big - Befunge integer generator
big [options...] <number>
big [options...] <number>..<number>
The Befunge Integer Generator attempts to generate the shortest possible Befunge expression that will evaluate to a given number.
It can accept a list of individual numbers (e.g. 5 10 15) or a number range
(e.g. 10..20). The input is interpreted as decimal by default, but can be
marked as hexadecimal with an h suffix (e.g. 7Fh).
The following options are also available:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -h, --help | Display this help |
| -f, --fast | Prefer faster results over shorter string literals |
| -n, --numeric | Only allow numeric expressions (no strings) |
| -s, --safe | Disallow unsafe characters: SPACE, ';' and '@' |
| -a, --all | Show all variants matching the minimal length |
| --93 | Befunge-93 compatible expressions (default) |
| --98 | Befunge-98 compatible expressions |
By default the generator prefers expressions with shorter string literals, since those can more easily be split when having to change direction in a piece of Befunge code. If the fast option is set, though, the generator will just return the first minimal-length result it finds.
If the numeric option is set, the generator will avoid strings literals altogether, which can be useful in certain restricted-source scenarios.
The safe option will prevent the use of a few characters that are known
to have portability problems. This include the SPACE character (which some
interpreters drop), the ; character (which can be misinterpreted as a jump
operation), and the @ character (which can force some implementation to
terminate).
If the all option is set, the generator will return every minimal-length expression it can find for a particular number.
By default, the generated expression are compatible with Befunge-93, but if the 98 option is set, they may use language extensions specific to the Befunge-98 standard. This includes hex literals, as well as the one-shot string mode. Technically these extensions are also supported by Befunge-96 and -97, but those versions of the language are rarely used anymore.
In most cases the generated expressions should be optimal, but that can't always be guaranteed. The numeric mode in particular is known to produce results that are less than optimal for some values.
Even when optimal, the all option will not be guaranteed to return every possible expression that matches the best length. There are a limited set of strategies used by the generator, so those are obviously the only variants that will be returned.
Written by James Holderness.