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Xic Variables

Xic maintains an internal list of keyword/value associations. Although this list can be used for general purposes, there are a number of special keywords, or ``variables'', whose value will affect Xic operation. Variables are set with the !set command, and can be unset with the !unset command. The script functions Set, Unset, SetExpand, and Get also provide an interface to this database. Variables can be set from the technology file, and a number of the buttons in menus and various pop-ups really do nothing more than control the state of one of these variables.

Any variable name can be set with the !set command. The variables and constructs that have meaning to Xic are summarized in the table below. These are described more fully in the sections that follow.

Special Constructs
!set List variables currently set
!set ? List these variables
@devname.property Set device property
Paths and Directories
Path Symbol file search path
LibPath Startup file and library search path
HelpPath Help file search path
ScriptPath Script file search path
DocsDir Directory containing release documentation
TeePrompt Copy messages to given filename or ``stdout''
General Visual
FullWinCursor Enable full-window cursor
CellThreshold Min size in pixels of displayed subcell, integer > = 0
LayerTable Layer table presentation: ``compact'' or ``tiny''
MaxPrpLabelLen Max length of displayed prpty string
NoPixmapStore Don't use screen backing memory
NoDisplayCache Don't use multi-object rendering for boxes
PhysGridOrigin Set the origin of the grid displayed in physical mode
`!' Commands
JoinMaxPolyVerts Upper bound of vertices in polygons from join (def. 600)
JoinMaxPolyGroup Limit number trapezoids per poly in join (def. 100)
JoinMaxPolyQueue Limit number trapezoids to form polys in join (def. 1000)
JoinBreakClean Manhattan split polygons with too many vertices
LayerPartSize Partition grid size in microns for layer operations
NoSnapToEdges Disable edge snapping in object creation commands
Shell Path to shell used for external commands
SpotSize Set mask granularity
Selections
SelectTime Set delay (msec) to activate move
NoAltSelection Use legacy click-selection logic
Side Menu Commands
LogoEndStyle End style for logos: 0 flush, 1 round, 2 extend
LogoPathWidth Path width for logos, 1 - 5
LogoManhattan Use internal Manhattan font for logos
LogoPretty Use system font for logos
LogoPrettyFont Name of system font to use for logos
LogoToFile Create subcell for logos
NoMergeBoxes No box merging, ever
MaxRoundSides Maximum sides used to approximate round objects
NoConstrainRound No DRC constraints creating round objects
PictorialDevs Use pictorial device menu
ShowDots Show electrical connections
SPICE Interface
NoAsyncSpice Use synchronous WRspice interface
SpiceListAll Include unconnected devices in Spice output
SpiceAlias Device key aliases for Spice output
SpiceHost Name of WRspice server
SpiceProg Path name of WRspice executable, supersedes below
SpiceExecDir Directory containing WRspice executable
SpiceExecName Name of WRspice executable
CheckSolitary Report unconnected terminals in netlist
NoSpiceTools Do not show WRspice toolbar
File Menu - Printing
NoDriverLabels Don't use driver text for hard copy labels
PSlineWidth Set line width for postscript line draw
Edit Menu Commands
MasterMenuLength Max. entries in master pull-down menu
NoReadExclusive Don't move stripped path to front of search path
AddToBack Add stripped path to back of search path
UndoListLength Number of operations saved in the undo list
NoWireWidthMag Don't change the width of magnified wires
CrsymOverwrite Allow Create Cell to overwrite memory cells
View Menu Commands
InfoInternal Use internal coordinates in info windows
PeekSleepMsec Per-layer delay in peek command, milliseconds
XSectThickness Xsect layer thickness, internal units, deflt 500
RulerSnapToGrid Rulers snap to grid by default
LockMode Don't allow physical/electrical mode change
Attributes Menu Commands
EraseBehindProps Erase behind phys properties in props command
PhysPropTextSize Pixel text height used in props command
Convert Menu - General
NoPopUpLog Don't pop up log file if warnings or errors
Convert Menu -- Input and ASCII Output
AutoRename Automatically change clashing cell names when reading
NoAskOverwrite Suppress prompting for overwrite instructions
NoOverwritePhys Don't overwrite phys memory cells when reading
NoOverwriteElec Don't overwrite elec memory cells when reading
MergeInput Merge boxes and coincident objects when reading
NoPolyCheck Skip polygon reentrancy tests when reading
NoCoincCheck Skip coincident object tests when reading
NoCheckEmpties Skip checking for empty symbols while reading
NoReadLabels Ignore text labels when reading physical cell data
LayerList Layer list for conversion input filtering
UseLayerList How to use layer list, skip or use only
UseLayerAlias Map layers using layer alias table
InToLower Map lower case cell names to upper in archive read
InToUpper Map upper case cell names to lower in archive read
InUseAlias Use alias file when reading archive
InCellNamePrefix Cell name translation prefix for archive read
InCellNameSuffix Cell name translation suffix for archive read
NoMapDatatypes New layers take all datatypes in GDSII read
CifLayerMode CIF layer resolution method, 0-2
SkeletonMode Use skeleton mode reading archive files
SkelSaveNum Skeleton mode save geometry threshold
NumToTxtCells When converting to text, stop after this many cells
OasReadNoChecksum Ignore checksum in OASIS input file
OasPrintNoWrap Use one line per record in OASIS ascii output
OasPrintOffset Add file offsets to OASIS ascii output
Convert Menu -- Output
StripForExport Strip all format extensions from output file
SkipInvisible Do not write invisible layers to output
KeepBadArchive Don't delete failed conversion output archive file
OutToLower Map lower case cell names to upper in archive write
OutToUpper Map upper case cell names to lower in archive write
OutUseAlias Use alias file when writing archive
OutCellNamePrefix Cell name translation prefix for archive write
OutCellNameSuffix Cell name translation suffix for archive write
CifOutStyle CIF output dialect and extensions specifier
CifAddBBox Add bounding box comment to objects in CIF output
CifOldWire Output old wire style syntax for backward compatibility
GdsOutLevel GDSII release level conformance code (0-2)
GdsMunit Modify M-UNITS value in GDSII output file
NoGdsMapOk Ignore unmapped layers in GDSII/OASIS output
OasWriteCompressed Compress records in OASIS output
OasWriteNameTab Use string table referencing in OASIS output
OasWriteRep Try to combine similar objects in OASIS output
OasWriteChecksum Compute and add checksum to OASIS output
OasWriteNoTrapezoids Don't convert polys to trapezoids
OasWriteWireToBox Convert wires to boxes when possible
OasWriteNoGCDcheck Don't look for common divisors in repetitions
Extract Menu Commands
EraseBehindTerms Erase behind physical mode terminals marks
TermTextSize Pixel height of text used in terminal marks
TermMarkSize Pixel width of cross used for terminal marks
LayerSearchUp Iterate layers bottom to top in paths command
ExtractOpaque Ignore the OPAQUE flag in extraction
FlattenPrefix Cell name prefix to flatten in extraction
GroundPlaneGlobal Ground all pieces of clear-field ground plane
GroundPlaneMulti Handle nets in dark-field ground plane
GroundPlaneMethod Set ground plane inversion method 0-2
NoMergeParallel Never merge parallel devices
NoMergeSeries Never merge series devices
NoMeasure Suppress measuring parameters of devices
QpathGroundPlane Quick Paths, use of inverted ground plane, 0-2
NoEnet Don't print net, enet command
EnetSpice Do include SPICE listing, enet command
EnetBottomUp Use leaf-to-root ordering in electrical netlist
NoPnet Don't print extracted net list, pnet command
NoPnetDevs Don't print extracted device list, pnet command
NoPnetSpice Don't print extracted SPICE list, pnet command
PnetBottomUp Use leaf-to-root ordering in physical netlist
PnetShowGeometry Include wire geometry in netlist file, pnet command
PnetIncludeWireCap Include routing caps in SPICE netlist, pnet command
PnetListAll List ignored and flattened subcells, pnet command
SourceAllDevs Update internal-named devices in sourc command
SourceCreate Create devices in sourc command even if not empty
SourceClear Clear cell before updating with sourc command
NoExsetAllDevs Don't use internal-named devices in exset command
NoExsetCreate Don't create devices in exset command
ExsetClear Clear cells before updating in exset command
ExsetIncludeWireCap Include routing capacitance in exset command
NoPermute Skip permutation search in association
RLSolverDelta Overriding grid spacing for resistance/inductance extraction
RLSolverTryTile Attempt to use tiling grid for resistance/inductance extraction
RLSolverGridPoints Grid points per device when not tiling
RLSolverMaxPoints Maximum grid points per device when tiling
FastCap/FastHenry Interface
FxMinRectSize Minimum rectangle dimension for Manhattanization
FxPlaneBloat Overhang of interface planes and dark-field conductors
FxUnits FastCap/FastHenry file units: m, cm, mm, um, in, mils
FxForeg FastCap/FastHenry run in foreground if set
FcPartMax Maximum FastCap top/bottom panel dimension
FcEdgeMax Maximum FastCap edge panel dimension
FcThinEdge FastCap outside edge panel width
FcPath FastCap executable directory path
FcArgs FastCap command line arguments
FhPath FastHenry executable directory path
FhArgs FastHenry command line arguments
FhFreq FastHenry frequency specification
Help System
HelpMultiWin Use separate windows for help references
NoHelpDefault Suppress default help window

There are a few more variables listed in the table below. These allow setting the colors used peripherally in certain pop-ups and elsewhere. The value is the name of a color.

Variable Default Use
pop_color_no red Merge Control, Empties, Modified Cells
pop_color_yes darkgreen Merge Control, Empties, Modified Cells
pop_color_hl1 red Debugger, Keys Pressed "INSERT", DRC Rules
pop_color_hl2 darkblue Modified Cells, Properties
pop_color_hl3 darkviolet Modified Cells
pop_color_hl4 sienna DRC Rules, Extract Param, Convert Param, Properties, Cell Properties
pop_color_dvbg gray90 Pictorial device menu background
pop_color_dvfg black Pictorial device menu foreground
pop_color_dvhl blue Pictorial device menu highlight
pop_color_dvsl gray80 Pictorial device menu selection



Subsections
next up previous contents index
Next: Special Constructs Up: xicmanual Previous: Special Escapes   Contents   Index
Stephen R. Whiteley 2006-10-23