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Cell Name Aliasing

There is provision for modifying cell names as archive files are read, written, or format converted. The Conversion - Import, Conversion -- Export, and Conversion panels available from the Convert Menu each contain a cell name mapping module for controlling modification of cell names during their respective operations. This module contains the following controls:

Auto-Rename check box
This check box is available in the Conversion - Import panel only. The state of the button tracks the state of the AutoRename variable. When set, cell names that clash with the name of a cell in memory encountered when an archive file is being read into memory will be changed to avoid a clash.

This will apply to files read with the Edit command and equivalent, in addition to files opened from the panels and through script functions.

Prefix and Suffix text entries
Text entered into these text areas will be added as a prefix or suffix to cells encountered when reading an archive file. A limited text substitution mechanism is available. In the Conversion and Conversion - Import panels, these text areas track the InCellNamePrefix and InCellNameSuffix variables. In the Conversion - Export panel, these text areas track the OutCellNamePrefix and OutCellNameSuffix variables.

This will apply to files read with from the panels and through script functions only.

To Lower and To Upper check boxes
If set, To Lower will convert upper case cell names to lower case, and To Upper will convert lower case cell names to upper. Mixed case cell names are not affected. Case conversion is performed before any applied prefix/suffix. In the Conversion - Import and Conversion panels, these buttons track the state of the InToLower and InToUpper variables. In the Conversion - Export panel, these buttons track the state of the OutToLower and OutToUpper variables.

These will apply to files read with the Edit command and equivalent, in addition to files opened from the panels and through script functions.

Read Alias and Write Alias check boxes
These buttons control whether an alias file (see next section) is read before a file is processed, and updated after processing is complete. In the Conversion - Import and Conversion panels, the buttons track the InUseAlias variable, and in the Conversion - Export panel, the buttons track the OutUseAlias variable. Aliasing from the alias file is applied before any other name change.

These will apply to files read with the Edit command and equivalent, in addition to files opened from the panels and through script functions.

GDSII conformance
When writing GDSII files, cell names will be forced to conform to the GDSII specification. For format level 3, this limits the cell name length to 32 characters. The character set is limited to alpha-numerics plus `?', `_', and `$'. This action is automatic when writing GDSII files and can not be disabled.

Device Library name clashes
When reading any of the archive formats into memory, if a cell name is encountered which clashes with a library device name, that cell name is modified. A warning message is added to the conversion log file indicating the change.


next up previous contents index
Next: Cell Name Alias File Up: The Convert Menu: Data Previous: The Convert Menu: Data   Contents   Index
Stephen R. Whiteley 2006-10-23