Probe File Format

There is a probe file format written and read by the geSaveProbe and geLoadProbe functions, respectively. In addition, an application you integrate into the Cadence framework can use this format to graphically annotate the design with information about certain aspects. For example, a simulator could output error messages using this file format, and you can later request a display of the errors found. This simplifies the process of locating and correcting errors found by analysis tools.

Each line in the file specifies the property list of one probe. This list must contain property name and property value pairs:

(propName propValue propName propValue...)

The following is a list of the possible property names you can store in the probe file:

• explain
• probeName
• pathList
• pathObjectName
• probeType
• probeArgType
• probeColor
• probeLabel
• probeLabelColor
• probeLabelFontSize
• probeOnColorWhenDisplay

The property name value pairs can be in any order, except for the explain property, which must come first if specified. In addition to these predefined property names, user-specified properties can also be stored in the probe list. User-defined properties must appear before any of the predefined property names. The minimal probe list must include the type of the object to be probed in the probeType property and the name of the object to probe in the pathObjectName property. Following is an example of the minimum information required in each line of the probe file:

(probeType "instance" pathObjectName "Inst3")

The following is an example of a complete probe file.

(probeType "instance" pathObjectName "I3")

(explain "Instance Inst3 input A is not driven"
 probeType "instance" pathObjectName "Inst9")

(explain "Line 1 message\nLine 2 message" 
 probeType "instance" pathObjectName "Inst4")

(probeType "instance" pathList "/I0" pathObjectName "I2"
 probeArgType "probeColor")

(probeType "net" pathObjectName "I0.Y")

(probeType "net" pathObjectName "I1.Y" probeArgType
 "probeColor" probeColor ("y4" "drawing"))

(probeType "net" pathList "/I3" pathObjectName "Y"
 probeArgType "probeColor" probeColor ("y4" "drawing"))

(probeType "terminal" pathObjectName "select")

(probeType "terminal" pathObjectName "/I3/D" probeArgType
 "probeColor")

(probeType "path" pathList "/I1" pathObjectName "A"
 otherPathList "/I3" otherObjectName "Y")

(probeType "path" pathObjectName "/I3/B" 
 otherObjectName "/I1/Y")

(probeType "instance" pathObjectName "I2" probeArgType
 "probeLabel" probeLabel "myName")

(probeType "instance" pathObjectName "I1" probeArgType
 "probeLabel" probeLabel "newName" 
  probeLabelFontSize 0.1)

Related Topics

Probe Functions

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