faq.shtml

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layout: default
title: QuantLib Frequently Asked Questions
---

<h1 class="center">Frequently Asked Questions</h1>

<ul>
<li><a href="#General questions1">How should I ask for help or report
    a bug?</a></li>
<li><a href="#General questions0">Is it OK to email a QuantLib
    developer to ask questions, or seek help, or report a bug?</a></li>
<li><a href="#Contributing to the project0">I'm interested in
    getting involved with the project. What should I do?</a></li>
<li><a href="#Building QuantLib1">I'm having trouble building
    QuantLib.</a></li>
<li><a href="#QuantLib extensions0">I'm having trouble building/using
    QuantLibXL or QuantLibAddin.</a></li>
<li><a href="#QuantLib features0">Why is feature X missing from
    QuantLib? It would be a very useful one.</a></li>
<li><a href="#QuantLib extensions1">Does QuantLib support &lt;insert
    favorite language/platform here&gt;?</a></li>
<li><a href="#QuantLib extensions2">Does QuantLib support FpML?
    Serialization?</a></li>
</ul>

<dl>
<dt><b><a name="General questions1">How should I ask for help or
      report a bug?</a></b></dt>
<dd>You can write to a QuantLib mailing list and describe your
  problem.  If it is a compilation problem, please provide info about
  your operating system, compiler and Boost version as well as details
  on the error.  If the test suite fails, please report the output
  obtained by executing it with the following command line options:
  <pre>
    --log_level=messages --build_info=yes --result_code=no --report_level=short
  </pre>
  If you built the library successfully but you're getting weird
  results when using it, try to provide steps to reproduce the
  problem.<br><br>

  A note on posting.  If you're starting a new topic, please use
  whatever command your mail client provides to start a new message;
  do not reply to another unrelated post (or worse, a digest) and
  change the subject. Replying can cause your message to appear in the
  wrong thread in the mailing list archive and in mail clients that
  support threads.  This brings inconvenience on a number of
  people&mdash;possibly including you, as your message might be
  overlooked by people not interested in the original topic.<br><br>
</dd>

<dt><b><a name="General questions0">Is it OK to email a QuantLib
   developer directly to ask questions, or seek help, or report a
   bug?</a></b></dt>
<dd>You can do it, but it will fail to carry the sense of urgency you
  might have hoped to convey&mdash;and the developer is likely to
  answer you "please, post your question on the mailing list"
  anyway. They might even refer you to this FAQ entry.<br><br>

  There are a number of reasons for this. Messages on the list are
  stored, and thus benefit the whole project: the next user with your
  problem will be able to find the answer by searching the archives.
  Since the developers can volunteer only a limited time, they will
  employ it to help as many people as possible.  This means giving
  priority to questions on the list (which help all the subscriber)
  rather than private emails (which only help the sender).<br><br>
</dd>

<dt><b><a name="Contributing to the project0">I'm interested in
      getting involved with the project. What should I do?</a></b></dt>
<dd>Please read
  our <a href="http://quantlib.org/newdeveloper.shtml">developer
  introduction</a>. It lists a few ways in which you can help the
  project.<br><br></dd>

<dt><b><a name="Building QuantLib1">I'm having trouble building
      QuantLib.</a></b></dt>
<dd>Step-by-step instructions for building the library on different
  platforms are
  available <a href="http://quantlib.org/install.shtml">here</a>; make
  sure you're following them.  If you still can't build the library,
  report the problem on the QuantLib mailing list.<br><br></dd>

<dt><b><a name="QuantLib extensions0">I'm having trouble
      building/using QuantLibXL or QuantLibAddin.</a></b></dt>
<dd>The QuantLibAddin project has its own FAQ; you can find it
   at <a href="http://www.quantlibaddin.org/faq.html">this
   link</a>.<br><br></dd>

<dt><b><a name="QuantLib features0">Why is feature X missing from
      QuantLib? It would be a very useful one.</a></b></dt>
<dd>Most likely, the developers didn't have a need for it or the time
  to develop it.  If you're willing to give it a go, see above for
  instructions on how to contribute.  If you don't or can't, try
  requesting it on the mailing list.  This might give other developers
  a clue about its usefulness.<br><br></dd>

<dt><b><a name="QuantLib extensions1">Does QuantLib support
      &lt;insert favorite language/platform here&gt;?</a></b></dt>
<dd>Not directly. Bindings for a few languages are available, though;
   see the <a href="http://quantlib.org/extensions.shtml">extensions
   page</a>.<br><br></dd>

<dt><b><a name="QuantLib extensions2">Does QuantLib support FpML?
      Serialization?</a></b></dt>
<dd>No, and it probably won't.  The subject has been discussed in the
  mailing lists years ago, but it never got any traction&mdash;and it
  might be better tackled as an external project.<br><br></dd>
</dl>