SystemC Data Types - Verification Guide

SystemC supports all C++ data types; in addition SystemC provides additional data types for describing hardware.Data types are explained in two parts,

C++ data types
SystemC data types

C++ Data Types

C++ data types can be divided into two categories,

Fundamental datatypes
Additional datatypes

Fundamental Data Types:

Data Types	Keyword	Description
Character types	char	character with width of 8bits
Character types	wchar_t	Represents the largest character set
Integer types	int	integer with width of 32 bits
	signed int	signed integer with width of 32 bits, values can be +ve/-ve/’0’
	unsigned int	unsigned integer with width of 32 bits, values must be +ve/’0’
	short	Short integer with width of 16 bits
	signed short	signed short integer with width of 16 bits, values can be +ve/-ve/’0’
	unsigned short	Unsigned Short integer with width of 16 bits, values must be +ve/’0’
	long	Long integer with width of 32 bits
	signed long	Signed long integer with width of 32 bits, values can be +ve/-ve/’0’
	unsigned long	Unsigned long integer with width of 32 bits, values must be +ve/’0’
Floating-point types	float	Floating point number with width of 32bits.
	double	Double precision floating point number with width of 64bits.
	long double	Long precision floating point number with width of 64bits.
Boolean type	bool	Boolean type with size of 8bits,it can take values ‘0’/’1’
Void type	void	With no value

Declaration:

Int a;

Float b;

Example-1: Initialization and Declaration

#include "systemc.h"
int sc_main (int argc, char* argv[]) {
  //variable declaration
  int a;
  float b;
  float c;
  
  //initialization
  a = 10;
  b = 20.5;
  
  //addtion
  c = a + b;
  
  cout <<"Value of a = "<< c <<endl;
  
  // Terminate simulation
  return 0;
}

Simulator Output:

Value of a = 30.5
Execute the above code on

Example-2: Declaration and Initialization

#include "systemc.h"
int sc_main (int argc, char* argv[]) {
  
  //variable declaration and initialization
  //variables can be initialized in three different ways as shown below
  int   a=10;
  int   b(1.3);
  float c{2.8}; 
    
  cout <<"Value of a = "<< a <<endl;
  cout <<"Value of b = "<< b <<endl;
  cout <<"Value of c = "<< c <<endl;
  
  // Terminate simulation
  return 0;
}

Simulator Output:

Value of a = 10
Value of b = 1
Value of c = 2.8
Execute the above code on

Example-3: Initializing char

#include "systemc.h"
int sc_main (int argc, char* argv[]) {
  
  //variable declaration and initialization
  char a[] = "Hello world";
  char b[5];

  //initialization
  b[0] = 'H';
  b[1] = 'e';
  b[2] = 'l';
  b[3] = 'l';
  b[4] = 'o';
  
  //below initializations types are not allowed
  //b = "Hello";
  //b = {'H','e','l','l','o'};
  
  cout <<"Value of a = "<< a <<endl;
  cout <<"Value of b = "<< b <<endl;
  
  // Terminate simulation
  return 0;
}

Simulator Output:

Value of a = Hello world
Value of b = Hello
Execute the above code on

Additional Data Types:

String Data Types
Enumerated Data Types
Typedef Data Types

String Types:

As Fundamental data types, we cant use the string data type directly. To use string data type need to import the string header standard library.( #include <string>)

Example-4: enum example

#include "systemc.h"
#include <string>
using namespace std;

int sc_main (int argc, char* argv[]) {
  
  //string declaration and initialization
  string mystring   = "Hello world";
  string mystring_1;
  string mystring_2;
  string mystring_3;
  
  //initialization, can be initialized in three ways.
  mystring_1 =  "1. I am String in C++/SystemC";
  mystring_2 = ("2. I am String in C++/SystemC");
  mystring_3 = {"3. I am String in C++/SystemC"};
  
  cout <<"mystring   = "<< mystring <<endl;
  cout <<"mystring_1 = "<< mystring_1 <<endl;
  cout <<"mystring_2 = "<< mystring_2 <<endl;
  cout <<"mystring_3 = "<< mystring_3 <<endl;
  
  // Terminate simulation
  return 0;
}

Simulator Output:

mystring_1 = 1. I am String in C++/SystemC
mystring_2 = 2. I am String in C++/SystemC
mystring_3 = 3. I am String in C++/SystemC
Execute the above code on

Enumerated Types:

An enumerated type defines a set of named values. The simplest enumerated type declaration contains a list of constant names and one or more variables.enum type_name {value1,value2,…,valuen} object_names;

This creates the type type_name, which can take any of value1, value2, … ,valuen as value. Variables of this type can directly be instantiated as object_names.
In the following example, colors is defined to be variable of the Colors type that includes the members red, green, blue, yellow, white, black.

enum Colors { red, green, blue, yellow, white, black } Color_t;

Color_t can be used directly used as variable, but Colors is used as type to declare the variables.

Example-5: Enum Example

#include "systemc.h"

int sc_main (int argc, char* argv[]) {

  //declaration
  enum Colors { red, green, blue, yellow, white, black } Colors_t;
  Colors my_color;
  
  Colors_t = white;
  my_color = blue;
  
  cout <<"Colors_t   = "<< Colors_t <<endl;
  cout <<"mystring   = "<< my_color <<endl;
  
  // Terminate simulation
  return 0;
}

Simulator Output:

Colors_t = 4
mystring = 2
Execute the above code on

The actual values are default to integers starting at 0 and then increase. in the above example by default variable will get default value of 0,1,2,3,4,5 respectively from red.

The values can be set for the names and also values can be set for some of the names and not set for other names. A name without a value is automatically assigned an increment of the value of the previous name.

In the following example value is set for green = 2, yellow = 8.

enum Colors { red, green=2, blue, yellow=8, white, black };

Example-6: Enum Example

#include "systemc.h"

int sc_main (int argc, char* argv[]) {

  //declaration
  enum Colors { red, green=2, blue, yellow=8, white, black };
  Colors my_color;
  
  my_color = blue;
  cout <<"my_color value is = "<< my_color <<endl;

  my_color = black;
  cout <<"my_color value is = "<< my_color <<endl;
  
  // Terminate simulation
  return 0;
}

Simulator Output:

my_color value is = 3
my_color value is = 10
Execute the above code on

Typedef Data Types:

The user can define a new type using typedef,

typedef int integre_v;

This can then be instantiated as:

integer_v var1;

integer_v var2;

Constant Expressions:

Constant values can be named by using const keyword.

Example-1: Constant

#include "systemc.h"
const int seconds_per_minute = 60;

int sc_main (int argc, char* argv[]) {

  cout <<"1 minute = "<< seconds_per_minute << " seconds"<<endl;
  cout <<"8 minute = "<< 8*seconds_per_minute << " seconds"<<endl;
  
  // Terminate simulation
  return 0;
}

Simulator Output:

1 minute = 60 seconds
8 minute = 480 seconds
Execute the above code on
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