PERL Scripting Training

VA3: PERL scripting training course imparts skills to use a strong object oriented scripting language for automating repetitive and time consuming tasks in the design process. PERL programming is an advance level essential tool for the professionals contributing in VLSI design process. Learning PERL scripting enables the candidates to gain text processing capabilities required for VLSI development. Participants explore the techniques to analyze and automate files of moderate to large line-of-codes, interlink different domains, and set performance parameter for automation.

Upon the completion of training, you will inculcate the following skills:

• Understand the benefits of PERL for design engineers
• Practice the syntax and semantics of PERL
• Write codes using the control statements and loop modifiers
• Handling files operations for reading, writing, and appending
• Proper use of pipes, special variables, and pattern matching syntaxes
• Write subroutines and modules for code reuse
• Implement the ways to debug scripts for tracking and avoiding errors
• Modify automatically generated netlists

Target audience

Candidates willing to become skilled or enhance their scripting skills using PERL

Prerequisites

Candidates with prior experience in writing codes using any programming language are ideal for this training. However, the understanding of digital system designing will be an added advantage.

1. Introduction

• Exploring the benefits of PERL for design engineers
• Internet resources for problem solving and sharing solutions
• PERL book recommendations
• Plain Old Documentation (POD) the language reference
• PERL applications in design

2. Starting PERL

• Running programs in UNIX or Windows
• Using command line options
• Understanding scalar variables
• Numbers & strings
• Interpolation explained
• Arrays (lists)
• Hashes (associative arrays)
• Exploring scalar and list context

3. Statements

• Conditional statements: if, unless
• Alternative case structures
• Looping statements: until, while, for, foreach
• Loop control using: next, last, redo
• Conditional modifiers: if, unless
• Loop modifiers – while, until
• Using 'and' and 'or' for better readability

4. File Operations

• Opening text files for reading, writing or appending
• Using pipes to other processes
• Testing file properties with file test operators
• Formatting output using print and write
• Frequently used special variables

5. Pattern Matching

• Matching with modifiers
• Substituting with modifiers
• Inventing character classes
• Quantifiers
• Anchoring matches on character boundaries
• Reusing matched groups with back references
• Grouping and alternatives in regular expressions
• Extended regular expressions
• Guidance for complex regular expressions

6. Subroutines and Modules

• Writing subroutines in PERL
• Controlling variable scoping using my, our and local
• Using references to variables and subroutines
• Packaging scripts for reuse with modules

7. Debugger Scripts

• Using PERL debugger
• Syntax checking
• Generating extra warnings
• Writing better code using pragmas

8. Application Examples and Exercises

• Modifying automatically generated netlists
• To ensure different tools work together smoothly
• Filtering long report files e.g. those generated by place & route tools
• Creating, translating and modifying files containing test vectors
• Autonomously running design tools in sequence
• Checking results then warning, re-running, stopping or continuing accordingly