This book attempts to be a “bible” on the Programming Language Interface (PLI) for the Verilog hardware description language. Verilog is one of the two (second is VHDL) most popular HDL’s. The Verilog language has been standardized by IEEE (# 1364-1995). Verilog provides a means of specifying a digital system at behavioral and structural levels of abstraction. It has been instrumental in providing consistency across diverse tools-fault simulators, timing analyzers, behavioral and logic synthesis as well as design specification. PLI allows users and Verilog application developers to extend the capabilities of the Verilog language and the Verilog simulator.
The book consists of two main parts and appendices. First part is devoted to the more advanced, second version of PLI called VPI routines. It is explained how to use VPI routines with details about the VPI routine library. Further topics discussed are reading and modifying values using VPI routines, synchronizing to Verilog simulations using VPI callbacks, and interfacing to C models using VPI routines. The second part of the book deals with the first version of PLI. The basic libraries are described-system tasks (TF) and access functions (ACC). It is explained how to use the routines, how to read and write values, how to synchronize to Verilog simulations, and how to interface to C models. The book contains four appendices. First presents how PLI applications are linked into seven different Verilog simulators. Three remaining appendices presents the complete IEEE (# 1364-1995) libraries for the VPI, TF and ACC routines. Each library routing is linked with its return value type, die input value types, and a brief description of the routine purpose. Also object data diagrams are shown with properties of objects and relationships between objects. The book contains numerous real life examples of PLI routines (source codes, simulation result logs) which are also included on added-on CD disc.