PERL Scripting Training

• 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

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