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C++BOLD Reference Manual

2.4.5. Creating New Part Types

Typically, new TPart's are not created manually. Instead, they are created by entering the component pinout in a part text file, also known as a part file. A Support Tool, pt_to_h uses the information in the part text (.pt) file to generate a C++ include (.h) file.

Like most of CBOLD, part creation is best explained by example. Below is a user-created part file, 74f07.pt:

// Part file for 74F07 Buffer Driver
 
$PART_NAME 74F07                // hex buffer driver
$FOOTPRINT SOIC14
$REF_PREFIX U
$PIN_COUNT 14
$PORTS
  VCC5 14;                      // 5V power supply
  GND 7;
  A[5:0]  13 11  9  5  3  1;    // inputs
  Y[5:0]  12 10  8  6  4  2;    // outputs
$ENDPORTS
$ENDPART

To generate a .h file from this .pt file, the user would run pt_to_h.exe from the console as follows:

C:\cbold\parts>pt_to_h 74f07.pt

You do not typically execute pt_to_h on individual files. Instead, you execute a batch file that runs pt_to_h on all .pt files in the CBOLD parts directory. For example, see make_parts.bat, which is distributed with the CBOLD parts library.

The class declaration that pt_to_h generates from file 74f07.pt appears in file 74f07.h as follows:

class CP_74F07 : public TPart {     // hex buffer driver
 
public:
  port   VCC5;     // 5V power supply
  port   GND;
  port   A;        // AR_BUS(5,0)  // inputs
  port   Y;        // AR_BUS(5,0)  // outputs
 
  CP_74F07() {
    ...            // constructor details omitted for clarity
  }
 
  virtual void Register() {
    ...            // Register() details omitted for clarity
  }
};

This example illustrates the most commonly used features of part files. Other examples can be found by perusing the CBOLD part library. Detailed documentation is in the pt_to_h section of this reference manual.