RE: [sv-ec] Contradictions on associative arrays

Steven,

These should probably be changed into input or output arguments as
appropriate. Vera did not have this argument concept and many features
in SV have inherited that legacy. Same for mailbox arguments; they
should be outputs or inputs.

I don't see the need for any additional support of the wildcard index
type other than legacy, it just too dangerous.

Dave

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-sv-ec@server.eda.org [mailto:owner-sv-ec@server.eda.org]
On
> Behalf Of Steven Sharp
> Sent: Monday, March 26, 2007 2:06 PM
> To: sv-ec@server.eda.org
> Subject: [sv-ec] Contradictions on associative arrays
> 
> The text that was rewritten and moved into 5.10.8 by Mantis item 976
> seems to contradict other text.  It allows the index argument to be
> merely assignment compatible with the array index type.  The function
> prototypes in 5.10.4, 5.10.5, 5.10.6 and 5.10.7 declare the argument
> to be a ref argument, which requires equivalent types.  The
description
> of truncation becomes unnecessary if the types must be equivalent.
> The entire section should be removed if these are ref arguments.
> 
> On the other hand, if we accept 5.10.8 as allowing mere assignment
> compatibility and possibly performing truncation on integral types,
> then the function prototypes should not declare ref arguments.  They
> should declare inout arguments instead.
> 
> If these are changed to inout arguments, then this affects Mantis
> item 1457.  Not allowing wildcard indexes for these method calls made
> sense with ref arguments.  No type could match a wildcard index.  But
> if the arguments are inout arguments, then wildcard indexes could be
> allowed, with the truncation rules described.
> 
> In fact, this issue with wildcard indexes is the only reason I can
> see for allowing anything but equivalent types.  For any specific
> type, I don't see any advantage to allowing any other type to be used.
> The truncation could lead to infinite loops in the user code if the
> return value is not checked, and provides no useful added
functionality.
> If someone really wanted to assign the index to a different type, they
> can do it themself after the method returns.
> 
> With wildcard indexes, allowing assignment compatibility and
truncation
> would let these methods be used, though with the same danger.  If this
is
> considered worth the danger, it might be worthwhile to make these
> arguments
> inout only with a wildcard index, and ref otherwise.
> 
> Steven Sharp
> sharp@cadence.com
> 
> 
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