Automatic schematic generation using SKILL

Yes, this can be done. You need to first write some Skill code to read the text file using code like the following:

;Assume the txt file is a csv (comma separated values) dumped from an Excel spreadsheet looking like this:
;portName,numBuffers

txtFileName="/tmp/my.csv"
/*
The text file for this example looks like this:
port1,10
port2,5
port3,6
*/
procedure(myReadCsv(txtFileName)
  let((portTable filePtr lineData line)
    portTable = makeTable("portTable" nil)
    filePtr = infile(txtFileName)
    while(gets(line filePtr)
        lineData = parseString(line ",")
        portTable[car(lineData)] = evalstring(cadr(lineData))
    )
    close(filePtr)
    portTable
  ) ;let
) ;proc

procedure(myBuildBufferSchematic(txtFileName)
  let((portTable cv x y dx inPinId outPinId buffId wireId bufInst bufWidth )
    cv = geGetEditCellView()
    portTable = myReadCsv(txtFileName)
    x = y = 0
    dx = 5.0
    inPinId = dbOpenCellViewByType("basic" "ipin" "symbol")
    outPinId = dbOpenCellViewByType("basic" "opin" "symbol")
    buffId = dbOpenCellViewByType("myLib" "myBuf" "symbol")
    foreach(port portTable
        schCreatePin(cv inPinId port "input" nil x:y "R0")
        for(i 1 portTable[port]
            wireId=schCreateWire(cv "draw" "full" list(x:y x+dx:y) 0.05 0.05 0.0)
            bufInst = dbCreateInst(cv buffId nil x+dx:y "R0")
            bufWidth = abs(rightEdge(bufInst~>bBox) - leftEdge(bufInst~>bBox))
            ;Subtract 0.05 so the wire overlaps the instance pin (adjust as needed for your buffer)
            x = x + dx + bufWidth - 0.05
        )
        wireId=schCreateWire(cv "draw" "full" list(x:y x+dx:y) 0.05 0.05 0.0)
        schCreatePin(cv outPinId strcat(port "_out") "output" nil x+dx:y "R0")
        y=y+1
        x=0
    )
    printf("Finished\n")
  ) ;let
) ;proc

;lbl = schCreateWireLabel(cv car(wireId) x:y+0.05 labelName "lowerCenter" "R0"  "stick" 0.05 nil)

Your needs will certainly vary from what I've provided, but here are some things to note:

1. Paste the above in a file like with a .il extension.
2. Modify the code to specify your text file name (use the sample lines so you can see what this does) 
3. Modify the line that sets buffId to provide your buffer library and cell name
4. If your input and output pins are not basic ipin and opin, then update inPinId and outPinId
5. Open an empty schematic in edit mode
6. Load your Skill file in your CIW: load("mySkillFileName.il")
7. Run: myBuildBufferSchematic(txtFileName)
8. Look at the results. You can use "undo" to get your empty schematic back. Edit the skill, and try again.

I didn't name the wires between the buffers, but if you need to you can use the schCreateWireLabel command shown above.

Derek

 Generally this is possible.
- Output a csv file form Excel.
- Read it in with SKILL file IO commands.
- Post processes in SKILL
- Do a schematic placement with db* commands e.g. dbCreateInst

Bernd

Thanks Derek for your detailed reply and also the sample script. That's very helpful.

I followed all the steps that you have mentioned above. 

1. So first I created a sample csv file (myfile.csv) with following data:

port1,10
port2,5
port3,6

In CIW I entered

txtFileName="/home/myDir/myfile.csv"

The copied your SKILL script to a .il file (build_buffer.il) and added the buffer library and cell name.

Then in CIW I did

load("/home/myDir/build_buffer.il)

myBuildBufferSchematic(txtFileName)

----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

However I am getting an error: 

*Error* evalstring: argument #1 should be a string (type template = "ts") - nil

Is it something to do with "portTable[car(lineData)] = evalstring(cadr(lineData)) ", since the buffer numbers in the txt file are not strings??

Best Regards,

Shailesh

I'm guessing there is probably a blank line in the text file. The evalstring is going to convert the string to a number when it stores it in the table. Make sure there are no trailing blank lines in the file.

You could error check for that this way:
    while(gets(line filePtr)
        lineData = parseString(line ",")
        when(length(lineData)==2
            portTable[car(lineData)] = evalstring(cadr(lineData))
        )
    )

Also, if you are going to write Skill, the following commands will give you even more detail when your Skill fails:
sstatus( stacktraceDump t )
sstatus( stacktrace 8 )
sstatus(traceArgs t)

Derek

Thanks again Derek. You were right, there were trailing blank lines in my text file.

Now the script runs perfectly.

Also thanks for the tips related to debugging.

That was indeed very helpful !

Best Regards,

Shailesh 

Thanks Bernd for the inputs !

BR,

Shailesh 

 Thanks Derek for this information. Actually I am also trying to do same thing. But to add on this, this is possible to read any text file and fetch information to build any schematic.

Please let me know is this also possible to fetch the information from schematic using skill and load in some text file? Information is like no. of wires, no. of components, no. of pins in schematic etc.

  Regards

Varun

 or instead of storing any information in text file, can we also store in some model like UML diagram?

Regards

Varun

Really? Your question seems to be to do the opposite - to extract some (vaguely described) information from the schematic and write it to a text file, not the other way around.

Also, the forum guidelines ask you not to append to old threads, especially if asking different or only loosely related questions. You can always reference an old thread in a new one if you want to point people to threads that you think might be relevant.

Kindest Regards,

Andrew.

Perhaps dbWriteSkill will do what he wants.

dbWriteSkill(
d_cellViewId
t_fileName
t_mode
t_release
[ g_conn ] db
[ g_ref ]
[ g_lppString ]
 )
     => t / nil

Creates a file that contains all the SKILL commands needed to recreate a cellview, so that the design can be recreated in the current or previous release by loading the file in the current or previous release, respectively.

Open a cellview and run this:
dbWriteSkill(geGetEditCellView() "/tmp/mycell.il" "w" "6.1")

This will write out a skill file of all the contents of the cellview. The Skill file could be used to recreate the cellview if that is what is desired.

Derek