path: root/passes/pmgen/README.md

Pattern Matcher Generator
=========================

The program `pmgen.py` reads a `.pmg` (Pattern Matcher Generator) file and
writes a header-only C++ library that implements that pattern matcher.

The "patterns" in this context are subgraphs in a Yosys RTLIL netlist.

The algorithm used in the generated pattern matcher is a simple recursive
search with backtracking. It is left to the author of the `.pmg` file to
determine an efficient cell order for the search that allows for maximum
use of indices and early backtracking.


API of Generated Matcher
========================

When `pmgen.py` reads a `foobar.pmg` file, it writes `foobar_pm.h` containing
a class `foobar_pm`. That class is instantiated with an RTLIL module and a
list of cells from that module:

    foobar_pm pm(module, module->selected_cells());

The caller must make sure that none of the cells in the 2nd argument are
deleted for as long as the patter matcher instance is used.

At any time it is possible to disable cells, preventing them from showing
up in any future matches:

    pm.blacklist(some_cell);

The `.run_<pattern_name>(callback_function)` method searches for all matches
for the pattern`<pattern_name>` and calls the callback function for each found
match:

    pm.run_foobar([&](){
        log("found matching 'foo' cell: %s\n", log_id(pm.st.foo));
        log("          with 'bar' cell: %s\n", log_id(pm.st.bar));
    });

The `.pmg` file declares matcher state variables that are accessible via the
`.st_<pattern_name>.<state_name>` members. (The `.st_<pattern_name>` member is
of type `foobar_pm::state_<pattern_name>_t`.)

Similarly the `.pmg` file declares user data variables that become members of
`.ud_<pattern_name>`, a struct of type `foobar_pm::udata_<pattern_name>_t`.

There are three versions of the `run_<pattern_name>()` method: Without callback,
callback without arguments, and callback with reference to `pm`. All versions
of the `run_<pattern_name>()` method return the number of found matches.


The .pmg File Format
====================

The `.pmg` file format is a simple line-based file format. For the most part
lines consist of whitespace-separated tokens.

Lines in `.pmg` files starting with `//` are comments.

Declaring a pattern
-------------------

A `.pmg` file contains one or more patterns. Each pattern starts with a line
with the `pattern` keyword followed by the name of the pattern.

Declaring state variables
-------------------------

One or more state variables can be declared using the `state` statement,
followed by a C++ type in angle brackets, followed by a whitespace separated
list of variable names. For example:

    state <bool> flag1 flag2 happy big
    state <SigSpec> sigA sigB sigY

State variables are automatically managed by the generated backtracking algorithm
and saved and restored as needed.

They are automatically initialized to the default constructed value of their type
when `.run_<pattern_name>(callback_function)` is called.

Declaring udata variables
-------------------------

Udata (user-data) variables can be used for example to configure the matcher or
the callback function used to perform actions on found matches.

There is no automatic management of udata variables. For this reason it is
recommended that the user-supplied matcher code treats them as read-only
variables.

They are declared like state variables, just using the `udata` statement:

    udata <int> min_data_width max_data_width
    udata <IdString> data_port_name

They are automatically initialized to the default constructed value of their type
when the pattern matcher object is constructed.

Embedded C++ code
-----------------

Many statements in a `.pmg` file contain C++ code. However, there are some
slight additions to regular C++/Yosys/RTLIL code that make it a bit easier to
write matchers:

- Identifiers starting with a dollar sign or backslash are automatically
  converted to special IdString variables that are initialized when the
  matcher object is constructed.

- The `port(<cell>, <portname>)` function is a handy alias for
  `sigmap(<cell>->getPort(<portname>))`.

- Similarly `param(<cell>, <paramname>)` looks up a parameter on a cell.

- The function `nusers(<sigspec>)` returns the number of different cells
  connected to any of the given signal bits, plus one if any of the signal
  bits is also a primary input or primary output.

- In `code..endcode` blocks there exist `accept`, `reject`, `branch`,
  `finish`, and `subpattern` statements.

- In `index` statements there is a special `===` operator for the index
  lookup.

Matching cells
--------------

Cells are matched using `match..endmatch` blocks. For example:

    match mul
        if ff
        select mul->type == $mul
        select nusers(port(mul, \Y) == 2
        index <SigSpec> port(mul, \Y) === port(ff, \D)
        filter some_weird_function(mul) < other_weird_function(ff)
        optional
    endmatch

A `match` block starts with `match <statevar>` and implicitly generates
a state variable `<statevar>` of type `RTLIL::Cell*`.

All statements in the match block are optional. (An empty match block
would simply match each and every cell in the module.)

The `if <expression>` statement makes the match block conditional. If
`<expression>` evaluates to `false` then the match block will be ignored
and the corresponding state variable is set to `nullptr`. In our example
we only try to match the `mul` cell if the `ff` state variable points
to a cell. (Presumably `ff` is provided by a prior `match` block.)

The `select` lines are evaluated once for each cell when the matcher is
initialized. A `match` block will only consider cells for which all `select`
expressions evaluated to `true`. Note that the state variable corresponding to
the match (in the example `mul`) is the only state variable that may be used
in `select` lines.

Index lines are using the `index <type> expr1 === expr2` syntax.  `expr1` is
evaluated during matcher initialization and the same restrictions apply as for
`select` expressions. `expr2` is evaluated when the match is calulated. It is a
function of any state variables assigned to by previous blocks. Both expression
are converted to the given type and compared for equality. Only cells for which
all `index` statements in the block pass are considered by the match.

Note that `select` and `index` are fast operations. Thus `select` and `index`
should be used whenever possible to create efficient matchers.

Finally, `filter <expression>` narrows down the remaining list of cells. For
performance reasons `filter` statements should only be used for things that
can't be done using `select` and `index`.

The `optional` statement marks optional matches. That is, the matcher will also
explore the case where `mul` is set to `nullptr`. Without the `optional`
statement a match may only be assigned nullptr when one of the `if` expressions
evaluates to `false`.

The `semioptional` statement marks matches that must match if at least one
matching cell exists, but if no matching cell exists it is set to `nullptr`.

Slices and choices
------------------

Cell matches can contain "slices" and "choices". Slices can be used to
create matches for different sections of a cell. For example:

    state <int> pmux_slice

    match pmux
        select pmux->type == $pmux
        slice idx GetSize(port(pmux, \S))
        index <SigBit> port(pmux, \S)[idx] === port(eq, \Y)
        set pmux_slice idx
    endmatch

The first argument to `slice` is the local variable name used to identify the
slice. The second argument is the number of slices that should be created for
this cell. The `set` statement can be used to copy that index into a state
variable so that later matches and/or code blocks can refer to it.

A similar mechanism is "choices", where a list of options is given as
second argument, and the matcher will iterate over those options:

    state <SigSpec> foo bar
    state <IdString> eq_ab eq_ba

    match eq
        select eq->type == $eq
        choice <IdString> AB {\A, \B}
        define <IdString> BA (AB == \A ? \B : \A)
        index <SigSpec> port(eq, AB) === foo
        index <SigSpec> port(eq, BA) === bar
        set eq_ab AB
        set eq_ba BA
    generate

Notice how `define` can be used to define additional local variables similar
to the loop variables defined by `slice` and `choice`.

Additional code
---------------

Interleaved with `match..endmatch` blocks there may be `code..endcode` blocks.
Such a block starts with the keyword `code` followed by a list of state variables
that the block may modify. For example:

    code addAB sigS
        if (addA) {
            addAB = addA;
            sigS = port(addA, \B);
        }
        if (addB) {
            addAB = addB;
            sigS = port(addB, \A);
        }
    endcode

The special keyword `reject` can be used to reject the current state and
backtrack. For example:

    code
        if (ffA && ffB) {
            if (port(ffA, \CLK) != port(ffB, \CLK))
                reject;
            if (param(ffA, \CLK_POLARITY) != param(ffB, \CLK_POLARITY))
                reject;
        }
    endcode

Similarly, the special keyword `accept` can be used to accept the current
state. (`accept` will not backtrack. This means it continues with the current
branch and may accept a larger match later.)

The special keyword `branch` can be used to explore different cases. Note that
each code block has an implicit `branch` at the end. So most use-cases of the
`branch` keyword need to end the block with `reject` to avoid the implicit
branch at the end. For example:

    state <int> mode

    code mode
        for (mode = 0; mode < 8; mode++)
            branch;
        reject;
    endcode

But in some cases it is more natural to utilize the implicit branch statement:

    state <IdString> portAB

    code portAB
        portAB = \A;
        branch;
        portAB = \B;
    endcode

There is an implicit `code..endcode` block at the end of each (sub)pattern
that just rejects.

A `code..finally..endcode` block executes the code after `finally` during
back-tracking. This is useful for maintaining user data state or printing
debug messages. For example:

    udata <vector<Cell*>> stack

    code
        stack.push_back(addAB);
        ...
    finally
        stack.pop_back();
    endcode

`accept` and `finish` statements can be used inside the `finally` section,
but not `reject`, `branch`, or `subpattern`.

Declaring a subpattern
----------------------

A subpattern starts with a line containing the `subpattern` keyword followed
by the name of the subpattern. Subpatterns can be called from a `code` block
using a `subpattern(<subpattern_name>);` C statement.

Arguments may be passed to subpattern via state variables. The `subpattern`
line must be followed by a `arg <arg1> <arg2> ...` line that lists the
state variables used to pass arguments.

    state <IdString> foobar_type
    state <bool> foobar_state

    code foobar_type foobar_state
        foobar_state = false;
        foobar_type = $add;
        subpattern(foo);
        foobar_type = $sub;
        subpattern(bar);
    endcode

    subpattern foo
    arg foobar_type foobar_state

    match addsub
        index <IdString> addsub->type === foobar_type
        ...
    endmatch

    code
        if (foobar_state) {
            subpattern(tail);
        } else {
            foobar_state = true;
            subpattern(bar);
        }
    endcode

    subpattern bar
    arg foobar_type foobar_state

    match addsub
        index <IdString> addsub->type === foobar_type
        ...
    endmatch

    code
        if (foobar_state) {
            subpattern(tail);
        } else {
            foobar_state = true;
            subpattern(foo);
        }
    endcode

    subpattern tail
    ...

Subpatterns can be called recursively.

If a `subpattern` statement is preceded by a `fallthrough` statement, this is
equivalent to calling the subpattern at the end of the preceding block.

Generate Blocks
---------------

Match blocks may contain an optional `generate` section that is used for automatic
test-case generation. For example:

    match mul
        ...
    generate 10 0
        SigSpec Y = port(ff, \D);
        SigSpec A = module->addWire(NEW_ID, GetSize(Y) - rng(GetSize(Y)/2));
        SigSpec B = module->addWire(NEW_ID, GetSize(Y) - rng(GetSize(Y)/2));
        module->addMul(NEW_ID, A, B, Y, rng(2));
    endmatch

The expression `rng(n)` returns a non-negative integer less than `n`.

The first argument to `generate` is the chance of this generate block being
executed when the match block did not match anything, in percent.

The second argument to `generate` is the chance of this generate block being
executed when the match block did match something, in percent.

The special statement `finish` can be used within generate blocks to terminate
the current pattern matcher run.