Error building ghdl plugin for yosys

[minghunghw]

First I cannot build ghdl locally, so I use the latest release from fpga-tool-chain.
And I am able to run binary ghdl, but when I try to build ghdl plugin for yosys. It displays the following error.

[kevinchen@instance-5 ghdl-yosys-plugin]$ make
yosys-config --exec --cxx -c --cxxflags -o ghdl.o src/ghdl.cc -fPIC -DYOSYS_ENABLE_GHDL -I/home/kevinchen/fpga-toolchain/include -O -DGHDL_VER_HASH="\"c9b05e4\""
src/ghdl.cc:19:10: fatal error: kernel/yosys.h: No such file or directory
   19 | #include "kernel/yosys.h"
      |          ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
compilation terminated.
make: *** [ghdl.o] Error 1

Then I try to add include directory for yosys in Makefile manually.
It still companies about xxx was not declared in this scope like this

[kevinchen@instance-5 ghdl-yosys-plugin]$ make
yosys-config --exec --cxx -c --cxxflags -o ghdl.o src/ghdl.cc -fPIC -DYOSYS_ENABLE_GHDL  -I/home/kevinchen/fpga-toolchain/share/yosys/include -I/home/kevinchen/fpga-toolchain/include -O -DGHDL_VER_HASH="\"c9b05e4\""
src/ghdl.cc: In function ‘void add_attributes_from_instance(Yosys::RTLIL::AttrObject&, GhdlSynth::Instance)’:
src/ghdl.cc:385:35: error: ‘get_instance_first_attribute’ was not declared in this scope
  385 |         add_attributes_chain(obj, get_instance_first_attribute (inst));
      |                                   ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
src/ghdl.cc: In function ‘bool has_attribute_gclk(GhdlSynth::Net)’:
src/ghdl.cc:633:26: error: ‘get_instance_first_attribute’ was not declared in this scope
  633 |         Attribute attr = get_instance_first_attribute (inst);
      |                          ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
src/ghdl.cc: In function ‘void import_module(Yosys::RTLIL::Design*, GhdlSynth::Module)’:
src/ghdl.cc:680:53: error: ‘get_input_port_first_attribute’ was not declared in this scope
  680 |                         add_attributes_chain(*wire, get_input_port_first_attribute(m, idx));
      |                                                     ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
src/ghdl.cc:690:53: error: ‘get_output_port_first_attribute’ was not declared in this scope
  690 |                         add_attributes_chain(*wire, get_output_port_first_attribute(m, idx));
      |                                                     ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
src/ghdl.cc:713:45: error: ‘get_input_port_first_attribute’ was not declared in this scope
  713 |                 add_attributes_chain(*wire, get_input_port_first_attribute(m, idx));
      |                                             ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
src/ghdl.cc:730:45: error: ‘get_output_port_first_attribute’ was not declared in this scope
  730 |                 add_attributes_chain(*wire, get_output_port_first_attribute(m, idx));
      |                                             ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
src/ghdl.cc:1216:45: error: ‘get_output_port_first_attribute’ was not declared in this scope
 1216 |                 add_attributes_chain(*wire, get_output_port_first_attribute(m, idx));
      |                                             ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
src/ghdl.cc: At global scope:
src/ghdl.cc:372:13: warning: ‘void add_attributes_chain(Yosys::RTLIL::AttrObject&, GhdlSynth::Attribute)’ defined but not used [-Wunused-function]
  372 | static void add_attributes_chain(RTLIL::AttrObject &obj, Attribute attr)
      |             ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
make: *** [ghdl.o] Error 1

[minghunghw]

@mithro @msaligane Now I think it is a feasible solution for me to synthesize vhdl file. But I stuck at building plugin.

[msaligane]

Can you check with @antonblanchard how he synthesized Microwatt (VHDL)

[umarcor]

@minghungumich how do you want to build the ghdl-yosys-plugin? As a module (https://github.com/ghdl/ghdl-yosys-plugin#build-as-a-module-shared-library) or built into yosys (https://github.com/ghdl/ghdl-yosys-plugin#build-as-part-of-yosys-not-recommended)?

Note that on Windows, the second (non recommended) approach needs to be used, because Yosys cannot load plugins dynamically on that platform.

[umarcor]

@msaligane I believe that @antonblanchard uses containers with GHDL, Yosys and the plugin already available. See https://github.com/antonblanchard/microwatt/blob/master/Makefile#L37-L49. Containers from ghdl/docker are used for simulation, and containers from hdl/containers are used for synthesis. In those containers, the plugin is built as a module. See also https://github.com/ghdl/ghdl-yosys-plugin/blob/master/ci.sh#L37-L82.

[umarcor]

Now I think it is a feasible solution for me to synthesize vhdl file.

@minghungumich, note that the regular GHDL executable allows to "synthesize" VHDL >= 2008 to either VHDL 1993 or Verilog 2005. That's done through ghdl synth, without the plugin or Yosys. See http://ghdl.github.io/ghdl/using/Synthesis.html#cmdoption-ghdl-out. I believe that strategy is used by microwatt, edalize, and others.

[minghunghw]

@minghungumich how do you want to build the ghdl-yosys-plugin? As a module (https://github.com/ghdl/ghdl-yosys-plugin#build-as-a-module-shared-library) or built into yosys (https://github.com/ghdl/ghdl-yosys-plugin#build-as-part-of-yosys-not-recommended)?

Note that on Windows, the second (non recommended) approach needs to be used, because Yosys cannot load plugins dynamically on that platform.

@umarcor I want to build it as a module and use it as a plugin loaded into yosys. Then I can either use this to convert into verilog or read_vhdl directly.

[minghunghw]

Now I think it is a feasible solution for me to synthesize vhdl file.

@minghungumich, note that the regular GHDL executable allows to "synthesize" VHDL >= 2008 to either VHDL 1993 or Verilog 2005. That's done through ghdl synth, without the plugin or Yosys. See http://ghdl.github.io/ghdl/using/Synthesis.html#cmdoption-ghdl-out. I believe that strategy is used by microwatt, edalize, and others.

@umarcor I try to use this way, but the release package I found from fpga-tool-chain looks like this latest version did not support --out=verilog options.

[umarcor]

Then, we should probably start with using a version of GHDL which is not coming from fpga-toolchain. As you found out, it's archived and outdated. Can you get any other version of GHDL? Either from your system package manager, using containers or building it yourself? What's you host OS?

[minghunghw]

My host OS is CentOS7, and I also see lots of problem built in the same platform from GitHub issue. I think container should be the most promising way for me.

[minghunghw]

@umarcor Now I am able to convert some vhdl file to verilog file. I will try to synthesize and see if it has any problem.

[minghunghw]

@umarcor I found although the input output port will be kept. But the parameter definition will be gone.

For example, in one of the vhd file, I have parameter RATIO for signal counter.

LIBRARY IEEE;
USE IEEE.std_logic_1164.all;
USE IEEE.numeric_std.all;


entity slib_clock_div is
    generic (
        RATIO       : integer := 4      -- Clock divider ratio
    );
    port (
        CLK         : in std_logic;     -- Clock
        RST         : in std_logic;     -- Reset
        CE          : in std_logic;     -- Clock enable input
        Q           : out std_logic     -- New clock enable output
    );
end slib_clock_div;

architecture rtl of slib_clock_div is
    -- Signals
    signal iQ       : std_logic;                  -- Internal Q
    signal iCounter : integer range 0 to RATIO-1; -- Counter

begin
    -- Main process
    CD_PROC: process (RST, CLK)
    begin
        if (RST = '1') then
            iCounter <= 0;
            iQ       <= '0';
        elsif (CLK'event and CLK='1') then
            iQ <= '0';
            if (CE = '1') then
                if (iCounter = (RATIO-1)) then
                    iQ <= '1';
                    iCounter <= 0;
                else
                    iCounter <= iCounter + 1;
                end if;
            end if;
        end if;
    end process;

    -- Output signals
    Q <= iQ;

end rtl;

But in the output verilog file, it just directly converts to the fixed number of bits.

/* Generated by Yosys 0.17+33 (git sha1 335b4888c, clang 11.0.1-2 -fPIC -Os) */

module slib_clock_div(CLK, RST, CE, Q);
  wire _0_;
  wire [31:0] _1_;
  wire _2_;
  wire [1:0] _3_;
  wire _4_;
  reg _5_;
  wire [1:0] _6_;
  reg [1:0] _7_;
  input CE;
  wire CE;
  input CLK;
  wire CLK;
  output Q;
  wire Q;
  input RST;
  wire RST;
  wire [1:0] icounter;
  wire iq;
  assign _2_ = _0_ ? 1'h1 : 1'h0;
  assign _3_ = _0_ ? 2'h0 : _1_[1:0];
  assign _4_ = CE ? _2_ : 1'h0;
  always @(posedge CLK, posedge RST)
    if (RST) _5_ <= 1'h0;
    else _5_ <= _4_;
  assign _6_ = CE ? _3_ : icounter;
  always @(posedge CLK, posedge RST)
    if (RST) _7_ <= 2'h0;
    else _7_ <= _6_;
  assign _0_ = { 30'h00000000, icounter } == 32'd3;
  assign _1_ = { 30'h00000000, icounter } + 32'd1;
  assign iq = _5_;
  assign icounter = _7_;
  assign Q = iq;
endmodule

[tgingold]

Well, that's expected. You are doing a synthesis and the output is a netlist.

[jerry1249756]

Hi, I just encountered the same problem as above @minghungumich (I'm from NTU as well XD), so do you resolve the issue by container? or can you briefly describe how to resolve it? I'm using a workstation and not sure if I could use the container. I'm using the latest GHDL as well:

GHDL 4.1.0 (4.0.0.r39.g7188e92cf) [Dunoon edition]
 Compiled with GNAT Version: 9.4.0
 GCC 9.4.0 code generator
Written by Tristan Gingold.

Copyright (C) 2003 - 2024 Tristan Gingold.
GHDL is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License.  There is NO
warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Thanks a lot!

[tgingold]

Can you file the error message ?
You need to first build and install yosys. Be sure to set ENABLE_LIBYOSYS so that the headers are installed.
Then build and install ghdl-yosys-plugin.