Frequently Asked Questions
Codecogs.com is a one-stop website for technical computing. It is an open-source C/C++ software component database, from which scientific, engineering and financial applications can be built. It is also a forum for sharing ideas, posting problems and helping others find solutions.
If you need a piece of code: Search our database to see if it is already there. If you can't find what you are looking for you can place a request on the website and other developers can bid to do the work for you. You then decide which bid to accept. Click here for requesters FAQ's.
If you are a developer: As a developer you can earn money and benefit from CodeCogs.com in two ways:
We have chosen to develop all of our software modules in C/C++ because it can be optimised to produce high performance numerical components, while also being easily integrated into all of the major development environments (from C#, VB, Fortran, Perl and R to Excel). We have carefully structured all component code to facilitate the easiest possible integration into your projects - often just 'copy and paste'.
To easy the use of this code in other .NET languages we have created wrappers for most components that can be downloaded along with the project files to allow this code to be very quickly integrated with Visual Basic, C# and any other .NET language.
We have tried to keep searching the cogs as simple as possible. You can either browse them directly via the drop down lists on the left hand side of the page, or type a phrase into the search engine at the top left of the screen. If you know the module that you want then type the category and name into the search engine and if this uniquely identifies a component you will be taken directly to it. As an example try 'bessel/i/i'.
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No. You are free to look around the site without registering. However, if you would like to start using some of the site's features you will need to register. We only require a username, password and email address for this. We take the security of your details very seriously and never pass them on without your consent. You can also un-register at any time.
Once you are registered you can:
You can un-register from the CodeCog.com community easily at any time. Simply login and send an email to us using Unregister Me. We would appreciate knowing your reasoning for unregistering so we can improve the site for other users.
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CodeCogs contains millions of lines of code that have taken many hours to develop. While we would ideally like to provide this information of a free basis, we also need to ensure that there are funds to develop and expand the library, while also merely maintaining the existing infrastructure.
Therefore we have decided to introduce a flat annual fee that gives users access to all the GPL (free) licensed software, and also a large discount on any commercial licences they buy. Alternatively users can contribute in some way to the development of CodeCogs, then the annual fee will be waved or refunded (as appropriate). Example constributions include:
When you feel you have submitted enough, send evidence of your contributions to Free Associate Membership. We'll review each request on its own merrits. Our decision is final and we may allocate membership for long or less that a year as we feel appropriate.
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By clicking the "My Cogs" tab at the top of the page, you will be able to view and modify all details that relate to your account. The local menu on the left side has options for adjusting your home page (including your photo) and private account settings (password, email, address etc).
From the My Cogs areas you can also view all the licences you own, transfer funds, download your code, review bids etc.
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All Purchasers (i.e. someone who wants to make requests for other users to develop code via the site's bidding system) and Developers (i.e. a person making bids to develop a piece of code in response to a bid request) must agree to the terms and conditions of a "user licence agreement" when they make a request or a bid. These agreements set out all the rules for the entire procedure. There is a slightly different agreement depending on whether you are a Purchaser or a Developer, to reflect the different role that each one has. An overview of the agreements can be viewed here.
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The forum is a place where people can share views, send messages, post comments and help others with their technical problems. To access, simply click on the 'Forums' tab on the main menu bar.
The forum system is also integrated into the bottom of all component and reference pages allowing you to instance express your views about that page. We would encourage all comments and questions.
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Nothing once you become and Associate Member. The majority of the code on the database is free to download and use under the terms of the GNU General Public Licence. However, if you intend to use the code for profit, you must buy a Commercial Licence.
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At CodeCogs.com, we respect copyright and all other intellectual property rights. As a result, we have two basic types of licence that we distribute code under:
For details on licensing please visit our licence information page.
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There are several ways that you can access and download code that you have a licence for. Probably the easiest method is by going to the "My Downloads" page on the "My Cogs" tab. Here you will see a list of all of the licences that you own along with the licence types you own.
Similar download buttons are also shown at the top of the each component page that you own licences for. Look for them next to the shoping cart buttons in the top right of each page.
In general you are able to download the source code either as a single text file (e.g. "name.h") or as a .zip file that contains the text file (or files if there are sub units). '.h' is a C/C++ header file. It can be opened in most text editors (e.g. text pad) or C compilers. This makes it easy for you to "cut-n-paste" it into anything that you are writing. You can also download your excel add-ins and .NET wrappers from this page.
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We use a range of financial systems to transfer funds to and from your CodeCogs account. You are free to move funds in or out of this account at any time. CodeCogs does not charge for this, although PayPal does require a service charge (typicalled 3.4%). Your CodeCogs account is also used:
Each time you purchase a licence we will verify if you have sufficient funds in your account to pay for the transaction. If you do not have the amount needed, the difference to be transferred will be calculated. It is possible to also transfer "Additional Funds to add to my CodeCogs Account" at this point, thereby avoiding the complications of having to fund your account during latter purchases.
CodeCogs will never transfer funds out of your account without your authorisation. You will be informed of all transactions.
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Any details of a sensitive nature are stored encrypted and stored in a secure area of our database.
We use "md5" cryptography to authenticate all passwords and prevent unauthorised access to accounts.
We never released any details to any 3rd parties - except under you permission (i.e. when making transferring money).
CodeCogs, through its parent company Zyba Ltd, is governed by the UK Data Protection Act 1998: registration number is Z9501850.
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The word "escrow" is derived from the Middle English word "escrowl", meaning "scroll".
Today "escrow" is a legal arrangement whereby a thing (usually money) is delivered to a third party (called an escrow agent) to be held in trust pending the fulfilment of conditions in a contract. Upon that event occurring, the escrow agent will deliver the money to the proper recipient.
On this site CodeCogs.com acts as the escrow agent. If a purchaser requests a developer to do some work they will, before work begins, escrow the funds to CodeCogs.com. These funds will be held in a specially designated account and will be used to pay the developer once they have done the work. It is a way of ensuring that the developer gets paid for doing the work.
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On the My Contact Details page you will see a drop down box that gives you a selection of different currencies. This will convert all prices across the site into that currency, thus enabling you to better view and compare prices. It should be noted though that CodeCogs.com is based in the UK and all final transactions will carried out in British Pounds. This means that when you finally checkout a conversion will be done and you will be charged the equivalent amount in British Pounds. It does not affect the price you pay.
Note: Exchange rates vary. All prices shown, if not in British Pounds, will be converted using the exchange rate figures for that day. This means that prices may appear to vary from one day to the next if you are not viewing the site in British Pounds. The official value will always be the price in British Pounds.
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If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact a member of the CodeCogs.com team directly: General Enquiries.
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For any piece of code that is in the public domain (under the GNU General Public Licence ) is not required to be supported - although many developers will help you for free. However, if you purchase a Commercial Licence for a piece of code, the developer is required to maintain the code and respond to errors or bugs that you raise. If for some reason they cannot do this then we will take over this role and guarantee support. In almost all cases were an error is reported you will be refunded any monies you have paid.
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Various pieces of code on the site require the use of extra 'bits' of code to work correctly. We call these extra bits 'sub-units'. Each module shows a list of all subunits it requires near the top left of the display. The combined price for everything is then calculated automatically.
If you already own a licence for a sub-unit you will not be charged for it again. The ability of CodeCogs to break complex suite of function into their atomic components is what seperates the CodeCogs from most other libraries - allowing you to download only what you need and nothing more.
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Once you have registered you simple click on the request a module button and fill in the details. It's as easy as that!!
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Potentially nothing, though you must be offer at least one pound (£10). If you request a piece of code to be written, other people will bid to do the work. All that you pay is the bid price that you agree on with the developer. Requesters are under no obligation to use the developers who respond to their requests.
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At CodeCogs.com we respect all copyright and intellectual property rights. As a result we have 2 basic types of licence that we distribute all work under:
For more details on licence policy please visit our licence information page.
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All Purchasers (i.e. someone who wants to make requests for other users to develop code via the site's bidding system) and Developers (i.e. a person making bids to develop a piece of code in response to a bid request) must agree to the terms and conditions of a "user licence agreement" when they make a request or a bid. These agreements set out all the rules for the entire procedure. There is a slightly different agreement depending on whether you are a Purchaser or a Developer, to reflect the different role that each one has. An overview of the agreements can be viewed here.
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Our service is free for requesters because we make money in two ways:
We use the PayPal payment system to transfer funds to your CodeCogs account. You can select and transfer funds between your CodeCogs account and PayPal at any time (subject to a 2% PayPal service charge).
After you have accepted a bid, we will transfer money from your CodeCogs account into an escrow account. As soon as that money is transferred, we send an email to the bidder to tell them to start work. Once the developer has finished the code they submit all the material, including support documentation, to you. Once you accept the work at complete, we will check that it meets our own development standards before signing it off as complete.
Once you have checked the submission and accept it as complete we will transfer the payment to the developer. You must respond within 5 business days of the project completion date. If we do not hear from you, we will automatically pay the developer.
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On the My Contact Details page you will see a drop down box that gives you a selection of different currencies. This will convert all prices across the site into that currency, thus enabling you to better view and compare prices. It should be noted though that CodeCogs.com is based in the UK and all final transactions will carried out in British Pounds. This means that when you finally checkout a conversion will be done and you will be charged the equivalent amount in British Pounds. It does not affect the price you pay.
Note: Exchange rates vary. All prices shown, if not in British Pounds, will be converted using the exchange rate figures for that day. This means that prices may appear to vary from one day to the next if you are not viewing the site in British Pounds. The official value will always be the price in British Pounds.
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If the code does not do what you initially specified then there are several options:
If there is a disagreement between the two parties as to whether the work has been completed, then both sides enter into an mediation / arbitration process. For details of this process click here.
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You may know how much a piece of code is worth and how much you are prepared to pay. However, if you are unsure then you can leave this field blank and see what offers you get. You do not have to accept an offer if you are not happy with the price.
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It's up to you. When you fill out the initial request you specify a date when bidding will close. At this point you can either accept a bid, cancel the request entirely, or resubmit the request again.
Ideally, you will accept a bid on or before the expiry date. If a bid is accepted within 1-5 working days after the bidding expiry date, then the developer receives a time extension to complete the work: this is equal to the number of days late the bid is accepted. If you have not accepted a bid within 5 days of the close of bidding, your request will be cancelled and you must re-submit a request if you still want a piece of code to be developed.
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If you do not accept a bid within 5 working days of bidding closing, the request will be cancelled. It is possible to resubmit an expired bid without refilling in all the information by clicking on the 'Resubmit' icon on the "My Requests" page.
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Yes. Once a bid has been accepted, an email will be sent out to both parties with each other's email address.
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Generally the developer will commence work as soon as the purchaser's funds are escrowed and an email has been sent by CodeCogs to both parties confirming this. As the developer's spent time and work are not recoverable, not all funds escrowed may be able to be refunded. It is up to the two parties to reach agreement on this. If no agreement can be made then the mediation / arbitration process will be entered into. More details of this can be found in either the Developer or Purchaser user agreement.
If Developer cancels a project without providing sufficient justification / reasons they may, at the discretion CodeCogs, have their account terminated and be expelled from the Web Site. They will not be paid for any work completed.
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The idea behind CodeCogs.com is to encourage innovation through open-source information in the public domain. However, if you do not want the code you request to be made public you can stipulate in the request that this is a 'private' request, in which case the submitted material will only be available to you.
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There are 2 main ways:
We have tried to keep our fee as low as possible. The fee that you pay goes towards advertising to attract more requesters, site development and maintenance, and a modest profit. We charge the following rates:
Example: code you submit to the site NOT in response to a bid request
Example 1: Somebody purchases a commercial licence for £100, for a piece of code that you have submitted to the site under both commercial and General Public licences. Then you will get:
£100 (license fee) – £6 (6% CodeCogs.com fee) = £ 94
Example: code you submit to the site in response to a bid request
Example 2: Purchaser accepts your bid for £100 to buy a commercial licence for the requested software. As soon as the purchaser has agreed that the software meets their requirement and the terms of the development contract, we release you:
£100 (licence fee) – £10 (10% CodeCogs.com fee) = £ 90
As the controller of this software you can then choose to extend the licensing of the software to include the GPL terms. For each subsequent commercial licence sold you would then receive:
£100 (licence fee) – £6 (6% CodeCogs.com fee) = £ 94
If you choose NOT to extend the licensing of the software to include the GPL terms. For each subsequent commercial licence sold you would then receive:
£100 (licence fee) – £10 (10% CodeCogs.com fee) = £ 90
Example 3: Purchaser requests a piece of Software to be developed and wants it to own it outright (a private deal). Purchaser accepts your bid for £1000, and you develop the Software and submit it to the Web Site for verification. It will not stay on the Web Site. You will then receive:
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Once you have registered you are free to browse through all the requests and click on the bid button next to a request to submit a bid. It's as easy as that!!
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At CodeCogs.com we respect all copyright and intellectual property rights. As a result we have 2 basic types of licence that we distribute all work under:
For more details on licence policy please visit our licence information page.
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All Purchasers (i.e. someone who wants to make requests for other users to develop code via the site's bidding system) and Developers (i.e. a person making bids to develop a piece of code in response to a bid request) must agree to the terms and conditions of a "user licence agreement" when they make a request or a bid. These agreements set out all the rules for the entire procedure. There is a slightly different agreement depending on whether you are a Purchaser or a Developer, to reflect the different role that each one has. An overview of the agreements can be viewed here.
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Computer software licensing can be complex, so our contract is designed to simplify the legal ownership of any code you write and submit, so that CodeCogs.com can protect your investment, while also guaranteeing developers continued access and support for the components they license.
At all times, CodeCogs must be able to guarantee the availability of licences, so that commercial customers can expand their operations and reliance on any one component. For this reason, it is imperative that CodeCogs has exclusive rights to issue licences and that the person who buys a licence only enters into a single agreement with CodeCogs.com (not each individual contributor if it is made up of several parts).
CodeCogs.com respects copyright law and needs to be able to pursue individuals who make unauthorised use of the software. Without ownership, this legal process would require that you personally sue all offending parties. By entering into this agreement you agree transfers the ownership (including any and all intellectual property rights) of the submitted code and documentation to CodeCogs.com. In return for you doing this CodeCogs.com will guarantee to you that it will:
You are free to cancel this agreement, and reclaim ownership, up until the first commercial licence is sold.
The full text of the contract can be viewed by clinking here.
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We use the PayPal payment system to transfer funds to you. You can select and transfer funds between your CodeCogs account and PayPal at any time (subject to a 2% PayPal service charge).
If somebody purchases a licence for a piece of code that you have stored on the site then we will automatically credit your account immediately.
If somebody accepts one of your bids then they pay the money into an escrow account. As soon as the money is transferred we will send you an email telling you to start work. Once you have finished the code you then submit it, along with the support documentation, and we will check it is complete. We will then pass it on to the requester. Once the requester has signaled that they are happy with your work (within 5 business days of the set project completion date) we will transfer the money into your account. If we do not hear from the requester within this time we will assume the code is ok and will pay you.
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On the My Contact Details page you will see a drop down box that gives you a selection of different currencies. This will convert all prices across the site into that currency, thus enabling you to better view and compare prices. It should be noted though that CodeCogs.com is based in the UK and all final transactions will carried out in British Pounds. This means that when you finally checkout a conversion will be done and you will be charged the equivalent amount in British Pounds. It does not affect the price you pay.
Note: Exchange rates vary. All prices shown, if not in British Pounds, will be converted using the exchange rate figures for that day. This means that prices may appear to vary from one day to the next if you are not viewing the site in British Pounds. The official value will always be the price in British Pounds.
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If the requester feels that the code does not do what they initially specified then there are several options:
If there is a disagreement between the two parties as to whether the work has been completed, then both sides enter into an mediation / arbitration process. For details of this process click here.
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As a developer you are protected in various ways:
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Requesters do not always choose the cheapest bids. Informing requesters about previous experience and particular skills that you have is a good way of raising your profile. Don't "bite off more than you can chew" either. If you don't think you can do a job don't bid for it. You will get a bad reputation if you do this and it is unlikely people will use you again in the future.
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When you make a bid you will see a closing date for bids. You will therefore be informed by this date if your services are required. If the requester does not accept a bid within 5 working days of bidding closing then the request will be cancelled. If a bid is accepted within these 5 days then the developer will receive an extension of time equal to the number of days since the closing of bidding.
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Yes. Once a bid has been accepted, an email will be sent out to both parties with each others email address.
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After a requester/purchaser has accepted a bid for a developer to commence work they may then decide to cancel it. Generally the developer will commence work as soon as the purchaser's funds are escrowed and an email has been sent by CodeCogs to both parties confirming this. As the developer's spent time and work are not recoverable, not all funds escrowed may be able to be refunded. It is up to the two parties to reach agreement on this. If no agreement can be made then the mediation / arbitration process will be entered into. More details of this can be found in either the Developer or Purchaser user agreement.
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No, once you have committed to develop a bid you must complete the work. Failure to do so without providing sufficient justification / reasons may result in you being prohibited from bidding for any further work on CodeCogs.com and being expelled from the Web Site. If you think that you are having troubles completing the work you are obliged to contact us and let us know the situation. We will try to support you as much as possible.
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The idea behind CodeCogs.com is to encourage innovation through open-source information in the public domain. However, if the requester does not want the code you write to be made public, then they can select the request to be 'private', in which case the code will never be published on codecogs.
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Any piece of code that is in the public domain under the GNU General Public Licence does not need to be supported (although we would prefer it if you do). If a Commercial Licence for your code is sold, then you will be required to maintain your code and respond to errors or bugs that our customers raise. If you do not want to maintain your code, then we can do this for you - our fee for supporting your code will depend on the amount of time we spend, but may be up to 50% of your licensing revenue.
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Yes. You should declare any monies that you earn through CodeCogs.com to the authorities in your country. CodeCogs.com does not take any responsibility for this.
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