Next: The Convert Button: Conversion
Up: The Convert Menu: Data
Previous: Output Format
Contents
Index
The Import Control Button: Conversion - Import Panel
The Conversion - Import panel is brought up by the Import
Control button in the Convert Menu. The panel controls certain
features used when reading cell data files. Reading of files into
Xic memory can also be initiated through this panel.
The panel contains a number of check boxes and option menus, as
follows. Unless otherwise noted, these settings apply to all input,
for example through use of the Edit command, and not just input
initiated from this panel.
- Don't prompt for overwrite instructions
In graphical mode, when a cell name clash with a cell already in
memory is detected while reading a file, the Merge Control
pop-up may appear. This can be used to change the whether or not to
overwrite the cell in memory on a per-cell and per-mode basis. When
this button is active, the Merge Control pop-up will not appear,
and the overwriting will use the default setting (below).
This state can also be enabled by setting the boolean variable NoAskOverwrite with the !set command.
- Default when new cells conflict
This menu determines the default behavior when a cell from a file
being read conflicts with the name of a cell already in memory. There
are five choices: Overwrite All, Overwrite Phys, Overwrite Elec, Overwrite None, and Auto Rename. If AutoRename is selected, when a name clash with a cell in memory is
detected, the cell name of the cell being read is automatically
changed to avoid the clash. A suffix ``$N'' is added to
the cell name, where N is a small integer, and a warning message
is added to the log file. The Merge Control pop-up will never
appear in this mode. For the other four choices, in graphical mode,
when a conflict is detected, the Merge Control pop-up will appear,
if enabled. The initial state of the pop-up will be determined by
this menu, but the actions can be modified by the user on a per-cell
basis. If the pop-up does not appear either because it has been
suppressed or the program is running in non-graphical (server or
batch) mode, the default action will be performed.
The default cell name conflict behavior can also be set with three
boolean variables: AutoRename, NoOverwritePhys and NoOverwriteElec. If AutoRename is set (with the !set
command or otherwise), the other two variables are ignored, and the
auto-rename mode is enabled. If none of these variables is set, then
the default action is Overwrite All.
- Merge boxes and coincident objects while reading
When this button is on, boxes are merged together, if possible, as
files are being read in. Overlapping boxes are clipped and/or merged.
This applies to box objects only, and not polygons (even rectangular
ones) or wires.
In addition, objects (not subcells) that are coincident with an
identical object will be deleted. This applies to all geometrical
objects and not just boxes.
This mode can also be enabled by setting the boolean variable MergeInput with the !set command.
The merging of boxes is suppressed if the NoMergeBoxes variable
is set (with the !set command). Coincident boxes will still be
deleted, however.
- Skip testing for badly formed polygons
When set, the reentrancy test for polygons is skipped while an input
file is being read. The default behavior is to check each polygon for
potentially troublesome geometry specification while the polygon is
being created.
This mode can also be enabled by setting the boolean variable NoPolyCheck with the !set command.
- Skip testing for coincident objects
When set, testing for coincident objects (but not subcells) is skipped
while reading input. Coincident subcells are always reported in the
log file. This has no effect on the merging of coincident objects if
the Merge boxes button is active.
This mode can also be enabled by setting the boolean variable NoCoincCheck with the !set command.
- Skip testing for empty symbols
When set, there is no checking for empty cells as an input file is
being read, and the pop-up that normally appears when a file is opened
for editing if there are empty symbols in the hierarchy is suppressed.
An ``empty symbol'' is a symbol that contains no physical or
electrical objects or subcells. It is possible to check for empty
symbols at any time with the !empties command.
This mode can also be enabled by setting the boolean variable NoCheckEmpties with the !set command.
- Cell Name Mapping
This group of controls manages the cell name aliasing feature (see
9.1). The Auto-Rename button found here has the same
functionality as the Auto Rename selection in the cell name
resolution option menu. This applies only when reading archive input
files, and not native symbols. The prefix/suffix modifications are
applied only in input initiated from this panel or script functions.
- GDSII: map all unmapped datatypes to same Xic layer
This variable affects only the creation of new layers when a GDSII
file is read. The default behavior is to create a separate new Xic
layer for each GDSII layer/datatype encountered that is not mapped in
the technology file. With the variable set, all datatypes on the new
GDSII layer are mapped to the same (new) Xic layer.
This mode can also be enabled by setting the boolean variable NoMapDatatypes with the !set command.
- CIF: how to resolve layers
This is an option menu which specifies how Xic interprets layer
directives in CIF files.
The layer directive has the syntax
L token;
If the token is an integer, it might indicate the name of a
layer with the name being the same integer string, or it might be an
index into the layer table. The choices in the menu enforce these two
behaviors.
The default resolution method (Try Both) works as follows: The
parser reads ``L token;''. If token matches an
existing layer name (as string comparison), that layer is accepted.
If there is no matching layer, and the token is an integer in
the range of 1 through a maximum number, and there is no leading 0,
the token is tested as an index. if a layer exists with that 1-based
index, that layer is chosen. If the layer still has not been
resolved, a new layer is created in the layer table, with the given
(numerical) name.
The option menu gives two additional choices. The By Name
choice will skip the index test. If the string match fails with all
existing layers, a new layer will be created. If the By Index
choice is selected, the layer tokens are assumed to be integers. The
string match test is skipped. If the index test fails, an error is
reported and the operation aborts. New layers are never created in
this mode. The layer tokens must be positive integers with no leading
zeros that have a corresponding layer table entry.
The CifLayerMode variable corresponds to this set of options,
where its value of 0-2 corresponds to the three choices.
The layer change module allows layer filtering and/or mapping to be
applied during the read operation (see 9.4). These
actions can be performed when:
- Input is being read from an archive file.
- The operation was initiated from the Conversion - Import
or Conversion panel, or from on of the FromArchive, Edit, or OpenFile script functions.
- The physical-mode part of the file is being read. The Layer list applies only to physical data.
The Conversion Scale Factor provides an entry area where a scale
factor to be applied during reading can be entered. Values of 0.001
through 1000.0 are acceptable. This will apply to input initiated
from this panel and script functions only.
The Read File button will prompt the user for a file to read
into Xic, in the manner of the Edit command. However for
archive files, scaling and/or layer filtering may be applied to the
cells read from the file. This, and the script commands Edit
and OpenCell, use the scale factor provided in the text area or
with the SetConvertScale script function, and the Layer
list (if enabled, archive files only). Other methods of opening a
cell do not provide scaling or layer filtering.
The Dismiss button removes the pop-up from the screen.
Next: The Convert Button: Conversion
Up: The Convert Menu: Data
Previous: Output Format
Contents
Index
Stephen R. Whiteley
2006-10-23