- Version: 15.0.2 Date: 2007-01-22 Summary: | This release fixes problems with linking of the C extension and installation of the gem. Details: | * Added checks for POSIX threads & Ruby libraries before creating makefile. Otherwise the .so files were not being linked to those libraries on the MASC machine! * The *make* program on the MASC machine does not like an empty Makefile. It was causing gem installation to fail. - Version: 15.0.1 Date: 2007-01-15 Summary: | This release fixes a problem with compilation of the C extension and improves the user documentation's appearance. Acknowledgment: | Thanks to Derek Graham for reporting the problem. Details: | * Restored the monkey patch, which was removed in release 14.0.0, for the SWIG @va_list@ problem. * Made table of contents in-line with the content in user documentation. * Added printer-friendly stylesheet for user documentation. - Version: 15.0.0 Date: 2007-01-13 Summary: | This release fixes a problem with compilation of the C extension, and makes clock generation code correctly affect Ruby prototypes. Acknowledgment: | Thanks to Derek Graham for reporting the problem with compilation of the C extension. Notice: | * The @Vpi::advance_time@ method (instead of the @Vpi::simulate@ method) now invokes the design's @simulate!@ method when prototyping is enabled. This makes clock generation code (passed to the @RubyVpi::init_bench@ method) affect Ruby prototypes, just as it affects a real Verilog design. As a result, Ruby prototypes may need to check for edge-triggering through the new @Vpi::Handle.posedge?@ and @Vpi::Handle.negedge?@ methods. For example, see the "new implementation of the Counter prototype":manual.html#fig..counter_proto.rb. h3. New features * Added @Vpi::Handle.posedge?@ and @Vpi::Handle.negedge?@ methods which check if a handle's logic value is currently at a positive or negative edge, respectively. * Added @Vpi::S_vpi_time.integer@ and @Vpi::S_vpi_time.integer=@ methods which access the @high@ and @low@ integer fields as a single 64-bit integer. * Added utility methods for accessing the @value@ field in the @Vpi::S_vpi_value@ structure. Details: | * Fixed problem with incorrect Ruby library flag in ext/extconf.rb. It happens that the @mkmf@ library determines the correct library flag all by itself! * Added new "prototyping section":manual.html#usage.prototyping to user manual. * Fixed some broken URLs in user documentation. - Version: 14.0.0 Date: 2006-12-30 Summary: | This release adds support for simulation callbacks, renders Verilog benches _fully simplified_, and revises the user manual to reflect major changes. Notice: | * The @Vpi::relay_verilog@ method has been replaced by @Vpi::simulate@. Please update you tests accordingly, because invoking the @Vpi::relay_verilog@ method directly will cause your tests to freeze/hang. * Verilog benches no longer contain any clock generation code. They are now mere skeletons, whose _only_ purpose is to instantiate the design under test. The clock generation code is now contained in the Ruby bench. h3. New features * The @RubyVpi::init_bench@ method now gives you _complete control_ over performing a clock/operation/whatever cycle for your design. This feature allows you to work with multi-clocked designs. * Callbacks are now supported through the @Vpi::vpi_register_cb@ method. See "the callbacks section in the user manual":manual.html#usage.vpi.callbacks for details. * Added the @Vpi::advance_time@ method, which makes the Verilog simulator simulate a given number of time steps. * Added the @Vpi::simulation_time@ method, which gives you the current simulation time as a 64-bit integer. Details: | * Removed the monkey patch for the SWIG @va_list@ problem -- it no longer occurs. * Cleansed the appearance of the user documentation. ** Added indices to section headings, just like LaTeX. ** Admonition boxes no longer interfere with surrounding text, and they don't have big gap above them. ** Navigation menu is now elastic (fluid layout). * Revised the user manual and added new content. ** Moved "VPI utility layer" section from background chapter into usage chapter in user manual. ** Added a nice introduction to entire manual with links to reference documentation. - Version: 13.0.0 Date: 2006-12-27 Summary: | This release fixes a _major_ instability bug, simplifies generated Verilog benches, and purifies the API reference documentation. Notice: | * The @$ruby_init@ and @$ruby_relay@ system task/functions have been removed. Generated Verilog benches no longer use them. ** To pass your own command-line options to Ruby, set the @RUBYOPT@ environment variable before running a test. h3. New features * You can now choose when @Vpi::relay_verilog@ is triggered: upon positive/negative edge of the clock signal, or any other criteria. This is done by passing a block to the @RubyVpi::init_bench@ method (see "the API reference documentation":../ref/ruby/classes/RubyVpi.html for details). Details: | * Fixed a major instability bug that was randomly causing segmentation faults and pthread assertion failures. The problem was that the @$ruby_init@ system task/function was mischeviously unlocking a pthread mutex. From then onward, all code assumed that the mutex was still locked -- but in reality, the mutex was already unlocked. * Replaced the @$ruby_init@ and @$ruby_relay@ system task/functions with callbacks. * Excluded internal stuff from the API reference documentation for Ruby. * Removed system-dependent path /usr/bin/ruby from the tools. - Version: 12.1.0 Date: 2006-12-22 Summary: | This release adds interactive debugging support, adds new sections to the user manual, and cleanses some internals. Notice: | * The lib/ruby-vpi/rspec.rb and lib/ruby-vpi/xx.rb files have been removed because they are no longer necessary. * rSpec 0.7.0 or newer is now required because the sample tests utilize the @should ==@ syntax. h3. New features * Test runners now support the @DEBUG@ environment variable, which enables the interactive debugger (ruby-debug) in "post-mortem debugging mode":http://www.datanoise.com/articles/2006/12/20/post-mortem-debugging. ** The @debugger@ command can also be used when the @DEBUG@ environment variable is not activated. * Status messages, which are shown during initialization of a Ruby bench, now appear in your simulator's log files. Details: | * ruby-debug is now a gem dependency for Ruby-VPI. * Added documentation about "test runners":manual.html#usage.test-runner and the "interactive debugger":manual.html#usage.debugger in the user manual. * Added a README file with hint about where to find the user manual. * Removed code that wasn't being used, according to code coverage analysis, from the pipelined ALU sample. - Version: 12.0.2 Date: 2006-12-18 Summary: | This release fixes a problem in the 12.0.1 gem, where the *generate_test.rb* and *header_to_ruby.rb* tools were not being installed properly. - Version: 12.0.1 Date: 2006-12-18 Summary: | This release fixes a problem in code coverage analysis. Acknowledgment: | Thanks to Mauricio Fernandez for helping me solve the problem. Details: | Previously, code coverage reports were not providing any useful information because they were being generated _before_ the test had a chance to run. This problem has been fixed -- code coverage reports are now generated _after_ the test has finished running. This problem occurred because I had forgotten that @Kernel.at_exit@ invokes the blocks passed to it in _reverse_ order. So, the coverage report was being generated before Test::Unit had a chance to run (it also uses @Kernel.at_exit@). - Version: 12.0.0 Date: 2006-12-07 Summary: | This release adds support for the "test/spec":http://chneukirchen.org/blog/archive/2006/10/announcing-test-spec-0-2-a-bdd-interface-for-test-unit.html library, fixes some bugs, and improves the user manual and generated tests. Notice: | * Icarus Verilog 0.8 has been demoted to a "mostly acceptable":manual.html#setup.reqs status. * Generated Verilog benches no longer supply the -w option to the @$ruby_init@ task. * The @ruby-vpi/runner_proxy@ library now invokes test runners ** just before exiting. Thus, you can invoke tasks in the main Rakefile before the test runners are invoked. ** located within any directory that is a descendant of the current working directory. * The @SIMULATOR_ARGS@ parameter of generated runners has been renamed to @SIMULATOR_ARGUMENTS@ for clarity. * The automated test generator ** no longer displays the *backup* status indicator. ** now supplies a third argument to the @MERGER@ command. ** no longer replaces existing files with newly generated content during the *update* action. Instead, it now writes the newly generated output to a .new file and then invokes the @MERGER@ command. Details: | * The @Vpi::Handle@ class has two new methods: @x!@ and @z!@, which set the handle's logic value to _unknown_ and _high impedance_ respectively. * The tests for the simple up-counter example were randomly failing because the specifications were not asserting the design's @reset@ signal long enough. So the design was getting into weird states and behaving in a non-deterministic way. This problem has been fixed. * The user manual has been revised and some minor issues have been fixed. h3. Test generation * The automated test generator accepts new command-line options: ** --test-unit ** --test-spec ** --tspec * The automated test generator was crashing when parsing module parameters of an input file which did not have any module parameters. This has been fixed. * Generated Verilog benches now contain simpler clock generation code. * Generated runners now contain ** a @:setup@ task which is invoked before the simulator runs. It can be used to make preprations, such as converting Verilog header files into Ruby, for the simulation. ** better explanations to accomodate new users. * Specifications generated in the *generic* format no longer contain a class that is instantiated in the generated Ruby bench. - Version: 11.1.1 Date: 2006-11-15 Summary: | This release fixes a bug in the automated test generator, unifies the user manual and the website into a single documentation system, and adds support for rSpec 0.7.2. Acknowledgment: | Thanks to John Burr for finding the bug in the automated test generator. Notice: | * The user manual is now available _only_ in HTML format. If you still wish to have a plain-text version, you can use a text-based browser, such as "lynx":http://lynx.browser.org/, to perform the necessary conversion. Details: | * The automated test generator no longer crashes when parsing a Verilog module declaration that contains multiple module parameters. * The user manual and the website are now written using a custom documentation system based on RedCloth and ERB instead of DocBook-XML. This makes it easier to edit the user manual and reuse its content in other areas of the website. - Version: 11.1.0 Date: 2006-11-08 Summary: | This release fixes a bug in generated benches, improves the "the @Vpi::Handle@ class":../ref/ruby/classes/Vpi/Handle.html, and improves performance by roughly 20%. Acknowledgment: | Thanks to Matt Fischler for finding the bug in generated benches (see below). Notice: | * A bug in generated Verilog and Ruby benches, which caused the 
ruby: no such file to load -- ruby-vpi (LoadError)
error, has been fixed. Please regenerate your tests to apply this bug fix to your tests. Details: | * The class @SWIG::TYPE_p_unsigned_int@ has been aliased as @Vpi::Handle@ for easier access. * @Vpi::Handle.to_s@ and @Vpi::Handle.inspect@ now produce more informative output. For example, what used to appear as 
#
now appears as 
#
in this release. ** You can also provide a list of VPI properties, as names or integer constants, to those methods to see additional information in the output. * @Vpi::Handle@ now implements all methods from @Enumerable@, such as @map@, @each@, @select@, and so on. However, unlike their counterparts in @Enumerable@, these methods also accept a list of VPI properties, as names or integer constants. Thus, you are now able to write @handle.select(:reg, :net) {|h| h.size > 5}@ to obtain a list of child handles to registers and nets whose capacity is greater than 5 bits. * The @Vpi::Handle.[]@, @Vpi::Handle.get_value@, and @Vpi::Handle.put_value@ methods now accept names of VPI properties as well as their integer constants. Thus, you are now able to write @handle[:reg, :net]@ to obtain a list of handles to all child registers and nets. * @Vpi::Handle.method_missing@ has been refactored to cache queries. There is now, approximately, 20% improvement in performance. * @Vpi::Handle.method_missing@ has been fixed to accept operations with multiple underscores. For example, before this release, you could not write @handle.find_all_reg {|r| r.name =~ /foo/}@ because the "find_all_reg" method would be interpreted as the operation "find" and the VPI property "all_reg". * @Vpi::Handle.method_missing@ no longer requires that the first letter of a method be lower case. For example, now you can now write @handle.IntVal@ in addition to @handle.intVal@. * The @IntegerGenerator@ class, in the pipelined ALU example, has been fixed so that multiple instances do not interfere with the generation of each other's prime integers. * Due to a bug in the Rakefile, the reference documentation was not included in the previous few releases. This has been fixed. - Version: 11.0.0 Date: 2006-11-05 Summary: | This release shortens generated Ruby benches and uses the less confusing notation for defining "singleton methods":http://wiki.rubygarden.org/Ruby/page/show/SingletonTutorial in generated designs and prototypes. Notice: | * The arguments for the "@RubyVPI.init_bench@ method":../ref/ruby/classes/RubyVpi.html have changed. * *generate_test.rb* no longer emits undocumented status indicators: _name_ and _format_. * The source code is no longer distributed as a *zip* package, because it seems to be quite underutilized in comparison to the *tgz* and *gem* packages. Details: | * Generated Ruby benches have been shortened to just _one_ line of code! * The less confusing notation of def some_object.a_singleton_method do_stuff end is now used instead of the class << some_object def a_singleton_method do_stuff end end notation. ** The tutorial and examples have been updated accordingly. * The pipelined ALU example now has an updated @IntegerGenerator@ class. - Version: 10.0.0 Date: 2006-11-05 Summary: | This release adds the ability to access a handle's children and reduces the amount of code produced by the automated test generator. Acknowledgment: | Thanks to Matt Fischler for finding the problem of misdirected compilation errors in Verilog benches. Notice: | * The way in which Ruby-VPI and generated tests interact has changed: the design is now a VPI handle object and the design.rb and proto.rb files define "singleton methods":http://wiki.rubygarden.org/Ruby/page/show/SingletonTutorial for that object. ** I suggest that you regenerate your existing tests (just run *generate_test.rb* again) whilst employing the service of a text merging tool (see the user manual). * You can now access a handle's children by simply calling methods on it. In the event that a child handle has the same name as a VPI property, the child is given priority. However, you can always access VPI properties explicitly via the @get_value@ and @put_value@ methods. * *generate_test.rb* no longer accepts the 
-s
and 
-u
options. Use their longer counterparts 
--rspec
and 
--xunit
instead. Details: | h3. Automated test generator * Generated Verilog benches no longer divert compilation errors from Verilog design files. That is, if the Verilog simulator finds compilation errors in a Verilog design file, it will report that the Verilog design file is at fault (instead of reporting that the generated Verilog bench is at fault). * The user is now notified when a backup of an existing file is made. * Generated tests have been greatly simplified to reduce the amount of work for the user. ** The design is now just a handle to the module in the Verilog bench. ** @include Vpi@ and @@design@ are no longer generated. ** The tutorial and examples have been updated accordingly. h3. User manual * Revised the stylesheet to make disjoint sections readily distinguishable from each other, through generous spacing and minor coloring. * Added tips about ruby-vpi/runner_proxy, 
rake -T
, and using *kdiff3* with *generate_test.rb*. * Moved installation information into a new "setup" chapter. - Version: 9.0.0 Date: 2006-10-28 Summary: | This release improves the automated test generator and adds new content to the user manual. Acknowledgment: | Thanks to Matt Fischler for helping test and debug the installation of Ruby-VPI on Windows. Notice: | * The command-line options for *generate_test.rb* have changed. Run the command 
generate_test.rb --help
for details. Details: | * Test runners now attempt to resolve paths in @SIMULATOR_SOURCES@ by searching for them within the directories specified in @SIMULATOR_INCLUDES@. * Synopsys VCS is now used in a better way (via the 
-load
option). ** The old PLI table file (synopsys_vcs.tab) has been removed. ** The C extension has been revised accordingly. ** The C extension now compiles without errors in Cygwin. * The automated test generator now: ** Only creates output files when necessary. ** Updates existing output files using "text merging tools":manual.html#setup.recom if possible. (Refer to @MERGER@ in the help information of *generate_test.rb*.) ** Emits progress information similar to Ruby on Rails. * The user manual now: ** Includes instructions for installing on Windows (via Cygwin). ** Has a recommended software section, with links to text merging tools. ** Uses the term "xUnit":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XUnit instead of "unit test". ** Correctly spells "rSpec". - Version: 8.2.0 Date: 2006-10-24 Summary: | This release simplifies configuration of generated tests. Acknowledgment: | Thanks to "students in CMPE-126":http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/classes/cmpe126/Fall06/ for their comments. Notice: | * Generated runners now have a @SIMULATOR_INCLUDES@ array, whose entries specify places where Verilog source files, needed by the Verilog design, reside. Details: | * Generated Verilog benches now inherit all @`include@ and @`define@ directives from the Verilog design in a simpler manner. * A generated test no longer requires its Verilog design to reside in the same directory. * The sample tests have been updated accordingly. - Version: 8.1.0 Date: 2006-10-21 Summary: | This release adds an integer library and renames the vpi_util library. Notice: | * The *vpi_util* library has been renamed to *vpi*. This change should not affect your code unless you explicitly imported this library via @require 'ruby-vpi/vpi_util'@. In which case, you should update your code to use @require 'ruby-vpi/vpi'@ accordingly. Details: | * An integer library has been added to simplify common tasks related to hardware and the binary number system. You can import this library for use via @require 'ruby-vpi/integer'@. - Version: 8.0.0 Date: 2006-10-13 Summary: | This release renames some identifiers for consistency, updates the documentation, and improves integration with RubyGems. Notice: | * The @RubyVPI@ module has been renamed to @RubyVpi@. * The @PROTO@ environment variable has been renamed to @PROTOTYPE@. ** In addition to using *unset*, you can now disable simulation of the prototype by assigning an empty value to this variable. Details: | * We now use "Darcs":http://darcs.net for revision control, instead of Subversion. The source repository can now be accessed at "http://ruby-vpi.rubyforge.org/src/ruby-vpi":http://ruby-vpi.rubyforge.org/src/ruby-vpi. * The source code is now distributed in tar.gz and zip form, in addition to gem. * Some identifiers have been renamed for better consistency. * The user manual now resides directly within the doc/ directory. ** The integration of documentation in *gem_server* has been improved. * The glossary and tutorial in the user manual have been revised. - Version: 7.3.0 Date: 2006-09-30 Summary: | This release fixes a bug in generated Verilog benches, includes parsed constants in generated tests, and adds new methods to handles. Notice: | * Handles now have two new methods: ** @handle.x?@ checks if the logic value is "don't care" ** @handle.z?@ checks if the logic value is high impedance Details: | * Module instantiation code in generated Verilog benches has been fixed. Whitespace between the module type and instance variable was missing. * The test generator tool now provides parsed Verilog constants and include-directives in generated Verilog benches; and parsed Verilog constants in generated Ruby designs. ** The pipelined ALU example has been revised accordingly. * A library for parsing Verilog source code has been added as lib/ruby-vpi/verilog_parser.rb. - Version: 7.2.0 Date: 2006-09-15 Summary: | This release adds initial support for code coverage analysis via the "rcov library":http://eigenclass.org/hiki.rb?rcov. Acknowledgment: | Thanks to Mauricio Fernandez for helping me use rcov without its runner. Details: | * Added initial support (full capabilites of the rcov library, such as its various analysis modes, are not yet utilized) for code coverage analysis, which can be enabled by setting the @COVERAGE@ environment variable to a non-empty value before running a test. ** For example, you can run a test with the GPL Cver simulator while enabling the generation of code coverage reports as follows: 
export COVERAGE=1; rake cver
* Coverage reports are generated in text and HTML formats. - Version: 7.1.0 Date: 2006-08-29 Summary: | This release simplifies running of multiple tests, restores compatibility with Synopsys VCS, and better integrates with RubyGems. Details: | * Added lib/ruby-vpi/runner_proxy.rb library which, when embedded into a Rakefile, runs all generated tests in the working directory with any specified arguments. For example, have a look at the samp/counter/Rakefile file. * Fixed a bug that prevented one from running tests with Synopsys VCS. * Ruby-VPI documentation is now available through RubyGems' "*gem_server* web interface":http://docs.rubygems.org/read/chapter/2#page10. * The user manual now discusses how to determine the location of a Ruby-VPI installation. * The tpl/ directory has been removed. - Version: 7.0.0 Date: 2006-08-29 Summary: | This release distributes Ruby-VPI as a gem, improves portability of generated tests, and fixes a bug. Notice: | * @put_value()@ now accomodates register value overflows when verifying the value it has written. * The test generator's templates and the examples have been updated as follows: ** Test runners no longer have to specify the path to Ruby-VPI installation directory. Instead, they simply @require 'ruby-vpi/runner'@. Thus, you can run your tests on any machine with Ruby-VPI without having to know where it is installed. ** Ruby benches now invoke @RubyVPI.init_bench@ instead of @require 'bench'; setup_bench@ to become initialized. * All Ruby libraries in the lib/ directory have been moved into lib/ruby-vpi/ to prevent load-path clashes with other gems. You should access these libraries by prefixing their path with "ruby-vpi". For example, @require 'vpi_util'@ should now be written as @require 'ruby-vpi/vpi_util'@. * The src/ directory has been renamed to ext/ to follow RubyGems convention. Details: | * Ruby-VPI is now distributed only as a "source gem":http://www.rubygems.org. You can decompress the gem without installing it onto your system by running the command 
gem install -i output_directory ruby-vpi-7.0.0.gem
. In addition, you can still obtain the source code directly from the Subversion repository. * The tools in bin/ become available in your system's bin/ directory when the gem is installed. ** Usage and help information has been added to the *header_to_ruby.rb* tool. * Incorrect spelling of GPL Cver (v should be uncapitalized) has been fixed. * Incorrect link to GPL Cver website has been fixed. * The user manual has been updated according to all of the above changes. - Version: 6.3.0 Date: 2006-08-27 Summary: | This release adds support for the GPL Cver simulator, provides both binary and source packages, and explicitly defines the version numbering system. Notice: | * Ruby-VPI now only needs to be built once. ** You can run tests with different Verilog simulators without having to re-compile Ruby-VPI. Details: | * The GPL Cver simulator is now supported. * Release packages are now available in both source and binary form. * The RSpec based specifications for the counter example now use the @should_equal@ instead of the @should_be@ assertion, because the latter ensures strict equivalence. For instance, it will fail when a Fixnum is compared to a Bignum. * We now follow the RubyGems project's "rational versioning policy":http://www.rubygems.org/read/chapter/7. The version numbers of previous releases have been revised accordingly: |_. Release date |_. Original version number |_. New version number | | 1999-10-31 | 0.0 | 0.0.0 | | 2006-02-26 | 0.1 | 1.0.0 | | 2006-04-17 | 0.2 | 2.0.0 | | 2006-04-23 | 0.3 | 3.0.0 | | 2006-04-28 | 0.4 | 3.1.0 | | 2006-05-13 | 0.5 | 3.2.0 | | 2006-05-25 | 0.6 | 4.0.0 | | 2006-07-22 | 0.7 | 5.0.0 | | 2006-07-29 | 0.8 | 5.1.0 | | 2006-08-04 | 0.8.1 | 5.1.1 | | 2006-08-07 | 0.9 | 6.0.0 | | 2006-08-09 | 0.9.1 | 6.1.0 | | 2006-08-26 | 0.9.2 | 6.2.0 | - Version: 6.2.0 Date: 2006-08-26 Summary: | This release beautifies generated tests, adds checks to find signal width bugs, and includes a new tool. Notice: | * @put_value()@ now returns the value it puts. Therefore, it is easier to chain together a series of assignments: @foo.intVal = bar.intVal = baz.intVal = 10@ * @put_value()@ now verifies that the value it puts was written correctly. This helps to find bugs regarding invalid assumptions about the number of bits supported by a signal. Details: | * The test generator now uses ERB templates which ensures nice indentation of generated output. * The test generator now decouples Ruby-VPI paths from Verilog benches via the RUBYLIB environment variable. * A tool which converts Verilog headers into Ruby has been added. * The source code is now indented with two spaces instead of one tab character. - Version: 6.1.0 Date: 2006-08-09 Summary: | This release simplifies generated tests and fixes a bug. Details: | * The test generator now produces simpler Ruby benches and specifications. ** A template used by generated specifications has been added. ** The counter example and tutorial have also been simplified accordingly. * Boolean VPI property values are now correctly converted into Ruby truth values. - Version: 6.0.0 Date: 2006-08-07 Summary: | This release adds support and documentation for rapid prototyping of Verilog designs in Ruby. Notice: | * The directory structure has been reorganized as follows: ** ext → src ** tools → bin ** examples → samp * All template files have been moved into the tpl directory. Details: | * Support for prototyping designs in Ruby, before they are implemented in Verilog, has been added. ** The _same_ specification can be used to verify both prototype _and_ design! :-) ** The tutorial in the user manual has been updated to discuss prototyping. *** Prototypes have been added to the counter example. * The user manual has been revised for consistency. - Version: 5.1.1 Date: 2006-08-04 Summary: | This release fixes unreadable syntax coloring in the user manual. Acknowledgment: | * Thanks to Todd Nagengast and Matt Fischler for notifying me about unreadable text in the user manual. Details: | * Source code comments in the user manual are now readable. * The README and HISTORY files have been converted to "textile":http://www.textism.com/tools/textile/ format. - Version: 5.1.0 Date: 2006-07-29 Summary: | This release adds a tutorial to the user manual, and improves the tools and examples. Acknowledgment: | * Thanks to Phil Tomson for correcting the URL of the RHDL website, in the user manual. Details: | h3. User manual * A tutorial, based on the counter example, has been added to the user manual. * The user manual's appearance has been dramatically improved with syntax coloring for source code, and "graphics for admonitions and navigation":http://tango.freedesktop.org. h3. Examples * A specification, expressed in unit test format, has been added to the counter example. * The 
--name
and 
-n
options, which lets you specify an identifier for a generated test, have been added to the *generate_test.rb* tool. * Running 
rake clobber
in an example directory no longer destroys documentation in the Ruby-VPI directory. * The examples' Rakefiles now invoke all tests present in the directory via the launcher_template.rake template. * The Rake template for test runners (generated by tools/generate_test.rb) has moved from examples/template.rake to examples/runner_template.rake. h3. VPI utility layer * The value of a handle's boolean VPI property is treated as @false@ if it is zero, because zero is @false@ in the C language. - Version: 5.0.0 Date: 2006-07-22 Summary: | This release enhances the VPI utility layer and adds new content to the user manual. Acknowledgment: | * Thanks to Jan Decaluwe for correcting the description of MyHDL in the user manual. Notice: | * SWIG is no longer required for users because its output is included in the release package. * The @handle.value@ and @handle.value=@ methods have been removed. Details: | * The VPI utility layer provides access to VPI properties of handles in a "simpler, more powerful way":manual.html#background.org.vpi. ** All VPI properties, except delay values, are now accessible from a handle. * The user manual has been revised and new content in the organization and usage sections has been added. * This release was tested and developed using: ** Ruby 1.8.4 and Icarus Verilog 0.8 on i686 GNU/Linux ** Ruby 1.8.4 and Mentor Modelsim 6.1d on x86_64 GNU/Linux - Version: 4.0.0 Date: 2006-05-25 Summary: | This release adds a comprehensive user manual, upgrades from make to "Rake":http://rake.rubyforge.org, and improves the test generation tool. Acknowledgment: | * Thanks to Jose Renau for solving the problem of strange delays that occurred whenever a design was reset. Notice: | * Rake has replaced the role of *make*. All makefiles have been converted accordingly. * The test generation tool now generates multiple files (runner, bench, design, spec) and makes backups of existing files. See its help information for details. Details: | * A comprehensive user manual, written in DocBook-XML, has been added. * Support for RSpec 0.5.4 has been added. ** The counter example now makes use of RSpec. * This release was tested and developed using: ** Ruby 1.8.4 and Icarus Verilog 0.8 on i686 GNU/Linux ** Ruby 1.8.4 and Mentor Modelsim 6.1d on x86_64 GNU/Linux - Version: 3.2.0 Date: 2006-05-13 Summary: | This release adds a tool which generates test benches, and adds support for "Behavior Driven Development":http://behaviour-driven.org via the "RSpec":http://rspec.rubyforge.org library. Acknowledgment: | * Thanks to Scott L Holmes for helping me "use the RSpec library without its runner":http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.ruby.general/150087 program. Details: | * A tool, which generates most of a Ruby-VPI test bench from a Verilog 2001 module declaration, has been added. * Ability to use RSpec in a test bench has been added. * Ability to specify arbitrary command-line arguments to Verilog simulators has been added in the examples' makefile template. * This release was tested and developed using: ** Ruby 1.8.4 and Icarus Verilog 0.8 on i686 GNU/Linux ** Ruby 1.8.4 and Mentor Modelsim 6.1d on x86_64 GNU/Linux - Version: 3.1.0 Date: 2006-04-28 Summary: | This release adds simple ways of reading and writing values to VPI handles, adds documentation for the VPI utility layer, and fixes the pipelined ALU example. Notice: | * The *msim* Makefile target for Mentor Modelsim has been renamed back to *vsim*. Details: | * Simple, consistent ways of reading and writing values to handles have been added to the VPI utility layer. These ways are described in the @SWIG::TYPE_p_unsigned_int@ class' documentation. * The makefiles now use the *rbconfig* library to determine the default compiler and linker flags for Ruby. * A race condition in the pipelined ALU example has been fixed. This example should now run successfully in all Verilog simulators. * The project wiki has been abandoned in favor of RDoc. * The project website is now generated by RDoc. * This release was tested and developed using: ** Ruby 1.8.4 and Icarus Verilog 0.8 on i686 GNU/Linux ** Ruby 1.8.4 and Mentor Modelsim 6.1d on x86_64 GNU/Linux - Version: 3.0.0 Date: 2006-04-23 Summary: | This release adds support for the _entire_ "IEEE Std. 1364-2005":http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/standardstoc.jsp?isnumber=33945 VPI interface, and updates the examples into unit tests. Acknowledgment: | * Thanks to the "SWIG developers":http://www.swig.org/guilty.html for making this project _much_ easier! ;-) Notice: | * The *vsim* Makefile target for Mentor Modelsim has been renamed to *msim*. Details: | * The Ruby interface to VPI is now generated by "SWIG":http://www.swig.org. ** The main @VPI@ module has been renamed to @Vpi@. ** The @VPI::Handle@ class has been removed. ** The @VPI::stop@, @VPI::finish@, and @VPI::reset@ methods have been removed. * The "_final ballot_ version":http://www.boydtechinc.com/ptf/archive/ptf_2005/0737.html of the vpi_user.h header file is now packaged along with and used by Ruby-VPI. * The VPI module, its sub-classes, and its functionality have been replaced by the VPI utility layer (see src/vpi_util.rb). * The examples now make use of the *test/unit* unit testing framework. * The makefiles for the examples have been simplified through the use of a common template. * This release was tested and developed using: ** Ruby 1.8.4 and Icarus Verilog 0.8 on i686 GNU/Linux ** Ruby 1.8.4 and Mentor Modelsim 6.1d on x86_64 GNU/Linux - Version: 2.0.0 Date: 2006-04-17 Summary: | This release fixes major bugs, adds support for Mentor Modelsim, and removes the @$ruby_task@ callback. Acknowledgment: | * Thanks to Nobu Nakada for explaining the "cross-thread violation on rb_gc()":http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.ruby.general/146653 error. Notice: | * Removed @$ruby_task@ callback and ability to dynamically register system tasks from Ruby because inter-process communication is complicated at present. Details: | * The "cross-thread violation on rb_gc()" error has been fixed. ** The "stack level too deep (SystemStackError)" error has been fixed. ** The test/unit library can be used in Ruby test bench. ** Mentor Modelsim Verilog simulator works with Ruby-VPI. * Added piplelined ALU example. * This release was tested and developed using: ** Ruby 1.8.4 and Icarus Verilog 0.8 on i686 GNU/Linux ** Ruby 1.8.4 and Modelsim 6.1d on x86_64 GNU/Linux ** Ruby 1.8.4 and Synopsys VCS-MX X-2005.06-SP1 on SPARC4 SunOS 5.10 - Version: 1.0.0 Date: 2006-02-26 Summary: | This release adds enough Verilog VPI functionality to make Ruby-VPI usable for simple test benches: * access Verilog objects through VPI handles * read and change VPI handle values * stop, finish, restart the simulation Acknowledgment: | * Thanks to Jose Renau for helping me debug how Synopsys VCS works with Verilog VPI. The problem was that VCS required calltf signatures to be @void (*)(void)@, whereas the Verilog standard defines a calltf signature as @PLI_INT32 (*)(PLI_BYTE8*)@. * Thanks to Ross Bamford, Eric Hodel, and Yukihiro Matsumoto for "helping me discover":http://blade.nagaokaut.ac.jp/cgi-bin/scat.rb/ruby/ruby-talk/180662 why the @SystemStackError@ was happening. Details: | * Implemented some Verilog VPI functionality: ** @VPI::handle_by_name(string, VPI::Handle)@ → @VPI::Handle@ ** @VPI::handle_by_name(string)@ → @VPI::Handle@ ** @VPI::Handle.put_value(integer)@ ** @VPI::Handle.value = integer@ ** @VPI::Handle.get_value@ → @integer@ ** @VPI::Handle.value@ → @integer@ ** @VPI::stop@ ** @VPI::finish@ ** @VPI::reset@ * Implemented some additional functionality: ** @VPI::register_task(string, &proc)@ * Added ability to pass arbitrary command-line arguments to the Ruby interpreter (using @$ruby_init@). Now you can invoke any Ruby script you want, instead of pli_init.rb. * Added ability to dynamically register system tasks from Ruby, using @VPI::register_task("task name")@, and call them from Verilog, using @$ruby_task("task name")@. * Added @VPI::Handle@ class which encapsulates a @vpiHandle@ VPI object. * This release was tested and developed using: ** Ruby 1.8.2 and Icarus Verilog 0.8 on i686 GNU/Linux ** Ruby 1.8.4, Synopsys VCS X-2005.06, and Mentor Modelsim 6.1b on i686 GNU/Linux - Version: 0.0.0 Date: 1999-10-31 Summary: | This is Kazuhiro HIWADA's initial testing release of Ruby-VPI. See its "original announcement":http://blade.nagaokaut.ac.jp/cgi-bin/scat.rb/ruby/ruby-list/18193 and "source code":http://rubyforge.org/frs/?group_id=1339&release_id=8852. Details: | * Added ability to relay control from Verilog test bench to Ruby (using @$ruby_callback@) and vice versa (using @PLI::relay_Verilog@). * Tested and developed using Ruby 1.4 and Verilog-XL from Cadence systems, on a SPARC machine running Solaris 2.6.