pytcl-eda 0.1.2

PyTCL allows control EDA tools directly from Python that use TCL

PyTCL

PyTCL allows control EDA tools directly from Python that use TCL.

Features

• It executes Python method with provided positional arguments directly as TCL procedure For example invocation of Python <object>.<name>(*args) method is like calling TCL procedure <name> {*}${args}
• Any Python value is converted to TCL value like for example Python list to TCL list
• Result from invoked TCL procedure is returned as pytcl.TCLValue that can handle any TCL value (that is represented always as string) to Python str, int, bool, float, list, dict, ...
• TCL error is returned as Python exception pytcl.TCLError
• High performance and very low (unnoticeable) overhead by using Unix domain sockets for communication between Python and TCL in streamable way (sockets are always open and ready)
• No external dependencies

Install

pip install pytcl-eda

Examples

Creating new Vivado project:

from pathlib import Path
from pytcl import Vivado

def main() -> None:
    """Create new Vivado project."""
    project_dir: Path = Path.cwd() / "my-awesome-project"

    with Vivado() as vivado:
        vivado.create_project(project_dir.name, project_dir)
        vivado.close_project()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Architecture

• PyTCL will start new receiver listened on Unix domain socket /tmp/pytcl-XXXX/tx.sock for any incoming NDJSON messages {"result": "<tcl-result>", "status": <tcl-status>} from execute.tcl script file
• PyTCL will call command line tool (by default tclsh) with execute.tcl script file and arguments receiver.py /tmp/pytcl-XXXX/rx.sock sender.py /tmp/pytcl-XXXX/tx.sock
• Started execute.tcl will create own listener with Unix domain socket /tmp/pytcl-XXXX/rx.sock to receive incoming TCL expressions from PyTCL
• PyTCL will start new client and connect to Unix domain socket /tmp/pytcl-XXXX/rx.sock to send TCL expressions with arguments to be evaluated by execute.tcl script file
• PyTCL will transform any Python method call <object>.<name>(*args) to TCL expression <name> {*}${args}
• PyTCL will send TCL expression to execute.tcl using Unix domain socket /tmp/pytcl-XXXX/rx.sock
• execute.tcl will receive TCL expressions from Unix domain socket /tmp/pytcl-XXXX/rx.sock
• Received TCL expression is evaluated by TCL eval within TCL catch
• TCL result and status from evaluated TCL expression will be packed into NDJSON message {"result": "<tcl-result>", "status": <tcl-status>}
• Packed NDJSON message with TCL result and status will be send back to PyTCL
• PyTCL will return received NDJSON message as pytcl.TCLValue
• PyTCL will raise a Python exception pytcl.TCLError if received TCL status was non-zero

Development

Create Python virtual environment:

python3 -m venv .venv

Activate created Python virtual environment:

. .venv/bin/activate

Upgrade pip:

pip install --upgrade pip

Install project in editable mode with pytest:

pip install --editable .[test]

Run tests:

pytest