VHDL_parse 🚀

VHDL_parse is for Automating VHDL creation, creating top-level and constraint files from schematics, searching large projects, and visualising module hierarchy and signal flow.

Open to donations and contributors with VHDL or Python experience. 😀

[!IMPORTANT] Designed to run in the command line, VHDL_parse lets you explore, navigate and manipulate VHDL files effortlessly. No additional libraries are required, just the magic of Python3. If you want to run these scripts from anywhere check here.

Functions

• Search for somthing inside your VHDL files.
• Show differences in vhdl files and folder structure.
• Automate the creation and checking of VHDL files.
• Insight into the contents of files and the overall structure of the design

Search:

Search within VHDL (found in the "vhdl_tokeniser/tools" folder )

Search functions:

• Constant = fconst.py
• Package = fpack.py
• Architecture = farch.py
• Type = ftype.py

  Search for Type Name

  Example ftype.py: Searches all VHDL files in a directory for VHDL FEATURES matching string. arg 1 = search string, arg 2 = -d directory

  python .\ftype.py MY_TYPE -d test

  Returns:

  Searching for type with 'MY_TYPE' in directory: test...
  test\my_package.vhd  : line 10: type MY_TYPE is record    
  Info: 2 files checked.

  Search for Two strings in the Same Line

  Example pfind.py: Searches all VHDL files in a directory for VHDL FEATURES matching string.

  python .\pfind.py clk in -d test

  Searches for 2 words on the same line, useful for doing things like finding all the VHDL modules with specific input names or libraries. arg 1 = search string A, arg 2 = search string B, arg 3 = -d directory

  Returns:

  test\my_entity.vhd  : line 7: clk : in  std_logic;
  Info: 2 files checked.

  ---

Show:

Compare File Names in One Directroy vs. Another

Example sdiffile.py:

python .\sdiffile.py test/folderA test/folderB 

Compares two directorys and returns the files found in one but not the other, and vise versa.

Returns:

Files in test/folderA but not in test/folderB :
test1.vhdl

Files in test/folderB but not in test/folderA :
test5.vhdl

Compare File Contents in One Directroy vs. Another

Example sdifcont.py:

python .\sdifcont.py test/folderA test/folderB -e vhdl

Compares contents of two files with the same name in two different directorys and returns the files that are not >identical.

Returns:

test/folderA\test2.vhdl and test/folderB\test2.vhdl have different contents

Example sdir.py:

python sdir.py  . -f package 

Searches directory for VHDL files with keyword 'package' in filename, shows in file tree with files matching your >search tearm highlighted in red.

Returns:

Directory tree structure for '.':
⤷ test
   - my_entity.vhd
     - my_package.vhd
⤷ __pycache__

---

Automate:

Create Bus and Assignments from signals:

bundle_sig.py:

python bundle_sig.py tests\test2.vhdl new_bus a AB Result b

Creates a signal definition as well as the assignements needted to explicitly asssign a group of signals to a new bus. Args are 1. vhdl file with the signals to be bundled, 2. the name of the new signal, 3. any signals from the VHDL file to be bundled

Returns:

signal new_bus : std_logic_vector(24 downto 0);

new_bus(7 downto 0) <= a;
new_bus(15 downto 8) <= ab;
new_bus(16)           <= result;
new_bus(24 downto 17) <= b;

Make Constraints File from Top-Level VHDL

make_xdc.py: (in the PINS Folder)

python make_xdc.py gen_file test\proj1.vhd

Creates an .xdc constraints file from a top-level VHDL file named "gen_file"

Returns:

Running with default settings (Xilinx .xdc)
gen_file.xdc created from test\proj1.vhd  

Check XDC vs. Top-level VHDL

check_xdc.py: (in the PINS Folder)

python check_xdc.py test\proj2.xdc test\proj1.vhd 

Compares a .xdc constraints file with the ports of a top-level VHDL file and reports the differences.

Returns:

Comparing Ports in .\proj2.xdc and .\proj1.vhd
In XDC but NOT in Vhd:

In Vhd but NOT in XDC:
in_vcxo_0_ctrl

Make Constraints and Top-Level VHDL from Schematic Netlist

WIP

Find Unused Signals in VHDL File

find_unused_sig.py:

python find_unused_sig.py .\tests\unused_sig.vhdl

Checks for signals declared in a VHDL file, that are not ever used. Good for cleaning up files.

Returns:

Searching for signals declared but never used in .\tests\unused_sig.vhdl...
counter_2s found in file 1 time(s). line 21
unused_delay found in file 1 time(s). line 23

Create Testbench from VHDL File

testbench.py:

python testbench.py tests/test3.vhdl

Generates a VHDL test bench for a VHDL file. Detects clocks and resets, extracts signals form UUT and sets them to '0'

Returns:

Generating test bench for tests/test3.vhdl...
Clocks found:  ['clk']
Resets found:  ['rst_n']

Create Wrapper for Multiple VHDL Files

wrapper.py:

python wrapper.py tests\test1.vhdl tests\test2.vhdl -sig

Generates a VHDL file consisting of instances of any VHDL files passed to it. "-sig" will create signals for each VHDL modules I/O signals,check the script help for renaming and saving to disk

Returns:

--Auto generated VHDL Wrapper  
LIBRARY ieee;
USE ieee.std_logic_1164.all;   

entity wrapper is
port();
end wrapper;

architecture rtl of wrapper is 

signal x1 : std_logic;   
signal x2 : std_logic;   
..... (Other signals omitted here to save space in this readme)
begin

full_adder_structural_vhdl_i : entity work.full_adder_structural_vhdl
port map (
x1      => x1,
x2      => x2,
cin     => cin,
s       => s,
cout    => cout
);

comparator_i : entity work.comparator
port map (
clock     => clock,
a         => a,
b         => b,
iab       => iab,
output    => output
);
end rtl;

Automate Creating Signals:

make_sig.py:

python make_sig.py "siga" "sigb 12" "sigc int" "sigd bool" "sige sig 8" "sigf un 16"

Creates formatted VHDL signals from simplified descriptions "name [type] [width]" where type and width are optinal and default to std_logic and sdt_logic_vector

Returns:

signal siga            : std_logic;
signal sigb            : std_logic_vector(11 downto 0);
signal sigc            : integer;
signal sigd            : boolean;
signal sige            : signed(7 downto 0);
signal sigf            : unsigned(15 downto 0);

Insight:

Get Summery of VHDL file Contents

get_info.py:

python get_info.py tests\test8.vhdl

Sumerises the contents of a VHDL file with colour coding. Some VHDL features are currently not shown.

Returns:

Getting Info For .\tests\test8.vhdl
Name: adder_tree  -  Arch: str
  Generics:
       -->['width', '', 'positive', 'null', 8]
       -->['topwidth', '', 'positive', 'null', 4]
  Port:
       -->['rst', 'in', 'std_logic', 1, None]
       -->['clk', 'in', 'std_logic', 1, None]
       -->['input', 'in', 'std_logic_vector', 'topwidth * width - 1 downto 0', None]
       -->['output', 'out', 'std_logic_vector', 'width - 1 downto 0', None]
       -->['valid_in', 'in', 'std_logic', 1, None]
       -->['valid_out', 'out', 'std_logic', 1, None]
  Components:
  Entities:
  Process:
  Constants:
       -->['treeheight', '', 'integer', 'null', 'integerceillog2realtopwidth']
  Attributes:
  Signals:
       -->['valid', '', 'std_logic', 1, None]
       -->['register_input', '', 'std_logic_vector', 'width - 1 downto 0', None]
       -->['register_input', '', 'std_logic_vector', 'topwidth / 2 * width - 1 downto 0', None]
       -->['register_output', '', 'std_logic_vector', 'topwidth / 2 * width - 1 downto 0', None]
       -->['base_case', '', 'std_logic_vector', 'width * 2 - 1 downto 0', None]
       -->['delay_chain', '', 'std_logic_vector', 'treeheight + 1 * width - 1 downto 0', None]
       -->['valid2', '', 'std_logic', 1, None]

Show VHDL project Hierarchy

hierarchy.py:

python hierarchy.py tests/stop_watch/toplevel.vhdl -d tests/stop_watch

Shows a colour-coded print out of the hierachy of modules instanciated by the VHDL module given.

Returns:

Running Show VHDL Hieracy of TLD 'vhdl_tokeniser/tests/stop_watch/toplevel.vhdl'
Printing VHDL Module Hierachy
13 vhdl files found
0 vhdl files unreadable
0 duplicate files found
---------------------------------------------------
Hierarchy of toplevel is: 

toplevel 
 ├─ debouncer : debouncer 
   ├─ sync : sync_bits 
 ├─ sw : stopwatch 
   ├─ timebasecnt : counter 
   ├─ cnt : counter 

---------------------------------------------------

I hope these scripts make your FPGA and VHDL work a bit smoother! I use them all the time and they have saved me countless hrs already. 🎉