The functionality of ESE can be classified into the following categories: application, file handling, design-entity handling, and synthesis & simulation,
The main application of ESE supports a set of persistent application preferences. Application preferences are persistently stored across different invocations of the tool. In fact, application preferences are shared among all tools in the ESE environment, i.e. they are persistent across invocation of different tools at different times.
Application preferences are stored in both system-wide and user-specific locations (see Section 4.2.7). System-wide application preferences affect all users of ESE applications on the system. User-specific application preferences, on the other hand, are stored in a file in the user's Linux home directory. The application first reads the system-wide and then the user-specific settings, i.e. user-specific settings can override (if given) system-wide settings and if no user-specific settings are given, application settings default to the system-wide settings. If no system-wide settings are available, compiled-in defaults are used.
Application preferences in general provide the standard settings (paths, etc.) to use by default for the different parts of ESE applications.
Application preferences can be edited by the user by selecting Main::Edit->Preferences.... This will pop-up the Edit Preferences dialog, which allow users to browse and specify individual settings. At the bottom of the Edit Preferences dialog, buttons Ok and Cancel are available. If users click the Ok button, all the edited preferences are saved. If users click the Cancel button, all the edited preferences are discarded. Either clicking Ok or Cancel button will close Preference dialog.
Database preferences define the location of the database EDB file for the Database Windows
The Application tab of the Edit Preferences dialog allows for viewing and selecting of database file path, as well as other include and library paths. The Application tab is shown in Figure 4-1.
Users can type in the file name and path of the database in the Application's line edit boxes. Besides typing in the file name, users can also select the names by using ... buttons next to the edit box. Clicking ... button will pop up a Database Selection dialog displayed in Figure Figure 4-2.
The Database Selection dialog allows users to choose and select existing database files on disk to use for the database. In the Database Selection dialog, users should first specify the database directory in Look-in box. The content of the directory will be automatically displayed in the display box in the center. The database type in the File Type box defaults to EDB files for databases but can be chosen by the user. All the database files with the specified type will be displayed in the display box. Users further type in the database name in File Name box. Finally, by clicking Open button, the database with the specified name will be selected. If users click Cancel button, then the action of database selection will be cancelled. Either clicking Open or Cancel button will close the Database Selection dialog.
Users can also type in the file name and path of the SystemC include and library paths in the Application's line edit boxes. Besides typing in the file name, users can also select the names by using ... buttons next to the appropriate edit box. Clicking ... button will pop up a SystemC Path Selection dialog displayed in Figure xref linkend="fig-systemc-path-selection">.
The SystemC Selection dialog allows users to choose and select a directory on disk to use for the SystemC include path or the SystemC library path. By clicking Open button, the directory with the specified name will be selected. If users click Cancel button, then the action of database selection will be cancelled. Either clicking Open or Cancel button will close the Database Selection dialog.