Re: [vhdl-200x] Image attribute for array types

Hi Ryan,
My only point in noting your non-LRM short cuts is that they are natural to do and if you really want to use 'image then you might want to make that a proposal.

Jim
> Jim:
>
> I understand your point of view and we are in fundamental agreement.  I like extending 'image and 'value because it feels like they *ought* to be available.  And I agree that to_string is more concise and more flexible, so I want to extend it also and will use it more often.
>
> Thanks for pointing out my non-LRM shortcuts.  The compiler also reminds me when I forget that 'image belongs to the type instead of the object.
>
> - Ryan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-vhdl-200x@eda.org [mailto:owner-vhdl-200x@eda.org] On Behalf Of Jim Lewis
> Sent: Monday, July 21, 2014 3:53 PM
> To: vhdl-200x@eda.org
> Subject: Re: [vhdl-200x] Image attribute for array types
>
> Hi Ryan,
>> 1.  Fundamentally you like the idea and don't see any technical issues with the static approach I suggested.
>>
>> 2.  You would like to add a facility to globally control the formatting.
>>
>> 3.  You would like to add a facility to locally override the global formatting controls.
>>
>> ...  Otherwise, I don't particularly need (2) or (3).
> The value of 2 and 3 flow out of Tristan's conservative view, "There is no natural format (particular for records)".  Fundamentally, I don't know if I prefer parens and commas as you suggest or if I
> want just spaces between objects, however, if I have 2 and 3, then I can get what I want for a particular situation   I am not so worried about writing out in a VHDL-like format, I am more worried
> about writing out in a format that I can read back in easily.  Having to remove the parens and commas on reading is annoying.
>
> I prefer "to_string" since it is overloadable ('image is not) and simple to use.   Your example took some non-LRM compliant short-cuts.   The LRM says that 'image requires "any scalar type or subtype
> T", and hence, your write statement should be:
>
>     write(ln, std_logic_vector'image(ary));
>
> OTOH, using to string is just the following.  And if I don't like what it does, I can create appropriate overloading for the type.
>
>     write(ln, to_string(ary));
>
>
> Cheers,
> Jim
>
> --
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Jim Lewis
> VHDL Training Expert, SynthWorks
> IEEE 1076 VHDL Working Group Chair
> Open Source VHDL Verification Methodology (OSVVM), Chief Architect and Co-founder
>
> 1-503-320-0782
> Jim@SynthWorks.com
> http://www.SynthWorks.com
>
> VHDL Training on leading-edge, best coding practices for hardware design and verification.
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-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jim Lewis
VHDL Training Expert, SynthWorks
IEEE 1076 VHDL Working Group Chair
Open Source VHDL Verification Methodology (OSVVM), Chief Architect and Co-founder

1-503-320-0782
Jim@SynthWorks.com
http://www.SynthWorks.com

VHDL Training on leading-edge, best coding practices for hardware design and verification.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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