Re: percent codes for analyses

Geoffrey.Coram wrote:
> Martin O'Leary wrote:
>   
>> * Add percentage codes for analysis that can be used to uniquely name a
>> file generated by an analysis.
>> It a file is not uniquely name, it will be overwritten if there are
>> multiple analysis opening, closing and writing to the file.
>>     
>
> Let's be sure that SV is going to go along with this; there are
> only 26 percent codes, and most of them are already used.  We
> don't want SV to assign a different meaning.
>   
Actually there are lots more than 26 since you could use uppercase and 
they don't have to be single character or just a-z.

> What does this code look like?  If I put "results_%a" to I get
> files like "results_dc" "results_ac" ...
>
> Or are the names more like the temporary filenames generated
> by the C function "tmpnam"?
>
> On one hand, it would be nice to know that dc results are in
> "results_dc"; on the other, I don't want the results of the
> second dc analysis in a single netlist to overwrite those
> of the first dc analysis.
>   

Maybe we could add (say) %A to indicated the run number e.g. 
"results_%a.%A" would be "

  "results_dc.0","results_dc.1",...

Alternatively add extra modes for to $fopen for no-clobber/versions, e.g.:

  $fopen(results,"wv"); // v => new version (add .<number> automatically).

or tell fopen to do a plug expansion on the file name e.g.:

  $fopen("results_%a.%A","we",...); // e => expand plugs in filename.

- that saves having to create your own strings.

Kev.

> Some simulators have names for the analysis, eg "dc1" in this:
> dc1 dc start=0 stop=5
> Will the percent code use this name?  On one hand, this would
> give good control to the user; on the other hand, it may be
> inappropriate to dictate this for the simulator in an HDL
> manual.
>
> -Geoffrey
>
>
> Codes used in Verilog 1364-2005:
> b,c,d,e,f,g,h, ,l,m, ,o, ,s,t,u,v, ,z
>
> C uses i,n,p,x in some implementations, though %i looks
> to the same as %d; %x is "unsigned hex" in C, whereas
> %h is "hex" in Verilog.  Also, %u is "unsigned decimal"
> in C, but "unformatted 2-value" in Verilog.  (%p is for
> a pointer. %n is strange: printf outputs nothing but
> instead stores back into the corresponding argument the
> number of characters printed so far.)
>
> I don't see any new ones in 1800-2005.  AMS uses %r.
>
> That leaves: a,j,k,q,w,y  %a sure would be nice for
> analysis ...
>
>   

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