Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 22 views

    1 Functions and Procedures

    Uploaded by

    litoduter
    Functions and procedures in VHDL serve a smaller role than in other languages like C. They are not primarily used to divide code into manageable units, as design hierarchy serves that purpose in VHDL. A function returns a value based on a sequential algorithm, while a procedure does not return a value. Examples show a majority Boolean function and ceillog2 function, as well as READ and WRITE procedures from the std_logic_textio package.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    1 Functions and Procedures

    Uploaded by

    litoduter
    22 views5 pages
    Functions and procedures in VHDL serve a smaller role than in other languages like C. They are not primarily used to divide code into manageable units, as design hierarchy serves that purpose in VHDL. A function returns a value based on a sequential algorithm, while a procedure does not return a value. Examples show a majority Boolean function and ceillog2 function, as well as READ and WRITE procedures from the std_logic_textio package.

    Original Description:

    Lecture 23

    Original Title

    Lecture 23

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Functions and procedures in VHDL serve a smaller role than in other languages like C. They are not primarily used to divide code into manageable units, as design hierarchy serves that purpose in VHDL. A function returns a value based on a sequential algorithm, while a procedure does not return a value. Examples show a majority Boolean function and ceillog2 function, as well as READ and WRITE procedures from the std_logic_textio package.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    22 views5 pages

    1 Functions and Procedures

    Uploaded by

    litoduter
    Functions and procedures in VHDL serve a smaller role than in other languages like C. They are not primarily used to divide code into manageable units, as design hierarchy serves that purpose in VHDL. A function returns a value based on a sequential algorithm, while a procedure does not return a value. Examples show a majority Boolean function and ceillog2 function, as well as READ and WRITE procedures from the std_logic_textio package.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 5

    Functions and Procedures

    Dr DC Hendry

    May 8, 2006

    1 Functions and Procedures

    VHDL supports both functions and procedures. These constructs are not how-
    ever used in the manner that functions are used in a language such as C. In the C
    language functions are used to divide code into manageable sized units, to make
    the code more efficient to write and to maintain. In VHDL this task is largely
    fullfilled by the use of a design hierarchy built with components instantiated
    within a larger design.

    Functions and procedures have a much smaller role to play in VHDL. It is


    true that many designs can be completed without any overt use of functions
    and procedures, although since functions are essential for providing overloaded
    operators and so for example the functionality that accompanies types signed
    and unsigned, functions are implicitly used.

    A function is a subprogram that returns a value. The function defines how


    the return value is to be computed using a sequential algorithm. The formal
    parameters of the function may be used within the algorithm.

    2 Subprogram Syntax

    Procedure Syntax

    procedure <procedure_name> ( <formal_parameter_list> ) is

    <list of subprogram declarations>


    Functions and Procedures

    begin

    <list of sequential statements>

    end procedure <procedure_name>;

    Simple Procedure Example

    procedure printsumxy
    (constant x : in integer;
    constant y : in integer) is

    variable xplusy : integer;


    variable l : line;

    begin

    xplusy := x + y;
    write(l, Sum of x and y is );
    write(l, xplusy, right, 5);
    writeline(output, l);

    end procedure printsumxy;

    Interface Elements (Formal Parameters)

    The declaration of a formal parameter includes up to five items of information,


    collectively known as an Interface Element. The syntax is:

    [<interface class>] <parameter name> : [<mode>] <type> [:= <initial value>]

    For example:

    constant x : in std logic vector;


    constant y : in integer := 0;
    variable z : out std logic vector;

    Interface Classes

    Revision : 1.1 Page 2 of 4 Dr DC Hendry


    Functions and Procedures

    Each formal parameter has an interface class that is declared as part of the
    formal parameters. For VHDL 93 there are four interface classes:

    constant This is the default class for parameters of mode in. The actual
    parameter may be a literal, a constant, a signal, a variable or an expression.
    variable This is the default class for parameters of mode out. The actual
    parameter must be a variable.
    signal The actual parameter must be a signal.
    file Only available with VHDL-93, the actual parameter must also be a file. In
    VHDL-87, files are passed as parameters of class variable.

    Interface Element Mode

    The mode of an interface element is one of:

    in The parameter is an input, and so read only. Only parameters of mode in


    can include an initialisation expression.
    out The parameter is an output, and so may only be written to.
    inout The parameter may be both read from and written to.

    Function Syntax

    The syntax for a function in VHDL is:

    [pure | impure] function <function_name>


    ( <formal_parameters> )
    return <type> is

    <subprogram_declarations>

    begin

    <sequential_statements>

    end function <function_name>;

    Revision : 1.1 Page 3 of 4 Dr DC Hendry


    Functions and Procedures

    Functions

    1. A pure function is one that for the same input arguments, returns the
    same output. A function that returns the square of an input integer is
    such a function.
    2. Formal parameters of functions can onlybe constant of mode in.
    3. An impure function is one that may return different data for the same
    data input. The supplied function now that returns the current simulation
    time is such a function.
    4. The function declaration must give the type of the value to be returned.
    5. The value to be returned is given in a return statement within the se-
    quential statements. The type of the expression in the return statement
    must match the type given in the function declaration.

    3 Examples

    A Boolean Function: Majority Function

    pure function majority


    (a : std logic;
    b : std logic;
    c : std logic) return std logic is
    begin
    return (a and b) or (a and c) or (b and c);
    end function majority;

    This function can be called in either a sequential or a concurrent statement:

    y <= majority(x1, x2, x3);

    ceillog2

    Revision : 1.1 Page 4 of 4 Dr DC Hendry


    Functions and Procedures

    function ceillog2 (constant n : natural)


    return natural is
    begin ceillog2
    pragma synthesis off
    assert n >= 1
    report "Ceillog2: value of n is less than 1"
    severity error;
    pragma synthesis on
    for m in 0 to 35 loop
    if 2**m >= n then
    return m;
    end if ;
    end loop;
    pragma synthesis off
    report "Ceillog2: value of n is too large"
    severity error;
    pragma synthesis on
    end ceillog2;

    Procedure Declarations:

    The next three are taken from std logic textio.

    procedure READ(L:inout LINE; VALUE:out STD LOGIC VECTOR);


    procedure READ(L:inout LINE; VALUE:out STD LOGIC VECTOR;
    GOOD:out BOOLEAN);
    procedure WRITE(L:inout LINE; VALUE:in STD LOGIC VECTOR;
    JUSTIFIED:in SIDE := RIGHT; FIELD:in WIDTH := 0);

    For the last procedure the final two formal parameters have default values, so
    we may write:

    WRITE(Lin, invec);

    and the final two parameters assume values of RIGHT and 0 respectively.

    Revision : 1.1 Page 5 of 4 Dr DC Hendry

    You might also like