Virtuoso Layout Editor User Guide, Product Version 5.0

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Searching for Objects

This chapter contains these topics:

• Using Search

• Searching for and Selecting Objects

• Searching for and Replacing Instances

Using Search

The Search command lets you search for objects with specific attributes or property values.

You can search for ROD names on labels, paths, polygons, rectangles, any shape and text display objects.

About the Search Form

To open the Search form,

Choose Edit - Search [Shift-s].

Apply searches for objects matching the settings in the Search form.

Cancel closes the Search form.

Previous highlights the previous object in the search group.

Next highlights the next object in the search group.

Add Select selects the current object in the search group (highlighted in beige).

Select All selects all objects found by Search.

Replace edits or replaces the current object (highlighted in beige) with the settings shown in the Replace field.

Replace All replaces all objects found by Search with the settings shown in the Replace field.

Zoom To Figure centers the cellview around the current object in the search group (highlighted in beige) when you click Apply, Previous, or Next.

Figure Count, after you click Apply, shows the number of objects found by Search. When a "current to bottom" search is done, the figure count that is reported is the count of unique database IDs (dbIds), not the count of the total number of figures shown.

Current Figure shows which object in the search group is highlighted as you click Previous or Next.

Search for sets the type of object to search for.

In sets where Search looks for objects.

area searches an area of the cellview. You are prompted to create the area.

current cellView searches anywhere in the cellview.

current to bottom searches from the current level to the bottom level in the cellview.

current to stop level searches from the current level to the stop level in the cellview.

Add Criteria adds a line of fields to the form that lets you make your search more specific.

cyclic field lets you search for specific attributes, instance, library, or view name, or properties for this type of object. The cyclic field selections change to reflect the attributes of the type of object you select in the Search for field.

condition/logic cyclic field == or != lets you search for character strings or numerals that are an exact match (==) or are not a match (!=); to get matches that contain a string, a leading and/or trailing asterisk must be used. The symbols <, <=, >, >= are used where applicable. EXIST and !EXIST locate or exclude discrete blocks of information anywhere in the string.

value field sets the value of the attribute or property to use in the search.

Use a preceding \ to locate names that begin with a character that is not a digit, underscore or letter.

When using == or !=, you can use these wildcards:

* replaces any number of characters prior to or following the asterisk

. replaces any single character in this position

[ ] encloses a range of characters

Delete deletes this line of criteria from the form.

Replace lets you replace the object's Search finds with a new object, attribute value, or property value. To replace parameter values for a parameterized cell, set Replace to property and type the parameter name.

Search objects and their given search criteria table:

Table 1:

Objects	Properties	Condition/Logic	Values
inst	cell name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, !=	text
	lib name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, !=	text
	inst name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, !=,	text
	view name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, !=,	text
	mag	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	orient	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: R0, R90, R180, R270, MY, MYR90, MX, and MXR90
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
contact	contact type	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are gotten from tech file.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
array	cell name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, and !=	text
	lib name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, and !=	text
	rows	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	columns	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	deltaX	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	deltaY	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	array name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, and !=	text
label	text	cyclic field. choices are: ==, and !=	text
	font	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: stick, gothic, math, roman, script, euroStyle, and swedish.
	justify	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: centerCenter, lowerLeft, centerLeft, upperLeft, lowerCenter, upperCenter, lowerRight, centerRight, and upperRight,
	height	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	orient	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: R0, R90, R180, R270, MY, MYR90, MX, and MXR90
	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
	ROD name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, and !=	text
path	path width	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	path style	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: flush, offset, octagon, and variable.
	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
	begin ext	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	end ext	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	ROD name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, and !=	text
polygon	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
	ROD name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, and !=	text
rectangle	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
	ROD name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, and !=	text
ellipse	any radius	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	radiusX	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	radiusY	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
donut	any radius	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	inner radius	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	outer radius	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
trl	trl width	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	bend style	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: bend, chamfer, and radial
	chamfer fac	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	radius fac	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
bend	bend style	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: bend, chamfer, and radial
	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
taper	taper style	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: linear and exponential.
	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
any shape	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
	ROD name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, and !=	text
any conic	any radius	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
any microstrip	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
text display	text	cyclic field. choices are: ==, and !=	text
	font	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: stick, gothic, math, roman, script, euroStyle, and swedish.
	justify	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: centerCenter, lowerLeft, centerLeft, upperLeft, lowerCenter, upperCenter, lowerRight, centerRight, and upperRight
	height	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, and !=	number
	orient	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: R0, R90, R180, R270, MY, MYR90, MX, and MXR90
	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text
	ROD name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, and !=	text
pin	term name	cyclic field. choices are: ==, and !=	text
	layer	cyclic field. choices are: == and !=	cyclic field. Choices are: any valid layer, any LSW layer, any techlib layer and list of LSW layers.
	property	cyclic field. choices are: <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=, EXIST, and !EXIST	text

Searching for and Selecting Objects

You can use the Search command to search for and select specific objects. You might want to do this if

• You have a large design

  For example, you want to find a particular polygon that is buried in a dense design.

• You want to use a Boolean expression to let you select a group of objects

  For example, if you want to select all paths on your metal2 layer that have a width of 1 micron.

To search for objects,

1. Choose Edit - Search [Shift-s].

   The Search form appears.

2. In the Search for cyclic field, choose the type of object you want to find.

3. Click Add Criteria to add Boolean expressions, which control the search (search criteria).

4. Set the search criteria by doing the following:

   a. Click on the first field to choose the type of value to search for.

   b. Click on the Boolean operator field to choose the operator you want: equal (==) or not equal (!=).

   c. Type or choose the value you want.

   The value field can be a text entry or a cyclic field, depending on the type of value.

• Click on Delete at the end of the row to delete a row of search criteria.

• Click Add Criteria again to add more search criteria.

5. Click Apply.

   The Virtuoso^® Layout Editor highlights all of the objects it finds and puts them in a search group. The first or current object in the group is highlighted in a different color.

6. Click Previous or Next to search through the group.

7. Click Add Select to select the current object in the search group.

8. Click Select All to select all of the highlighted objects.

9. When you are finished selecting objects, click Cancel.

Searching for and Replacing Instances

Searching for Instances

To search for instances in the current cellview,

1. Choose Edit - Search [Shift-s].

   The Search form appears.

2. In the Search for cyclic field, choose instance.

3. Click Add Criteria to add search criteria.

4. Click on the first field in the criterion line to search for the instance by one of the following:

   • cell name, to search for the name of the master cell

   • instance name, to search for the name assigned to the instance as you placed it

5. Type the cell or instance name.

   You can use the wildcard characters * and . when typing a cell or instance name. The character * replaces any number of characters prior to or following this position, and the character . replaces any single character in this position.

6. Click Add Criteria to further define the search.

7. Click Apply.

   The Virtuoso Layout Editor highlights all the instances in the cellview that match the criteria you entered.

Searching for Objects in Instances

To search for objects or instances inside other instances,

1. Choose Edit - Search [Shift-s].

   The Search form appears.

2. In the Search for cyclic field choose the type of object you want to find.

3. Turn on in and choose either

   • current to bottom, to search the cell from the current layer you are editing to the lowest defined level

   • current to stop level, to search the cell from the current layer you are editing to the window stop level as defined by the Display Levels To field of the Display Options form

4. Click Add Criteria to further define the search.

5. Click Apply.

   During the search, instances are highlighted as they are found.

Note:  If you use Edit In Place to edit a cell while the Search form is open, you must cancel Search and then restart it. Otherwise, Search does not know that you have changed your current edit level.

Replacing Instances

To replace instances of one master cell with instances of a different master cell,

1. Choose Edit - Search [Shift-s].

   The Search form appears.

2. In the Search for cyclic field choose instance.

3. Click Add Criteria to add search criteria.

4. Click on the first field in the criterion line to search for the instance by one of the following:

   • cell name, to search for the name of the master cell

   • instance name, to search for the name assigned to the instance as you placed it

5. Type the cell or instance name.

   You can use the wildcard characters * and . when typing a cell or instance name. The character * replaces any number of characters prior to or following this position, and the character . replaces any single character in this position.

6. Click Add Criteria to further define the search.

7. Click Apply.

   The Virtuoso Layout Editor highlights all the instances in the cellview that match the criteria you entered.

8. In the Replace cyclic field choose cell name.

9. Type the name of the new master cell.

10. Click Apply.

    The Virtuoso Layout Editor highlights all the instances of the master cell.

11. Click Previous or Next until the instance you want is highlighted. Then replace only one instance of the cell.

12. Click the Replace button to replace the top cell in the search stack, or click the Replace All button to replace all instances of the highlighted cell.

For support, see http://www.cadence.com/support or try Cadence's SourceLink service.

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