Number (with) Unit

A heavily tested JavaScript component to handle arbitrary precision numbers with units.

Why?

A number without context (unit) is meaningless. Even more so in the realm of computers. Computers rely on input, usually from humans, to be precise. Humans are prone to error. This library helps to remove that error.

Consider these two famous incidents...

1. Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter:

However, on September 23, 1999, communication with the spacecraft was lost as the spacecraft went into orbital insertion, due to ground-based computer software which produced output in non-SI units of pound-seconds (lbf s) instead of the metric units of newton-seconds (N s) specified in the contract between NASA and Lockheed. The spacecraft encountered Mars on a trajectory that brought it too close to the planet, causing it to pass through the upper atmosphere and disintegrate.

2. Air Canada Flight 143

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider:

...ran out of fuel at an altitude of 12,500 metres (41,000 ft) MSL, about halfway through its flight originating in Montreal to Edmonton. The crew were able to glide the aircraft safely to an emergency landing at Gimli Industrial Park Airport, a former Royal Canadian Air Force base in Gimli, Manitoba.[1]

The subsequent investigation revealed a combination of company failures and a chain of human errors that defeated built-in safeguards. Fuel loading was miscalculated because of a misunderstanding of the recently adopted metric system which replaced the imperial system.

If you're writing software that handles people's money (http://www.exodus.io/), you can't afford to be wrong. That's why this library was built.

Install

npm i --save number-unit

Usage

Quick example:

// import { UnitType } from 'number-unit' // if using ES6 (ES2015)
var UnitType = require('number-unit').UnitType

// create a UnitType first
var bitcoin = UnitType.create('bitcoin', { satoshis: 1, bits: 1e2, BTC: 1e8 }, 'bits')

// now create a NumberUnit
var amount1 = bitcoin.BTC(1.53)
var amount2 = bitcoin.bits('1530000') // notice, can accept strings as well

console.log(amount1.toString()) // => 1.53 BTC
console.log(amount2.toString()) // => 1530000 bits

// compare numerical values
console.log(amount1.equals(amount2)) // => true

Important Concepts to Know

1. You must use UnitType.create() to create a UnitType() to start working with NumberUnits.

2. UnitTypes can be a type of other UnitTypes. For example, you may create a UnitType named distance, and then want to create another named distanceSI representing your desire to model SI / Metric Units. Now you may want to create another named distanceUS, modeling United States customary units. Since both have distance has a parent type, you can convert between the two. This is the value of parent types. As it wouldn't make sense to convert from distance to currency or something lie that. See for some examples: https://github.com/jprichardson/number-unit

UnitType

UnitType.create()

Method signature: UnitType.create(label, [parentUnitType], [definitions], [defaultUnit])

Creates an instance of UnitType and returns it.

• label: The unit type label.
• parentUnitType: The parent unit type. Useful for converting between UnitType that have the same parent.
• definitions: Actual conversions.
• defaultUnit: Default unit. Used when defaultUnit is called.

var UnitType = require('number-unit').UnitType
var bitcoin = UnitType.create('bitcoin', { satoshis: 1, bits: 1e2, BTC: 1e8 }, 'bits')

UnitType.prototype.parse()

Method signature: parse(string)

Method that parses the input string and returns an instance of NumberUnit with a number value extracted from the string and a unitName from the string.

var amount = bitcoin.parse('1.53 BTC')
console.log(amount.toNumber()) // => 1.53
console.log(amount.unitName) // => BTC

UnitType.prototype.ZERO

Property that creates and returns an instance of NumberUnit with a number value of 0 and a the unit being the default unit.

var zero = bitcoin.ZERO
console.log(amount.toNumber()) // => 0
console.log(amount.unitName) // => bits

NumberUnit

Create instances of NumberUnit with the UnitType factory methods.

Note: All methods on NumberUnit instances return new instances of NumberUnit, that is, NumberUnits are immutable.

var amount = bitcoin.BTC(3.5)
console.log(amount instanceof NumberUnit) // => true

NumberUnit.prototype.abs()

Signature: abs()

Parameters: (none)

Returns: a new instance of NumberUnit with the absolute value of the number.

Example:

var amount = bitcoin.BTC(-3.5)
console.log(amount.abs().toString()) // => 3.5 BTC

NumberUnit.prototype.add()

Signature: add(number)

Parameters:

• number: Can either by of type number or NumberUnit. If strict mode is set it can only be of type NumberUnit.

Returns: a new instance of NumberUnit that represents the sum of the two numbers.

Example:

var amount = bitcoin.BTC(-3.5)
var sum = amount.add(bitcoin.bits('1000000'))
console.log(sum.toString()) // => -2.5 BTC

NumberUnit.prototype.clampLowerZero()

If the value is less than zero, return zero.

Signature: clampLowerZero()

Parameters: (none)

Returns: An instance of NumberUnit that is either itself or zero.

Example:

console.log(bitcoin.BTC(1.53).clampLowerZero().toString()) // => 1.53 BTC
console.log(bitcoin.BTC(-1.53).clampLowerZero().toString()) // => 0 BTC

NumberUnit.prototype.clone()

Signature: clone()

Parameters: (none)

Returns: New instance of NumberUnit that is a clone.

Example:

var amount = bitcoin.BTC(1.3)
var amount2 = amount.clone()
console.log(amount2.toString()) // => 1.3 BTC

NumberUnit.prototype.equals()

Signature: equals(numberUnit)

Parameters:

• numberUnit: Another of instance of a NumberUnit to check equality with. Units do not matter. e.g. 1000 m = 1 km.

Returns: A boolean, true if equals.

Example:

var distance1 = distanceSI.km(1)
var distance2 = distanceSI.m(1000)

console.log(distance1.equals(distance2)) // => true

NumberUnit.prototype.gt()

Check if number is greater than the other.

Signature: gt(numberUnit)

Parameters:

• numberUnit: Another of instance of a NumberUnit.

Returns: A boolean, true if it's greater than.

Example:

var distance1 = distanceSI.km(1.1)
var distance2 = distanceSI.m(1000)

console.log(distance1.gt(distance2)) // => true

NumberUnit.prototype.gte()

Check if number is greater than or equal than the other.

Signature: gte(numberUnit)

Parameters:

• numberUnit: Another of instance of a NumberUnit.

Returns: A boolean, true if it's greater than or equal.

Example:

var distance1 = distanceSI.km(1.1)
var distance2 = distanceSI.m(1000)

console.log(distance1.gte(distance2)) // => true

NumberUnit.prototype.isZero()

Returns true or false depending upon whether the number is 0.

Signature: isZero()

Parameters: (none)

Returns: A boolean depending upon whether the number is 0.

Example:

console.log(bitcoin.BTC(0).isZero()) // => true
console.log(bitcoin.BTC(-1).isZero()) // => false

NumberUnit.prototype.lt()

Check if one number is less than the other.

Signature: lt(numberUnit)

Parameters:

• numberUnit: Another of instance of a NumberUnit.

Returns: A boolean, true if it's less than.

Example:

var distance1 = distanceSI.km(1.1)
var distance2 = distanceSI.m(1000)

console.log(distance1.lt(distance2)) // => false

NumberUnit.prototype.lte()

Check if number is less than or equal than the other.

Signature: lte(numberUnit)

Parameters:

• numberUnit: Another of instance of a NumberUnit.

Returns: A boolean, true if it's less than or equal.

Example:

var distance1 = distanceSI.km(1.1)
var distance2 = distanceSI.m(1000)

console.log(distance1.lte(distance2)) // => false

NumberUnit.prototype.negate()

Negate the number.

Signature: negate()

Parameters: (none)

Returns: New instance of NumberUnit with the number negated.

Example:

var distance1 = distanceSI.km(1)
var distance2 = distance1.negate()

console.log(distance2.toString()) // => '-1 km'

NumberUnit.prototype.subtract()

Calculate the difference between two numbers.

Signature: subtract(numberUnit)

Parameters:

• numberUnit: Another of instance of a NumberUnit.

Returns: An instance of NumberUnit that represents the subtraction of the two.

Example:

var distance1 = distanceSI.km(3)
var distance2 = distanceSI.m(1000)
var distance3 = distance1.subtract(distance2)

console.log(distance3.toString()) // => '2 km'

NumberUnit.prototype.toBase()

Convert the number to the base number (unit with multiplier of 1).

Signature: toBase()

Parameters: (none)

Returns: An instance of NumberUnit that same number except in the base units.

Example:

// USD has multiplier of `1` and thus, is the 'base' unit.
var dollar = UnitType.create('dollar', { USD: 1, cents: 1e-2 }, 'USD')
var amount1 = dollar.cents(600)
var amount2 = amount1.toBase()
console.log(amount2.toString()) // => '6 USD'

NumberUnit.prototype.toDefault()

Convert the number to the default unit.

Signature: toDefault()

Parameters: (none)

Returns: An instance of NumberUnit that same number except in the default unit.

Example:

// 'bits' is defined as the default unit.
var bitcoin = UnitType.create('bitcoin', { satoshis: 1, bits: 1e2, BTC: 1e8 }, 'bits')
var amount1 = bitcoin.BTC(1.5)
var amount2 = amount1.toDefault() // convert to 'bits'
console.log(amount2.toString()) // => '1500000 bits'

NumberUnit.prototype.to()

Convert the number to any other unit.

Signature: to(unit)

Parameters: unit type of string or Unit.

Returns: An instance of NumberUnit that represents the same value, just expressed as a different unit.

Example:

// 'bits' is defined as the default unit.
var bitcoin = UnitType.create('bitcoin', { satoshis: 1, bits: 1e2, BTC: 1e8 }, 'bits')
var amount1 = bitcoin.BTC(1.5)
var amount2 = amount1.to('bits') // type 'string'
var amount3 = amount1.to(bitcoin.bits) // type 'Unit'
console.log(amount2.toString()) // => '1500000 bits'
console.log(amount3.toString()) // => '1500000 bits'

NumberUnit.prototype.toNumber()

Convert a NumberUnit to a number.

Signature: toNumber()

Parameters: (none)

Returns: A number representing the numeric value in the NumberUnit

Example:

// 'bits' is defined as the default unit.
var bitcoin = UnitType.create('bitcoin', { satoshis: 1, bits: 1e2, BTC: 1e8 }, 'bits')
var amount1 = bitcoin.BTC(1.5)
console.log(amount1.toNumber()) = // => 1.5

NumberUnit.prototype.toString()

Convert a NumberUnit to a a string.

Signature: toString([options])

Parameters: options, type of object. Optional.

• unit: boolean, defaults to true. If true, include the unit string.

Returns: A string representing the number and optionally the unit.

Example:

// 'bits' is defined as the default unit.
var bitcoin = UnitType.create('bitcoin', { satoshis: 1, bits: 1e2, BTC: 1e8 }, 'bits')
var amount1 = bitcoin.BTC(1.5)
console.log(amount1.toString()) = // => 1.5 BTC
console.log(amount1.toString({ unit: false })) = // => 1.5

NumberUnit.prototype.isNegative

boolean property if number is negative.

Signature: isNegative

Returns: A boolean, true if the number is negative.

Example:

// 'bits' is defined as the default unit.
var bitcoin = UnitType.create('bitcoin', { satoshis: 1, bits: 1e2, BTC: 1e8 }, 'bits')
var amount1 = bitcoin.BTC(-1.5)
console.log(amount1.isNegative) // => true

Unit

ConversionUnit