NAME

Verilog::Netlist - Verilog Netlist

SYNOPSIS

    use Verilog::Netlist;

    # Setup options so files can be found
    use Verilog::Getopt;
    my $opt = new Verilog::Getopt;
    $opt->parameter( "+incdir+verilog",
                     "-y","verilog",
                     );

    # Prepare netlist
    my $nl = new Verilog::Netlist(options => $opt,);
    foreach my $file ('testnetlist.v') {
        $nl->read_file(filename=>$file);
    }
    # Read in any sub-modules
    $nl->link();
    #$nl->lint();  # Optional, see docs; probably not wanted
    $nl->exit_if_error();

    foreach my $mod ($nl->top_modules_sorted) {
        show_hier($mod, "  ", "", "");
    }

    sub show_hier {
        my $mod = shift;
        my $indent = shift;
        my $hier = shift;
        my $cellname = shift;
        if (!$cellname) {$hier = $mod->name;} #top modules get the design name
        else {$hier .= ".$cellname";} #append the cellname
        printf("%-45s %s\n", $indent."Module ".$mod->name,$hier);
        foreach my $sig ($mod->ports_sorted) {
            printf($indent."      %sput %s\n", $sig->direction, $sig->name);
        }
        foreach my $cell ($mod->cells_sorted) {
            printf($indent. "    Cell %s\n", $cell->name);
            foreach my $pin ($cell->pins_sorted) {
                printf($indent."     .%s(%s)\n", $pin->name, $pin->netname);
            }
            show_hier($cell->submod, $indent."   ", $hier, $cell->name) if $cell->submod;
        }
    }

DESCRIPTION

Verilog::Netlist reads and holds interconnect information about a whole design database.

See the "Which Package" section of Verilog::Language if you are unsure which parsing package to use for a new application.

A Verilog::Netlist is composed of files, which contain the text read from each file.

A file may contain modules, which are individual blocks that can be instantiated (designs, in Synopsys terminology.)

Modules have ports, which are the interconnection between nets in that module and the outside world. Modules also have nets, (aka signals), which interconnect the logic inside that module.

Modules can also instantiate other modules. The instantiation of a module is a Cell. Cells have pins that interconnect the referenced module's pin to a net in the module doing the instantiation.

Each of these types, files, modules, ports, nets, cells and pins have a class. For example Verilog::Netlist::Cell has the list of Verilog::Netlist::Pin(s) that interconnect that cell.

FUNCTIONS

See also Verilog::Netlist::Subclass for additional accessors and methods.

$netlist->lint: Error checks the entire netlist structure. Currently there are only two checks, that modules are bound to instantiations (which is also checked by $netlist->link), and that signals aren't multiply driven. Note that as there is no elaboration you may get false errors about multiple drivers from generate statements that are mutually exclusive. For this reason and the few lint checks you may not want to use this method. Alternatively to avoid pin interconnect checks, set the $netlist->new (...use_vars=>0...) option.
$netlist->link(): Resolves references between the different modules.
If link_read=>1 is passed when netlist->new is called (it is by default), undefined modules will be searched for using the Verilog::Getopt package, passed by a reference in the creation of the netlist. To suppress errors in any missing references, set link_read_nonfatal=>1 also.
$netlist->new: Creates a new netlist structure. Pass optional parameters by name, with the following parameters:

implicit_wires_ok => $true_or_false: Indicates whether to allow undeclared wires to be used.
include_open_nonfatal => $true_or_false: Indicates that include files that do not exist should be ignored.
keep_comments => $true_or_false: Indicates that comment fields should be preserved and on net declarations into the Vtest::Netlist::Net structures. Otherwise all comments are stripped for speed.
link_read => $true_or_false: Indicates whether or not the parser should automatically search for undefined modules through the "options" object.
link_read_nonfatal => $true_or_false: Indicates that modules that referenced but not found should be ignored, rather than causing an error message.
logger => object: Specify a message handler object to be used for error handling, this class should be a Verilog::Netlist::Logger object, or derived from one. If unspecified, a Verilog::Netlist::Logger local to this netlist will be used.
options => $opt_object: An optional pointer to a Verilog::Getopt object, to be used for locating files.
parser => $package_name: The name of the parser class. Defaults to "Verilog::Netlist::File::Parser".
preproc => $package_name: The name of the preprocessor class. Defaults to "Verilog::Preproc".
synthesis => $true_or_false: With synthesis set, define SYNTHESIS, and ignore text between "ambit", "pragma", "synopsys" or "synthesis" translate_off and translate_on meta comments. Note using metacomments is discouraged as they have led to silicon bugs (versus ifdef SYNTHESIS); see <https://www.veripool.org/papers/TenIPEdits_SNUGBos07_paper.pdf>.
use_pinselects => $true_or_false: Indicates that bit selects should be parsed and interpreted. False for backward compatibility, but true recommended in new applications.
use_vars => $true_or_false: Indicates that signals, variables, and pin interconnect information is needed; set by default. If clear do not read it, nor report lint related pin warnings, which can greatly improve performance.

$netlist->dump: Prints debugging information for the entire netlist structure.

INTERFACE FUNCTIONS

$netlist->find_interface($name): Returns Verilog::Netlist::Interface matching given name.
$netlist->interfaces: Returns list of Verilog::Netlist::Interface.
$netlist->interfaces_sorted: Returns name sorted list of Verilog::Netlist::Interface.
$netlist->new_interface: Creates a new Verilog::Netlist::Interface.

MODULE FUNCTIONS

$netlist->find_module($name): Returns Verilog::Netlist::Module matching given name.
$netlist->modules: Returns list of Verilog::Netlist::Module.
$netlist->modules_sorted: Returns name sorted list of Verilog::Netlist::Module.
$netlist->modules_sorted_level: Returns level sorted list of Verilog::Netlist::Module. Leaf modules will be first, the top most module will be last.
$netlist->new_module: Creates a new Verilog::Netlist::Module.
$netlist->new_root_module: Creates a new Verilog::Netlist::Module for $root, if one doesn't already exist.
$netlist->top_modules_sorted: Returns name sorted list of Verilog::Netlist::Module, only for those modules which have no children and are not unused library cells.

FILE FUNCTIONS

$netlist->dependency_write(filename): Writes a dependency file for make, listing all input and output files.
$netlist->defvalue_nowarn(define): Return the value of the specified define or undef.
$netlist->dependency_in(filename): Adds an additional input dependency for dependency_write.
$netlist->dependency_out(filename): Adds an additional output dependency for dependency_write.
$netlist->delete: Delete the netlist, reclaim memory. Unfortunately netlists will not disappear simply with normal garbage collection from leaving of scope due to complications with reference counting and weaking Class::Struct structures; solutions welcome.
$netlist->files: Returns list of Verilog::Netlist::File.
$netlist->files_sorted: Returns a name sorted list of Verilog::Netlist::File.
$netlist->find_file($name): Returns Verilog::Netlist::File matching given name.
$netlist->read_file( filename=>$name): Reads the given Verilog file, and returns a Verilog::Netlist::File reference.
Generally called as $netlist->read_file. Pass a hash of parameters. Reads the filename=> parameter, parsing all instantiations, ports, and signals, and creating Verilog::Netlist::Module structures.
$netlist->read_libraries(): Read any libraries specified in the options=> argument passed with the netlist constructor. Automatically invoked when netlist linking results in a module that wasn't found, and thus might be inside the libraries.
$netlist->remove_defines(string): Expand any `defines in the string and return the results. Undefined defines will remain in the returned string.
$netlist->resolve_filename(string, [lookup_type]): Convert a module name to a filename. Optional lookup_type is 'module', 'include', or 'all', to use only module_dirs, incdirs, or both for the lookup. Return undef if not found.
$self->verilog_text: Returns verilog code which represents the netlist. The netlist must be already ->link'ed for this to work correctly.

BUGS

Cell instantiations without any arguments are not supported, a empty set of parenthesis are required. (Use "cell cell();", not "cell cell;".)

Order based pin interconnect is not supported, use name based connections.

DISTRIBUTION

Verilog-Perl is part of the <https://www.veripool.org/> free Verilog EDA software tool suite. The latest version is available from CPAN and from <https://www.veripool.org/verilog-perl>.

Copyright 2000-2021 by Wilson Snyder. This package is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either the GNU Lesser General Public License Version 3 or the Perl Artistic License Version 2.0.

AUTHORS

Wilson Snyder <wsnyder@wsnyder.org>