Elements of a Python Script

This topic explains the basic elements you need in your Python script.

The first items to include are import commands to import the packages you want to use. In a typical API script, you would import these packages:

os—Operating system package.
sys—System package, for example to access your path.
pprint—To "pretty print" data structures.

Next, set your paths to ensure that Python can find the Interface Designer API files.

pt_home = os.environ['EFXPT_HOME']
sys.path.append(pt_home + "/bin")

Then, import the specific API that you want to use with the

from <name>
                import <class>

command. For example, to import the DesignAPI class from the api_service.design module, use this code:

from api_service.design import DesignAPI

Note: Refer to API Classes for a list of available classes and modules.

You can set the is_verbose option to True to enable detailed message printing in the API. Of course, you can also write your own messages with print statements in your script.

Finally, you include the API commands to manipulate your interface design. The following code shows a complete script, build_ptdemo.py. This script is provided in the <Efinity® install path>/project/pt_demo/script directory.

# Get access to useful python package
import os
import sys
import pprint

# Tell python where to get Interface Designer's API package
pt_home = os.environ['EFXPT_HOME']
sys.path.append(pt_home + "/bin")

from api_service.design import DesignAPI  # Get access to design database API
from api_service.device import DeviceAPI  # Get access to device database API
import api_service.excp.design_excp as APIExcp  # Get access to API exception

is_verbose = True  # Set to True to see detail messages from API engine
design = DesignAPI(is_verbose)
device = DeviceAPI(is_verbose)

# Create empty design
device_name = "T8F81"  # Matches Device name from Efinity's Project Editor
project_name = "pt_demo"
output_dir = "output"  # New pt_demo periphery design will be generated in this directory
design.create(project_name, device_name, output_dir)

# Create busses and GPIOs
design.create_output_gpio("Fled", 3, 0)
design.create_output_gpio("Oled", 3, 0)
design.create_inout_gpio("Sled", 3, 0)
design.create_clockout_gpio("Oclk_out")
design.create_pll_input_clock_gpio("pll_clkin")
design.create_global_control_gpio("resetn")

# Configure property
design.set_property("Fled", "OUT_REG", "REG")  # Set output to be registered
design.set_property("Fled", "OUT_CLK_PIN", "Fclk")  # Set output clock pin name
design.set_property("Oclk_out", "OUT_CLK_PIN", "Oclk")  # Set output clock pin name

# Pin assignment
design.assign_pkg_pin("Oled[0]", "H4")
design.assign_pkg_pin("Oled[1]", "J4")
design.assign_pkg_pin("Oled[2]", "A5")
design.assign_pkg_pin("Oled[3]", "C5")

design.assign_pkg_pin("Sled[0]", "E6")
design.assign_pkg_pin("Sled[1]", "G4")
design.assign_pkg_pin("Sled[2]", "E2")
design.assign_pkg_pin("Sled[3]", "G9")

design.assign_pkg_pin("Fled[0]", "J2")
design.assign_pkg_pin("Fled[1]", "C2")
design.assign_pkg_pin("Fled[2]", "F8")
design.assign_pkg_pin("Fled[3]", "D8")

design.assign_pkg_pin("resetn", "F1")
design.assign_pkg_pin("Oclk_out", "D6")
design.assign_pkg_pin("pll_clkin", "C3")

# Check design, generate constraints and reports
design.generate(enable_bitstream=False)

# Save the configured periphery design
design.save()