Batch Mode Example : Comparing VCD files

SynaptiCAD products that have the compare option added can run comparisons on files using batch mode execution. Batch mode execution is particularly useful for automating waveform comparisons when performing regression simulation runs after a design change. If there are differences in the files, then a file named timingDiagramName_diff.txt is created that lists the differences in the time order in which they occur.

This example shows a batch file that will compare two VCD files. The following code contains 3 lines of code and a number of comments that describe the functionality of the script. The code can be copied in to a *.bat file and executed:

@echo off 
 
 REM This batch file performs two vcd files automatically. Comparison requires
 REM that the second file loaded (the file selected during "Compare file" operation) must be
 REM a btim file, so we first convert this file from vcd to btim.
 
 
 set syncad=c:\src\newt\syncad.exe
 set product=wfp
 set referencefile=tb_gate_add4a.vcd
 set basename=tb_gate_add4b
 
 echo This assumes that the files are in the current directory.
 
 echo WARNING: in Windows 9x, this will launch two conversions
 echo at once because batch files don't wait for subprocesses to
 echo complete before they continue to the next step. This isn't
 echo really a problem -- multiple copies of WaveFormer Pro can be
 echo run at the same time -- as long as there is no dependency
 echo between the first step and the second step. In our case,
 echo the second invocation depends on the btim file 
 echo generated by the first step, so we've got a problem.
 echo We're cheating here and putting a pause statement between the
 echo two commands and leaving it up to the user to separate the 
 echo commands. In a real app you'd need to do something more clever.cc
 echo .
 
 echo .
 echo Converting %basename%.vcd to btim format for use as compare file
 %syncad% -p%product% --batch-mode --eval-perl-string twf::SetFilterFile(undef);
 twf::OpenFile(qw(%basename%.vcd),qw(VCD_To_IF));
 twf::SaveFile(qw(%basename%.btim),qw(IF_To_TIMBINARY));
 
 
 echo Press ENTER when you think the conversion to BTIM format might be done
 pause
 
 echo .
 echo Now we invoke WaveFormer Pro to do the comparison
 echo and display the results.
 REM NOTES: that the argument to CompareFile must be a .tim/.btim file, so if 
 REM you have, for example, a .cbc and a .tim, do the OpenFile on the 
 REM .cbc and the Compare on the .tim; doing it in the other order
 REM will fail. If neither of the files is a .tim file, you need to 
 REM convert one of them to a .tim/.btim file first.
 
 %syncad% -p%product% --eval-perl-string twf::SetFilterFile(undef);
 twf::OpenFile(qw(%referencefile%));twf::CompareFile(qw(%basename%.btim));

Batch Mode Example: Comparing VCD files