
         (""."") and its assignment variant ("".=""):
         If one of the two operands of the concatenation operator (""."") is
         not a bit vector object but a Perl scalar, the contents of the
         remaining bit vector operand are converted into a string (the format
         of which depends on the configuration set with the
         ""Configuration()"" method), which is then concatenated in the proper
         order (i.e., as indicated by the order of the two operands) with the
         Perl scalar (in other words, a string is returned in such a case
         instead of a bit vector object!).
         If the right side operand (the "rvalue") of the assignment variant
         ("".="") of the concatenation operator is a Perl scalar, it is
         converted internally to a bit vector of the same size as the left
         side operand provided that the configuration states that scalars are
         to be regarded as indices, decimal strings or enumerations.
         If the configuration states that scalars are to be regarded as
         hexadecimal or boolean strings, however, these strings are converted
         to bit vectors of a size matching the length of the input string,
         i.e., four times the length for hexadecimal strings (because each
         hexadecimal digit is worth 4 bits) and once the length for binary
         strings.
         If a decimal number ("big integer") is too large to be stored in a
         bit vector of the given size, a "numeric overflow error" occurs.
         If a bit index is out of range for the given bit vector, an "index
         out of range" error occurs.
         If a scalar operand cannot be converted successfully due to invalid
         syntax, a fatal "input string syntax error" is issued.
         If the two operands of the operator ""<<"", "">>"" or ""x"" are
         reversed, a fatal "reversed operands error" occurs.
         If an operand is neither a bit vector nor a scalar, then a fatal
         "illegal operand type error" occurs.
       o Bit order
         Note that bit vectors are stored least order bit and least order word
         first internally.
         I.e., bit #0 of any given bit vector corresponds to bit #0 of word #0
         in the array of machine words representing the bit vector.
         (Where word #0 comes first in memory, i.e., it is stored at the least
         memory address in the allocated block of memory holding the given bit
         vector.)
         Note however that machine words can be stored least order byte first
         or last, depending on your system's implementation.
         Note further that whenever bit vectors are converted to and from
         (binary or hexadecimal) strings, the RIGHTMOST bit is always the
         LEAST SIGNIFICANT one, and the LEFTMOST bit is always the MOST
         SIGNIFICANT bit.
         This is because in our western culture, numbers are always
         represented in this way (least significant to most significant digits
         go from right to left).
         Of course this requires an internal reversion of order, which the
         corresponding conversion methods perform automatically (without any
         additional overhead, it's just a matter of starting the internal loop
         at the bottom or the top end).
       o Matching sizes
         In general, for methods involving several bit vectors at the same
         time, all bit vector arguments must have identical sizes (number of
         bits), or a fatal "size mismatch" error will occur.
         Exceptions from this rule are the methods ""Concat()"",
         ""Concat_List()"", ""Copy()"", ""Interval_Copy()"" and
         ""Interval_Substitute()"", where no conditions at all are imposed on
         the size of their bit vector arguments.
         In method ""Multiply()"", all three bit vector arguments must in
         principle obey the rule of matching sizes, but the bit vector in
         which the result of the multiplication is to be stored may be larger
         than the two bit vector arguments containing the factors for the
         multiplication.
         In method ""Power()"", the bit vector for the result must be the same
         size or greater than the base of the exponentiation term. The
         exponent can be any size.
         The same applies to the corresponding overloaded operators.
       o Index ranges
         All indices for any given bits must lie between "0" and
         ""$vector->Size()-1"", or a fatal "index out of range" error will
         occur.
DESCRIPTION
       o "$config = Bit::Vector->Configuration();"
       o "Bit::Vector->Configuration($config);"
       o "$oldconfig = Bit::Vector->Configuration($newconfig);"
         This method serves to alter the semantics (i.e., behaviour) of
         certain overloaded operators (which are all implemented in Perl, by
         the way).
         It does not have any effect whatsoever on anything else. In
         particular, it does not affect the methods implemented in C.
         The method accepts an (optional) string as input in which certain
         keywords are expected, which influence some or almost all of the
         overloaded operators in several possible ways.
         The method always returns a string (which you do not need to take
         care of, i.e., to store, in case you aren't interested in keeping it)
         which is a complete representation of the current configuration
         (i.e., BEFORE any modifications are applied) and which can be fed
         back to this method later in order to restore the previous
         configuration.
         There are three aspects of the way certain overloaded operators
         behave which can be controlled with this method:
           +  the way scalar operands (replacing one of the two
              bit vector object operands) are automatically
              converted internally into a bit vector object of
              their own,
           +  the operation certain overloaded operators perform,
              i.e., an operation with sets or an arithmetic
              operation,
           +  the format to which bit vectors are converted
              automatically when they are enclosed in double
              quotes.
         The input string may contain any number of assignments, each of which
         controls one of these three aspects.
         Each assignment has the form ""<which>=<value>"".
         ""<which>"" and ""<value>"" thereby consist of letters ("[a-zA-Z]")
         and white space.
         Multiple assignments have to be separated by one or more comma (","),
         semi-colon (";"), colon (":"), vertical bar ("|"), slash ("/"),
         newline ("\n"), ampersand ("&"), plus ("+") or dash ("-").
         Empty lines or statements (only white space) are allowed but will be
         ignored.
         ""<which>"" has to contain one or more keywords from one of three
         groups, each group representing one of the three aspects that the
         ""Configuration()"" method controls:
           +  "^scalar", "^input", "^in$"
           +  "^operator", "^semantic", "^ops$"
           +  "^string", "^output", "^out$"
         The character "^" thereby denotes the beginning of a word, and "$"
         denotes the end. Case is ignored (!).
         Using these keywords, you can build any phrase you like to select one
         of the three aspects (see also examples given below).
         The only condition is that no other keyword from any of the other two
         groups may match - otherwise a syntax error will occur (i.e.,
         ambiguities are forbidden). A syntax error also occurs if none of the
         keywords matches.
         This same principle applies to ""<value>"":
         Depending on which aspect you specified for ""<which>"", there are
         different groups of keywords that determine the value the selected
         aspect will be set to:
           +  "<which>" = "^scalar", "^input", "^in$":
                "<value>" =
                *  "^bit$", "^index", "^indice"
                *  "^hex"
                *  "^bin"
                *  "^dec"
                *  "^enum"
           +  "<which>" = "^operator", "^semantic", "^ops$":
                "<value>" =
                *  "^set$"
                *  "^arithmetic"
           +  "<which>" = "^string", "^output", "^out$":
                "<value>" =
                *  "^hex"
                *  "^bin"
                *  "^dec"
                *  "^enum"
         Examples:
           "Any scalar input I provide should be considered to be = a bit index"
           "I want to have operator semantics suitable for = arithmetics"
           "Any bit vector in double quotes is to be output as = an enumeration"
         SCALAR INPUT:
         In the case of scalar input, ""^bit$"", ""^index"", or ""^indice""
         all cause scalar input to be considered to represent a bit index,
         i.e., ""$vector ^= 5;"" will flip bit #5 in the given bit vector
         (this is essentially the same as ""$vector->bit_flip(5);"").
         Note that "bit indices" is the default setting for "scalar input".
         The keyword ""^hex"" will cause scalar input to be considered as
         being in hexadecimal, i.e., ""$vector ^= 5;"" will flip bit #0 and
         bit #2 (because hexadecimal "5" is binary "0101").
         (Note though that hexadecimal input should always be enclosed in
         quotes, otherwise it will be interpreted as a decimal number by Perl!
         The example relies on the fact that hexadecimal "0-9" and decimal
         "0-9" are the same.)
         The keyword ""^bin"" will cause scalar input to be considered as
         being in binary format. All characters except "0" and "1" are
         forbidden in this case (i.e., produce a syntax error).
         ""$vector ^= '0101';"", for instance, will flip bit #0 and bit #2.
         The keyword ""^dec"" causes scalar input to be considered as integers
         in decimal format, i.e., ""$vector ^= 5;"" will flip bit #0 and bit
         #2 (because decimal "5" is binary "0101").
         (Note though that all decimal input should be enclosed in quotes,
         because for large numbers, Perl will use scientific notation
         internally for representing them, which produces a syntax error
         because scientific notation is neither supported by this module nor
         needed.)
         Finally, the keyword ""^enum"" causes scalar input to be considered
         as being a list ("enumeration") of indices and ranges of (contiguous)
         indices, i.e., ""$vector |= '2,3,5,7-13,17-23';"" will cause bits #2,
         #3, #5, #7 through #13 and #17 through #23 to be set.
         OPERATOR SEMANTICS:
         Several overloaded operators can have two distinct functions
         depending on this setting.
         The affected operators are: ""+"", ""-"", ""*"", ""<"", ""<="", "">""
         and "">="".
         With the default setting, "set operations", these operators perform:
           +       set union                           ( set1  u   set2 )
           -       set difference                      ( set1  \   set2 )
           *       set intersection                    ( set1  n   set2 )
           <       true subset relationship            ( set1  <   set2 )
           <=      subset relationship                 ( set1  <=  set2 )
           >       true superset relationship          ( set1  >   set2 )
           >=      superset relationship               ( set1  >=  set2 )
         With the alternative setting, "arithmetic operations", these
         operators perform:
           +       addition                            ( num1  +   num2 )
           -       subtraction                         ( num1  -   num2 )
           *       multiplication                      ( num1  *   num2 )
           <       "less than" comparison              ( num1  <   num2 )
           <=      "less than or equal" comparison     ( num1  <=  num2 )
           >       "greater than" comparison           ( num1  >   num2 )
           >=      "greater than or equal" comparison  ( num1  >=  num2 )
         Note that these latter comparison operators (""<"", ""<="", "">"" and
         "">="") regard their operands as being SIGNED.
         To perform comparisons with UNSIGNED operands, use the operators
         ""lt"", ""le"", ""gt"" and ""ge"" instead (in contrast to the
         operators above, these operators are NOT affected by the "operator
         semantics" setting).
         STRING OUTPUT:
         There are four methods which convert the contents of a given bit
         vector into a string: ""to_Hex()"", ""to_Bin()"", ""to_Dec()"" and
         ""to_Enum()"" (not counting ""Block_Read()"", since this method does
         not return a human-readable string).
         (For conversion to octal, see the description of the method
         ""Chunk_List_Read()"".)
         Therefore, there are four possible formats into which a bit vector
         can be converted when it is enclosed in double quotes, for example:
           print "\$vector = '$vector'\n";
           $string = "$vector";
         Hence you can set "string output" to four different values: To "hex"
         for hexadecimal format (which is the default), to "bin" for binary
         format, to "dec" for conversion to decimal numbers and to "enum" for
         conversion to enumerations (".newsrc" style sets).
         BEWARE that the conversion to decimal numbers is inherently slow; it
         can easily take up several seconds for a single large bit vector!
         Therefore you should store the decimal strings returned to you rather
         than converting a given bit vector again.
         EXAMPLES:
         The default setting as returned by the method ""Configuration()"" is:
                 Scalar Input       = Bit Index
                 Operator Semantics = Set Operators
                 String Output      = Hexadecimal
         Performing a statement such as:
           Bit::Vector->Configuration("in=bin,ops=arithmetic,out=bin");
           print Bit::Vector->Configuration(), "\n";
         yields the following output:
                 Scalar Input       = Binary
                 Operator Semantics = Arithmetic Operators
                 String Output      = Binary
         Note that you can always feed this output back into the
         ""Configuration()"" method to restore that setting later.
         This also means that you can enter the same given setting with almost
         any degree of verbosity you like (as long as the required keywords
         appear and no ambiguities arise).
         Note further that any aspect you do not specify is not changed, i.e.,
         the statement
           Bit::Vector->Configuration("operators = arithmetic");
         leaves all other aspects unchanged.
       o "$vector"
         Remember that variables enclosed in double quotes are always
         interpolated in Perl.
         Whenever a Perl variable containing the reference of a "Bit::Vector"
         object is enclosed in double quotes (either alone or together with
         other text and/or variables), the contents of the corresponding bit
         vector are converted into a printable string.
         Since there are several conversion methods available in this module
         (see the description of the methods ""to_Hex()"", ""to_Bin()"",
         ""to_Dec()"" and ""to_Enum()""), it is of course desirable to be able
         to choose which of these methods should be applied in this case.
         This can actually be done by changing the configuration of this
         module using the method ""Configure()"" (see the previous chapter,
         immediately above).
         The default is conversion to hexadecimal.
       o "if ($vector)"
         It is possible to use a Perl variable containing the reference of a
         "Bit::Vector" object as a boolean expression.
         The condition above is true if the corresponding bit vector contains
         at least one set bit, and it is false if ALL bits of the
         corresponding bit vector are cleared.
       o "if (!$vector)"
         Since it is possible to use a Perl variable containing the reference
         of a "Bit::Vector" object as a boolean expression, you can of course
         also negate this boolean expression.
         The condition above is true if ALL bits of the corresponding bit
         vector are cleared, and it is false if the corresponding bit vector
         contains at least one set bit.
         Note that this is NOT the same as using the method ""is_full()"",
         which returns true if ALL bits of the corresponding bit vector are
         SET.
       o "~$vector"
         This term returns a new bit vector object which is the one's
         complement of the given bit vector.
         This is equivalent to inverting all bits.
       o "-$vector" (unary minus)
         This term returns a new bit vector object which is the two's
         complement of the given bit vector.
         This is equivalent to inverting all bits and incrementing the result
         by one.
         (This is the same as changing the sign of a number in two's
         complement binary representation.)
       o "abs($vector)"
         Depending on the configuration (see the description of the method
         ""Configuration()"" for more details), this term either returns the
         number of set bits in the given bit vector (this is the same as
         calculating the number of elements which are contained in the given
         set) - which is the default behaviour, or it returns a new bit vector
         object which contains the absolute value of the number stored in the
         given bit vector.
       o "$vector1 . $vector2"
         This term usually returns a new bit vector object which is the result
         of the concatenation of the two bit vector operands.
         The left operand becomes the most significant, and the right operand
         becomes the least significant part of the new bit vector object.
         If one of the two operands is not a bit vector object but a Perl
         scalar, however, the contents of the remaining bit vector operand are
         converted into a string (the format of which depends on the
         configuration set with the ""Configuration()"" method), which is then
         concatenated in the proper order (i.e., as indicated by the order of
         the two operands) with the Perl scalar.
         In other words, a string is returned in such a case instead of a bit
         vector object!
       o "$vector x $factor"
         This term returns a new bit vector object which is the concatenation
         of as many copies of the given bit vector operand (the left operand)
         as the factor (the right operand) specifies.
         If the factor is zero, a bit vector object with a length of zero bits
         is returned.
         If the factor is one, just a new copy of the given bit vector is
         returned.
         Note that a fatal "reversed operands error" occurs if the two
         operands are swapped.
       o "$vector << $bits"
         This term returns a new bit vector object which is a copy of the
         given bit vector (the left operand), which is then shifted left
         (towards the most significant bit) by as many places as the right
         operand, "$bits", specifies.
         This means that the "$bits" most significant bits are lost, all other
         bits move up by "$bits" positions, and the "$bits" least significant
         bits that have been left unoccupied by this shift are all set to
         zero.
         If "$bits" is greater than the number of bits of the given bit
         vector, this term returns an empty bit vector (i.e., with all bits
         cleared) of the same size as the given bit vector.
         Note that a fatal "reversed operands error" occurs if the two
         operands are swapped.
       o "$vector >> $bits"
         This term returns a new bit vector object which is a copy of the
         given bit vector (the left operand), which is then shifted right
         (towards the least significant bit) by as many places as the right
         operand, "$bits", specifies.
         This means that the "$bits" least significant bits are lost, all
         other bits move down by "$bits" positions, and the "$bits" most
         significant bits that have been left unoccupied by this shift are all
         set to zero.
         If "$bits" is greater than the number of bits of the given bit
         vector, this term returns an empty bit vector (i.e., with all bits
         cleared) of the same size as the given bit vector.
         Note that a fatal "reversed operands error" occurs if the two
         operands are swapped.
       o "$vector1 | $vector2"
         This term returns a new bit vector object which is the result of a
         bitwise OR operation between the two bit vector operands.
         This is the same as calculating the union of two sets.
       o "$vector1 & $vector2"
         This term returns a new bit vector object which is the result of a
         bitwise AND operation between the two bit vector operands.
         This is the same as calculating the intersection of two sets.
       o "$vector1 ^ $vector2"
         This term returns a new bit vector object which is the result of a
         bitwise XOR (exclusive-or) operation between the two bit vector
         operands.
         This is the same as calculating the symmetric difference of two sets.
       o "$vector1 + $vector2"
         Depending on the configuration (see the description of the method
         ""Configuration()"" for more details), this term either returns a new
         bit vector object which is the result of a bitwise OR operation
         between the two bit vector operands (this is the same as calculating
         the union of two sets) - which is the default behaviour, or it
         returns a new bit vector object which contains the sum of the two
         numbers stored in the two bit vector operands.
       o "$vector1 - $vector2"
         Depending on the configuration (see the description of the method
         ""Configuration()"" for more details), this term either returns a new
         bit vector object which is the set difference of the two sets
         represented in the two bit vector operands - which is the default
         behaviour, or it returns a new bit vector object which contains the
         difference of the two numbers stored in the two bit vector operands.
       o "$vector1 * $vector2"
         Depending on the configuration (see the description of the method
         ""Configuration()"" for more details), this term either returns a new
         bit vector object which is the result of a bitwise AND operation
         between the two bit vector operands (this is the same as calculating
         the intersection of two sets) - which is the default behaviour, or it
         returns a new bit vector object which contains the product of the two
         numbers stored in the two bit vector operands.
       o "$vector1 / $vector2"
         This term returns a new bit vector object containing the result of
         the division of the two numbers stored in the two bit vector
         operands.
       o "$vector1 % $vector2"
         This term returns a new bit vector object containing the remainder of
         the division of the two numbers stored in the two bit vector
         operands.
       o "$vector1 ** $vector2"
         This term returns a new bit vector object containing the result of
         the exponentiation of the left bit vector elevated to the right bit
         vector's power.
       o "$vector1 .= $vector2;"
         This statement "appends" the right bit vector operand (the "rvalue")
         to the left one (the "lvalue").
         The former contents of the left operand become the most significant
         part of the resulting bit vector, and the right operand becomes the
         least significant part.
         Since bit vectors are stored in "least order bit first" order, this
         actually requires the left operand to be shifted "up" by the length
         of the right operand, which is then copied to the now freed least
         significant part of the left operand.
         If the right operand is a Perl scalar, it is first converted to a bit
         vector of the same size as the left operand, provided that the
         configuration states that scalars are to be regarded as indices,
         decimal strings or enumerations.
         If the configuration states that scalars are to be regarded as
         hexadecimal or boolean strings, however, these strings are converted
         to bit vectors of a size matching the length of the input string,
         i.e., four times the length for hexadecimal strings (because each
         hexadecimal digit is worth 4 bits) and once the length for binary
         strings.
       o "$vector x= $factor;"
         This statement replaces the given bit vector by a concatenation of as
         many copies of the original contents of the given bit vector as the
         factor (the right operand) specifies.
         If the factor is zero, the given bit vector is resized to a length of
         zero bits.
         If the factor is one, the given bit vector is not changed at all.
       o "$vector <<= $bits;"
         This statement moves the contents of the given bit vector left by
         "$bits" positions (towards the most significant bit).
         This means that the "$bits" most significant bits are lost, all other
         bits move up by "$bits" positions, and the "$bits" least significant
         bits that have been left unoccupied by this shift are all set to
         zero.
         If "$bits" is greater than the number of bits of the given bit
         vector, the given bit vector is erased completely (i.e., all bits are
         cleared).
       o "$vector >>= $bits;"
         This statement moves the contents of the given bit vector right by
         "$bits" positions (towards the least significant bit).
         This means that the "$bits" least significant bits are lost, all
         other bits move down by "$bits" positions, and the "$bits" most
         significant bits that have been left unoccupied by this shift are all
         set to zero.
         If "$bits" is greater than the number of bits of the given bit
         vector, the given bit vector is erased completely (i.e., all bits are
         cleared).
       o "$vector1 |= $vector2;"
         This statement performs a bitwise OR operation between the two bit
         vector operands and stores the result in the left operand.
         This is the same as calculating the union of two sets.
       o "$vector1 &= $vector2;"
         This statement performs a bitwise AND operation between the two bit
         vector operands and stores the result in the left operand.
         This is the same as calculating the intersection of two sets.
       o "$vector1 ^= $vector2;"
         This statement performs a bitwise XOR (exclusive-or) operation
         between the two bit vector operands and stores the result in the left
         operand.
         This is the same as calculating the symmetric difference of two sets.
       o "$vector1 += $vector2;"
         Depending on the configuration (see the description of the method
         ""Configuration()"" for more details), this statement either performs
         a bitwise OR operation between the two bit vector operands (this is
         the same as calculating the union of two sets) - which is the default
         behaviour, or it calculates the sum of the two numbers stored in the
         two bit vector operands.
         The result of this operation is stored in the left operand.
       o "$vector1 -= $vector2;"
         Depending on the configuration (see the description of the method
         ""Configuration()"" for more details), this statement either
         calculates the set difference of the two sets represented in the two
         bit vector operands - which is the default behaviour, or it
         calculates the difference of the two numbers stored in the two bit
         vector operands.
         The result of this operation is stored in the left operand.
       o "$vector1 *= $vector2;"
         Depending on the configuration (see the description of the method
         ""Configuration()"" for more details), this statement either performs
         a bitwise AND operation between the two bit vector operands (this is
         the same as calculating the intersection of two sets) - which is the
         default behaviour, or it calculates the product of the two numbers
         stored in the two bit vector operands.
         The result of this operation is stored in the left operand.
       o "$vector1 /= $vector2;"
         This statement puts the result of the division of the two numbers
         stored in the two bit vector operands into the left operand.
       o "$vector1 %= $vector2;"
         This statement puts the remainder of the division of the two numbers
         stored in the two bit vector operands into the left operand.
       o "$vector1 **= $vector2;"
         This statement puts the result of the exponentiation of the left
         operand elevated to the right operand's power into the left operand.
       o "++$vector", "$vector++"
         This operator performs pre- and post-incrementation of the given bit
         vector.
         The value returned by this term is a reference of the given bit
         vector object (after or before the incrementation, respectively).
       o "--$vector", "$vector--"
         This operator performs pre- and post-decrementation of the given bit
         vector.
         The value returned by this term is a reference of the given bit
         vector object (after or before the decrementation, respectively).
       o "($vector1 cmp $vector2)"
         This term returns ""-1"" if "$vector1" is less than "$vector2", "0"
         if "$vector1" and "$vector2" are the same, and "1" if "$vector1" is
         greater than "$vector2".
         This comparison assumes UNSIGNED bit vectors.
       o "($vector1 eq $vector2)"
         This term returns true ("1") if the contents of the two bit vector
         operands are the same and false ("0") otherwise.
       o "($vector1 ne $vector2)"
         This term returns true ("1") if the two bit vector operands differ
         and false ("0") otherwise.
       o "($vector1 lt $vector2)"
         This term returns true ("1") if "$vector1" is less than "$vector2",
         and false ("0") otherwise.
         This comparison assumes UNSIGNED bit vectors.
       o "($vector1 le $vector2)"
         This term returns true ("1") if "$vector1" is less than or equal to
         "$vector2", and false ("0") otherwise.
         This comparison assumes UNSIGNED bit vectors.
       o "($vector1 gt $vector2)"
         This term returns true ("1") if "$vector1" is greater than
         "$vector2", and false ("0") otherwise.
         This comparison assumes UNSIGNED bit vectors.
       o "($vector1 ge $vector2)"
         This term returns true ("1") if "$vector1" is greater than or equal
         to "$vector2", and false ("0") otherwise.
         This comparison assumes UNSIGNED bit vectors.
       o "($vector1 <=> $vector2)"
         This term returns ""-1"" if "$vector1" is less than "$vector2", "0"
         if "$vector1" and "$vector2" are the same, and "1" if "$vector1" is
         greater than "$vector2".
         This comparison assumes SIGNED bit vectors.
       o "($vector1 == $vector2)"
         This term returns true ("1") if the contents of the two bit vector
         operands are the same and false ("0") otherwise.
       o "($vector1 != $vector2)"
         This term returns true ("1") if the two bit vector operands differ
         and false ("0") otherwise.
       o "($vector1 < $vector2)"
         Depending on the configuration (see the description of the method
         ""Configuration()"" for more details), this term either returns true
         ("1") if "$vector1" is a true subset of "$vector2" (and false ("0")
         otherwise) - which is the default behaviour, or it returns true ("1")
         if "$vector1" is less than "$vector2" (and false ("0") otherwise).
         The latter comparison assumes SIGNED bit vectors.
       o "($vector1 <= $vector2)"
         Depending on the configuration (see the description of the method
         ""Configuration()"" for more details), this term either returns true
         ("1") if "$vector1" is a subset of "$vector2" (and false ("0")
         otherwise) - which is the default behaviour, or it returns true ("1")
         if "$vector1" is less than or equal to "$vector2" (and false ("0")
         otherwise).
         The latter comparison assumes SIGNED bit vectors.
       o "($vector1 > $vector2)"
         Depending on the configuration (see the description of the method
         ""Configuration()"" for more details), this term either returns true
         ("1") if "$vector1" is a true superset of "$vector2" (and false ("0")
         otherwise) - which is the default behaviour, or it returns true ("1")
         if "$vector1" is greater than "$vector2" (and false ("0") otherwise).
         The latter comparison assumes SIGNED bit vectors.
       o "($vector1 >= $vector2)"
         Depending on the configuration (see the description of the method
         ""Configuration()"" for more details), this term either returns true
         ("1") if "$vector1" is a superset of "$vector2" (and false ("0")
         otherwise) - which is the default behaviour, or it returns true ("1")
         if "$vector1" is greater than or equal to "$vector2" (and false ("0")
         otherwise).
         The latter comparison assumes SIGNED bit vectors.
SEE ALSO
       Bit::Vector(3), Bit::Vector::String(3).
VERSION
       This man page documents "Bit::Vector::Overload" version 7.3.
AUTHOR
         Steffen Beyer
         mailto:STBEY AT cpan.org
         http://www.engelschall.com/u/sb/download/
COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (c) 2000 - 2013 by Steffen Beyer. All rights reserved.
LICENSE
       This package is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
       under the same terms as Perl itself, i.e., under the terms of the
       "Artistic License" or the "GNU General Public License".
       The C library at the core of this Perl module can additionally be
       redistributed and/or modified under the terms of the "GNU Library
       General Public License".
       Please refer to the files "Artistic.txt", "GNU_GPL.txt" and
       "GNU_LGPL.txt" in this distribution for details!
DISCLAIMER
       This package is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
       WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
       MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
       See the "GNU General Public License" for more details.

perl v5.16.3                      2013-06-01          Bit::Vector::Overload(3)