Provided by:
alliance_5.0-20110203-4_i386 
NAME
PAT - Generic pattern data structure
DESCRIPTION
PAT is a generic data structure supporting vlsi concepts. It allows
representation of a sequence of simulation patterns in a data
structure.
The goal of PAT is to define an ad hoc single data structure (object),
with well known fixed meaning for each concept manipulated in pattern
description. So any tools that needs to access simulation patterns can
be build upon it, using these structures.
For each object (data structure), a set of functions has been defined
in order to add, delete or access it. These functions are defined in a
low-level library libPat106.a. Some other functions are higher level.
They are defined in a high-level library libPhl106.a. There are also
some parsers-drivers. A parser reads a pattern description file in a
given format and build up a complete PAT data base. A driver creates a
text file in a given format from a PAT data base. A pat format
parser-driver is available in the libPpt106.a library.
Pattern description envolves the following notions (for further details
see pat(5)):
input port controlled by the user
output signal or port observed by the user
initialization forcing the value of a register
pattern sequence list of values to be forced on inputs or to be
checked as the result of the simulation on outputs
The input-output list is represented by two data structures: pagrp
contains informations relative to actual or virtual arraies and, paiol
represents a one-bit input-output. Both are simply chained lists.
However, to make a more efficient access to paiol structures, they are
organized in a table. So, a paiol can also be addressed using an
offset.
Another group of data structures is used to represent a pattern. paini
contains values to be forced into registers before processing the
pattern. An event (a modification of value) on an input-output is
given by a paevt structure. A third structure, papat gathers all
information concerning a pattern (including initializations - paini -
and events - paevt).
A pacom is used to represent a comment.
Finally, all these structures can be accessed through a unique
structure, paseq, designed to represent a complete sequence of
simulation patterns.
ORGANIZATION
In order to use PAT, concepts on use of libraries are needed. And,
since these libraries are under development, the code is subject to
change.
To enable work, a static version of each library is always present for
the user. Libraries and header files are suffixed by a number (the
library's version). The programmer can prefer to work with an earlier
version of a library rather than the most recent one. However, it is
recommended to adapt softwares to libraries as soon as possible in
order to spotlight potential compatibility problems before old
libraries are removed.
A makefile is necessary for all PAT applications. This is required
because any soft must be easily recompilable, and knowing the needed
libraries for a PAT based program is not an easy matter. It can't be
achieved by an other way, so do use makefile.
In terms of software organization, PAT is splitted into two libraries
for the basic functions, a header file for structures and variable
declarations and, up to now, one parser-driver library for pat format.
It is to be noticed that library's version number is incremented when,
at least, one function composing the library has been modified.
Therefore, PAT libraries may evolve independently form each other.
Here follows the list of the libraries and their contents.
libPat106.a: pat_addpaseq, pat_addpagrp,
pat_addpaiol, pat_addpapat,
pat_addpaevt, pat_addpaini,
pat_addpacom, pat_frepaini,
pat_frepaiol, pat_frepacom,
pat_frepapat, pat_frepaevt, pat_crtpaiol
libPhl106.a: pat_debug, pat_getcount
libPpt106.a: pat_lodpaseq, pat_savpaseq,
pat_drvpat, pat_prspat
The libraries are organized in such a way that no cycle can appear
through calls. It means that, if in a given library a function calls
another function in another library, then none of the functions of this
one does call any function that belongs to the first library.
EXAMPLE
In order to use PAT libraries, one needs something like this in its
makefile:
HEADER = -I/labo/include
LIB = -L/labo/lib -lPat106 -lPhl106 -lPpt106 -lMut315
SEE ALSO
mbk(1), pat(5)