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XicII  is a feature set of the Xic graphical editor restricted in functionality to physical layout editing. This provides a low-cost alternative for users that do not require the full functionality of Xic.

In order to streamline support and maintenance, the documentation tree, i.e., the manual, help database, and release notes, is shared between the two programs. This of course is a slight disadvantage to XicII users, as the documentation contains descriptions of unavailable features, which may lead to confusion. However, this greatly simplifies maintaining the documentation which translates into lower cost to the customer, and also provides information to XicII users about the potential functionality available by upgrading to Xic.

Since the Xic and XicII programs share a common source code base, enhancements to Xic physical mode features will also apply to XicII.

This document will describe the differences between XicII and Xic. Features not explicitly discussed below are identical in both programs.

In Generation 4, the User Menu is provided in XicII, facilitating script access and execution. This was absent in earlier releases.

1. Technology File

   Parts of the technology file that relate to features that are not available in XicII are ignored, but will generate warning messages. In the example technology files, these features are enclosed in macro-tested blocks to avoid the warnings.

2. No Design Rule Checking

   XicII does not have DRC support, consequently there is no DRC Menu in XicII.

3. No Electrical Mode

   XicII is a physical layout tool only. There is no schematic entry, and no SPICE capability. There is no Electrical or Physical button in the View Menu.

4. No Extraction

   XicII has no extraction capability and no Extract Menu.

5. No Batch or Server Modes

   The background processing capability is not available in XicII.

6. '!' Commands and library functions

   The '!' commands and script library functions available in XicII are subsets of those in Xic, which apply to the feature set available in XicII.