is function conv_std_logic_vector() synthesizable?

[walala]

Dear all,

As I need some type-cast from integer(my internal data format) to
std_logic_vector(in order to pick a partial slice of the array and
output, say, from bit 15 downto 8),

I used conv_std_logic_vector() function,

Now the simulation is passed, but what about synthesize?

Is it synthesizable? And will it map to a very complex device that
really do the conversion? Or the synthesizer will be smart enough to
know that I just want a simple type-cast?

Thanks a lot,

-Walala

 

[Marc Guardiani]

It is synthesizable and it takes no resources to convert from an integer
to a std_logic_vector since it simply maps the bits.

walala wrote:

Dear all,

As I need some type-cast from integer(my internal data format) to
std_logic_vector(in order to pick a partial slice of the array and
output, say, from bit 15 downto 8),

I used conv_std_logic_vector() function,

Now the simulation is passed, but what about synthesize?

Is it synthesizable? And will it map to a very complex device that
really do the conversion? Or the synthesizer will be smart enough to
know that I just want a simple type-cast?

Thanks a lot,

-Walala

 

[Ralf Hildebrandt]

Hi walala!

I used conv_std_logic_vector() function,

Now the simulation is passed, but what about synthesize?

All (correct-implemented) type conversions are synthesizable, because
VHDL has different types, but a wire in reality does not. This means,
types are helpful for the HDL-designer, but all types represent the same
"wire".

The only point you have to check is that both the simulation tool and
the synthesis tool use the same VHDL libraries.

-> conv_std_logic_vector() comes from std.logic.arith (AFAIK). Note,
that there are different implementations of this library. It is not
"standardisized".
-> Take the library numeric.std instead. This library is standardisized.
There you have to use

signal s_sulv : std_ulogic_vector(bitwidth-1 downto 0);
signal s_int : integer;

s_sulv <= std_ulogic_vector( to_unsigned(s_int,bitwidth) );

if you want to convert an integer to std_ulogic_vector.

Ralf