Can't add pin db object to a figure group?

Two problems here:

1. leCreatePin is not a function that is safe to use in PCells - that's because it's an application specific function that is not in all executables. In the PCell documentation you'll find it tells you to only use core SKILL, db, dd, tech, cdf, rod and abe functions (I think that's all - there may be one or two others). You'll find that stream out (unless from virtual memory) will fail otherwise, as would other external interfaces that directly read the database
2. leCreatePin returns a pin object, not a figure. You can only add figures to figGroups, and the pin object is an object that describes the pin - the link to the net, the terminal, the figures that make up the pin and so on. You'd need to add pin~>fig (or pin~>figs to be strictly correct) to the figGroup instead - although as I said, using leCreatePin is the wrong thing to do in a PCell.

Regards,

Andrew

Thanks for the reply Andrew.

That's fair enough, I forgot about that restriction on the PCells.

I'll just place a label at the desired locations instead and get the user to place the pins manually at the top level.

I'm not entirely sure how that would help - a pin within the pcell won't serve as a pin the level above anyway. It's also pretty easy to create pins without needing to use leCreatePin. Two simple ways:

net=dbMakeNet(cv "yourTermName")
pinFig=dbCreateRect(cv list("Metal1" "pin") list(0:0 0.1:0.1))
pin=dbCreatePin(net pinFig)
pin~>term~>direction="output"

then pinFig is what you'd add to your figGroup.

Or you could use the ROD function to make it in a single line:

rodObj=rodCreateRect(?cvId cv ?origin 0:0 ?width 0.1 ?length 0.1 ?layer list("Metal1" "pin") ?termName "yourTermName" ?termIOType "output" ?pin t)

You'd then add rodObj~>dbId to your figGroup

Regards,

Andrew.