Methods for Integrators

Some of the functions are defined as methods for integrators. A method is a function that can be overloaded. In other words, the same function can be defined in different ways depending on the class of the arguments that users pass to the function. With methods, the same function name can specify a general class of actions. The user, by supplying an initial argument of a particular class to the function, determines the specific action of the function. (The SKILL++ object system analyzes the class of the initial argument to determine which variant of the function to call.) The methods have examples for integrators.

When using methods, the space after the name of the procedure is required. (When using SKILL procedures, the space after the name of the procedure is not allowed.)

You can use defmethod to create a method that is specialized for a particular class. If a user calls a function with an initial argument of this class, the SKILL++ object system looks for the corresponding method for that class. If there isn’t a match for that class, the SKILL++ object system looks for a match in the class above, and so on.

Using methods gives you the following advantages:

• You can overload an existing method for your own simulator-specific classes. In other words, you can customize an existing function for your simulator.
• You can use the callNextMethod procedure to use an inherited method and add some code before or after it.

Related Topics

Cadence SKILL++ Object System Reference.