Copyright by LittleBlue CAD, 1998

All Rights reserved

Please report bugs and suggestions to e-mail: LittleBlueCAD@yahoo.com

Table Of Contents

1. Disclaimer:

2. Revision History:

3. Introduction:

4. Description of the Software

5. Limitations:

6. How to Register:

1. Disclaimer:

This software is distributed on "as is" basis. The author disclaims any and all warranties. In no event shall the copyright holder be liable for any incidental, punitive, or consequential damages of any kind arising from the use of this program. Use of this software indicates you agree to this.

2. Revision History:

3. Introduction:

Netlist comparator is a tool that can be very usefull when incremental changes to an schematic (existing board) are performed and you want to make sure that the changes are actually what you expect. They are usefull to document this changes and also to track the process of backannotating changes performend to the Netlist (if any) in Layout to the roiginal schematic. It can also be used to compare the same netlist in different formats (to check that integrity of the netlist is preserved while moving to a different tool).  

4. Description of the Software

NetComp Is a netlist comparator. It reports added, deleted, modified and renamed nets in an easy to read format

The point of entry to the program is usually a netlist. This makes the utilities independent of your schematic tool.

Currently, The following formats are supported: Allegro, Mentor, Tango/Accel and Pads PCB. New formats can be implemented on demand.

To execute it, double click on NetCmp on the installation directory or in the Start Menu

A dialog box shows-up. The requested information is the following:

Old netlist filename: Is the filename of the netlist coresponding to a previous version of the schematic

Old netlist format: choose the right ne from the list

New netlist filename: Is the filename of the netlist coresponding to a the modified schematic

New netlist format: choose the right ne from the list

Note that the tool allows comparison of netlists which have each one a different format. This can be used to verify netlists conversions too.

When the tool is open, all the entries are filled-up with the information corresponding to an example provided with the package. You can just click Run to see the results

Currently supported formats are: Allegro, Tango, Pads and Mentor

The Log window shows the output results, and uppon success, the report (named "net_diff.txt") file will be opened on the default file viewer

The Netlist Report tells you details about the changes on the netlist and finally if the netlists are:

IDENTICAL : They have same net-names and connections (it doesn't mean that both files are exactly the same tough, just that the connections are the same for both files)
EQUIVALENT: Only renamed nets appear. So the netlist represent the same connectivity, but name changes are present
DIFERENT: Netlists don't reflect same connectivity

5. Limitations:

The following characters shall not appear in a net name:

! ' " <Space>

The following characters shall not appear in a component ref. designator:

! . , -

6. How to Register:

These utilities are Shareware. If you find yourself using it for more than two weeks, you must register. Send a $35 check (or the equivalent in your currency) to:

Maria Pantoja

47079 Benns Terrace

Fremont CA 94539 USA

You can also make the payment only in the URL bellow. Being registered you will receive updates to this software at 20% of its price and information on other low price CAD related software that can improve your design process.

Check http://LittleBlueCAD.tripod.com for new releases

To complete the registration, e-mail the following information to: LittleBlueCAD@yahoo.com

First Name:

Last Name:

Job Title:

Company:

e-mail:

Please, report any bugs or suggestions you may have to the e-mail: LittleBlueCAD@yahoo.com