SystemVerilog Assertion API - Introduction

Requirements

SystemVerilog provides assertion capabilities to enable:

• a user’s C code to react to assertion events.
• third-party assertion “waveform” dumping tools to be written.
• third-party assertion coverage tools to be written.
• third-party assertion debug tools to be written.

Naming conventions

All elements added by this interface shall conform to the Verilog Procedural Interface (VPI) interface naming conventions.

• All names are prefixed by vpi .
• All type names shall start with vpi , followed by initially capitalized words with no separators, e.g.,vpiAssertCheck .
• All callback names shall start with cb , followed by initially capitalized words with no separators, e.g., cbAssertionStart .
• All function names shall start with vpi _, followed by all lowercase words separated by underscores (_ ), e.g., vpi_get_assert_info() .

Extensions to VPI enumerations

These extensions shall be appended to the contents of the vpi_user.h file, described in IEEE Std. 1364-2001.

Object types

This section lists the object property VPI calls. The VPI reserved range for these calls is 700 - 729 .

Object properties

This section lists the object property VPI calls. The VPI reserved range for these calls is 700 - 729.

#define vpiSequenceType 701
#define vpiAssertType 702
#define vpiCoverType 703
#define vpiPropertyType 704
#define vpiImmediateAssertType705

Callbacks:

This section lists the system callbacks. The VPI reserved range for these calls is 700 - 719 .

Assertion #define cbAssertionStart 700
#define cbAssertionSuccess 701
#define cbAssertionFailure 702
#define cbAssertionStepSuccess 703
#define cbAssertionStepFailure 704
#define cbAssertionDisable 705
#define cbAssertionEnable 706
#define cbAssertionReset 707
#define cbAssertionKill 708

“Assertion system”
#define cbAssertionSysInitialized709
#define cbAssertionSysStart 710
#define cbAssertionSysStop 711
#define cbAssertionSysEnd 712
#define cbAssertionSysReset 713

Control Constants:

This section lists the system control constant callbacks. The VPI reserved range for these calls is 730 - 759 .

Assertion #define vpiAssertionDisable 730
#define vpiAssertionEnable 731
#define vpiAssertionReset 732
#define vpiAssertionKill 733

Assertion stepping
#define vpiAssertionClockSteps 736

“Assertion system”
#define vpiAssertionSysStart 737
#define vpiAssertionSysStop 738
#define vpiAssertionSysEnd 739
#define vpiAssertionSysReset 740