Virtuosity: Sharing Custom SKILL Calculator Functions

Have you ever written a fantastic piece of SKILL to carry out a calculation and wanted to tell the world about it? Or maybe you really need a Calculator function to perform certain calculations but Cadence does not supply that function with the Calculator or Expression Builder? 

To address these issues, we have provided a new Custom IC Calculator SKILL Function Library available on Cadence Online Support. You can use this library to download custom SKILL scripts and upload any of your own that you'd like to share with others. Of course these scripts are to use at your own risk.

To open this library, Choose Resources - SKILL Information and then click the Custom IC Calculator SKILL Function Library link, as shown in the figure below.

How Do I Create and Add a Custom Function?

These scripts can now be easily integrated to the Calculator or Expression Builder. If you haven't already tried adding custom functions, there is an article available on the library page. I will also outline the steps here for ease.

From the webpage, first download the function you want to use and then open the Calculator or Expression Builder and click the respective Add Custom Function button, as shown in the figures below.

Calculator

Expression Builder

This opens the Add Custom Calculator Function form, just add the path to the file you've downloaded and click OK.

The new function will appear in the Calculator and Expression Builder as a custom function and will be displayed in blue. It'll also be in the Expression Builder drop-down like the other functions. Notice that the hints work in the Expression Builder too.

Where Do Hints Come From In The Expression Builder?

We take the arguments from the scripts as prompts for the Expression Builder, or labels for the Calculator. By clicking on the Edit UI button on the Add Custom Calculator Functions form, you can edit the prompt names, data types, default values and tooltips. On saving, the original script will be overwritten with this information, unless you choose to save the template information at a separate location.

I too Have a Pile of Function Scripts. How Can I Share Them?

It's easy, just click the Contribute Content button on the Cadence Online Support page. Fill in the details and mention that you want this code to be considered for the Calculator function library. Once the content has been approved, it'll appear in the library. It would be great if more and more users upload their custom SKILL scripts and share their knowledge with fellow users.

Related Resources

• Virtuoso Video Diary: Why Should you Switch To the Expression Builder for Creating Expressions?
• Virtuoso Video Diary: How Can I Plot or Evaluate with the New Expression Builder?
• Virtuosity: Expression Builder Now Plots ALL!
• Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL User Guide

Note: For more information on Cadence circuit design products and services, visit www.cadence.com.

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Arja Hunkin