RFC #36: Async testbench functions

Author: whitequark

text/0036-async-testbench-functions.md

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+- Start Date: 2024-03-18
+- RFC PR: [amaranth-lang/rfcs#36](https://github.com/amaranth-lang/rfcs/pull/36)
+- Amaranth Issue: [amaranth-lang/amaranth#1213](https://github.com/amaranth-lang/amaranth/issues/1213)
+
+# Async testbench functions
+
+## Summary
+[summary]: #summary
+
+Introduce an improved simulator testbench interface using `async`/`await` style coroutines.
+
+## Motivation
+[motivation]: #motivation
+
+For the purpose of writing a testbench, an `async` function will read more naturally than a generator function, especially when calling subfunctions/methods.
+
+A more expressive way to specify trigger/wait conditions allows the condition checking to be offloaded to the simulator engine, only returning control to the testbench process when it has work to do.
+
+Passing a simulator context to the testbench function provides a convenient place to gather all simulator operations.
+
+## Guide-level explanation
+[guide-level-explanation]: #guide-level-explanation
+
+As an example, let's consider a simple stream interface with `valid`, `ready` and `data` members.
+We can then implement `stream_send()` and `stream_recv()` functions like this:
+
+```python
+@testbench_helper
+async def stream_recv(sim, stream):
+    await sim.set(stream.ready, 1)
+    await sim.tick().until(stream.valid)
+
+    value = await sim.get(stream.data)
+
+    await sim.tick()
+    await sim.set(stream.ready, 0)
+
+    return value
+
+@testbench_helper
+async def stream_send(sim, stream, value):
+    await sim.set(stream.data, value)
+
+    await sim.set(stream.valid, 1)
+    await sim.tick().until(stream.ready)
+
+    await sim.tick()
+    await sim.set(stream.valid, 0)
+```
+
+`await sim.get()` and `await sim.set()` replaces the existing operations `yield signal` and `yield signal.eq()` respectively.
+
+`sim.tick()` replaces the existing `Tick()`. It returns a trigger object that either can be awaited directly, or made conditional through `.until()`.
+
+The `testbench_helper` decorator indicates that this function is only designed to be called from testbench processes and will raise an exception if called elsewhere.
+
+> **Note**
+> This simplified example does not include any way of specifying the clock domain of the interface and as such is only directly applicable to single domain simulations.
+> A way to attach clock domain information to interfaces is desireable, but out of scope for this RFC.
+
+Using this stream interface, let's consider a colorspace converter accepting a stream of RGB values and outputting a stream of YUV values:
+
+```python
+class RGBToYUVConverter(Component):
+    input: In(StreamSignature(RGB888))
+    output: Out(StreamSignature(YUV888))
+```
+
+A testbench could then look like this:
+
+```python
+async def test_rgb(sim, r, g, b):
+    rgb = {'r': r, 'g': g, 'b': b}
+    await stream_send(sim, dut.input, rgb)
+    yuv = await stream_recv(sim, dut.output)
+
+    print(rgb, yuv)
+
+async def testbench(sim):
+    await test_rgb(sim, 0, 0, 0)
+    await test_rgb(sim, 255, 0, 0)
+    await test_rgb(sim, 0, 255, 0)
+    await test_rgb(sim, 0, 0, 255)
+    await test_rgb(sim, 255, 255, 255)
+```
+
+Since `stream_send()` and `stream_recv()` invokes `sim.get()` and `sim.set()` that in turn will invoke the appropriate value conversions for a value castable (here `data.View`), it is general enough to work for streams with arbitrary shapes.
+
+`Tick()` and `Delay()` are replaced by `sim.tick()` and `sim.delay()` respectively.
+In addition, `sim.changed()` and `sim.edge()` is introduced that allows creating triggers from arbitrary signals.
+
+`sim.tick()` return a domain trigger object that can be made conditional through `.until()` or repeated through `.repeat()`.
+
+`sim.delay()`, `sim.changed()` and `sim.edge()` return a combinable trigger object that can be used to add additional triggers.
+
+`Active()` and `Passive()` are replaced by an `background=False` keyword argument to `.add_testbench()`.
+Processes created through `.add_process()` are always created as background processes.
+To allow a background process to ensure an operation is finished before end of simulation, `sim.critical()` is introduced, which is used as a context manager:
+
+```python
+async def packet_reader(sim, stream):
+    while True:
+        # Wait until stream has valid data.
+        await sim.tick().until(stream.valid)
+
+        # Ensure simulation doesn't end in the middle of a packet.
+        async with sim.critical():
+            packet = await stream.read_packet()
+            print('Received packet:', packet.hex(' '))
+```
+
+When a combinable trigger object is awaited, it'll return the value(s) of the trigger(s), and it can also be used as an async generator to repeatedly await the same trigger.
+Multiple triggers can be combined.
+Consider the following examples:
+
+Combinational adder as a process:
+```python
+a = Signal(); b = Signal(); o = Signal()
+async def adder(sim):
+    async for a_val, b_val in sim.changed(a, b):
+        await sim.set(o, a_val + b_val)
+sim.add_process(adder)
+```
+
+DDR IO buffer as a process:
+```python
+clk = Signal(); o = Signal(2); pin = Signal()
+async def ddr_buffer(sim):
+    while True: # could be extended to pre-capture next `o` on posedge
+        await sim.negedge(clk)
+        await sim.set(pin, o[0])
+        await sim.posedge(clk)
+        await sim.set(pin, o[1])
+sim.add_process(ddr_buffer)
+```
+
+Flop with configurable edge reset and posedge clock as a process:
+```python
+clk = Signal(); rst = Signal(); d = Signal(); q = Signal()
+def dff(rst_edge):
+    async def process(sim):
+        async for clk_hit, rst_hit in sim.posedge(clk).edge(rst, rst_edge):
+            await sim.set(q, 0 if rst_hit else await sim.get(d))
+    return process
+sim.add_process(dff(rst_edge=0))
+```
+
+## Reference-level explanation
+[reference-level-explanation]: #reference-level-explanation
+
+The following `Simulator` methods have their signatures updated:
+
+* `add_process(process)`
+* `add_testbench(process, *, background=False)`
+
+Both methods are updated to accept an async function passed as `process`.
+The async function must accept an argument `sim`, which will be passed a simulator context.
+(Argument name is just convention, will be passed positionally.)
+
+The new optional named argument `background` registers the testbench as a background process when true.
+Processes created through `add_process` are always registered as background processes (except when registering legacy non-async generator functions).
+
+The simulator context has the following methods:
+- `get(expr: Value) -> int`
+- `get(expr: ValueCastable) -> any`
+  - Returns the value of `expr` when awaited.
+    When `expr` is a value-castable, and its `shape()` is a `ShapeCastable`, the value will be converted through the shape's `.from_bits()`.
+    Otherwise, a plain integer is returned.
+- `set(expr: Value, value: ConstLike)`
+- `set(expr: ValueCastable, value: any)`
+  - Set `expr` to `value` when awaited.
+    When `expr` is a value-castable, and its `shape()` is a `ShapeCastable`, the value will be converted through the shape's `.const()`.
+    Otherwise, it must be a const-castable `ValueLike`.
+- `memory_read(instance: MemoryIdentity, address: int)`
+  - Read the value from `address` in `instance` when awaited.
+- `memory_write(instance: MemoryIdentity, address: int, value: int, mask:int = None)`
+  - Write `value` to `address` in `instance` when awaited. If `mask` is given, only the corresponding bits are written.
+    Like `MemoryInstance`, these two functions are an internal interface that will be usually only used via `lib.Memory`.
+    It comes without a stability guarantee.
+- `tick(domain="sync", *, context=None)`
+  - Create a domain trigger object for advancing simulation until the next active edge of the `domain` clock.
+    When an elaboratable is passed to `context`, `domain` will be resolved from its perspective.
+  - If `domain` is asynchronously reset while this is being awaited, `amaranth.sim.AsyncReset` is raised.
+- `delay(interval: float)`
+  - Create a combinable trigger object for advancing simulation by `interval` seconds.
+- `changed(*signals)`
+  - Create a combinable trigger object for advancing simulation until any signal in `signals` changes.
+- `edge(signal, value: int)`
+  - Create a combinable trigger object for advancing simulation until `signal` is changed to `value`.
+    `signal` must be a 1-bit signal or a 1-bit slice of a signal.
+    Valid values for `value` are `1` for rising edge and `0` for falling edge.
+- `posedge(signal)`
+- `negedge(signal)`
+  - Aliases for `edge(signal, 1)` and `edge(signal, 0)` respectively.
+- `critical()`
+  - Context manager.
+    If the current process is a background process, `async with sim.critical():` makes it a non-background process for the duration of the statement.
+
+A domain trigger object is immutable and has the following methods:
+- `__await__()`
+  - Advance simulation. No value is returned.
+- `until(condition)`
+  - Repeat the trigger until `condition` is true.
+    `condition` is an arbitrary Amaranth expression.
+    If `condition` is initially true, `await` will return immediately without advancing simulation.
+    The return value is an unspecified awaitable with `await` as the only defined operation.
+    It is only awaitable once and awaiting it returns no value.
+  - Example implementation:
+    ```python
+    async def until(self, condition):
+      while not await self._sim.get(condition):
+        await self
+    ```
+- `repeat(times: int)`
+  - Repeat the trigger `times` times.
+    Valid values are `times >= 0`.
+    The return value is an unspecified awaitable with `await` as the only defined operation.
+    It is only awaitable once and awaiting it returns no value.
+  - Example implementation:
+    ```python
+    async def repeat(self, times):
+      for _ in range(times):
+        await self
+    ```
+
+A combinable trigger object is immutable and has the following methods:
+- `__await__()`
+  - Advance simulation and return the value(s) of the trigger(s).
+    - `delay` and `edge` triggers return `True` when they are hit, otherwise `False`.
+    - `changed` triggers return the current value of the signals they are monitoring.
+    - At least one of the triggers hit will be reflected in the return value.
+      In case of multiple triggers occuring at the same time step, it is unspecified which of these will show up in the return value beyond “at least one”.
+- `__aiter__()`
+  - Return an async generator that is equivalent to repeatedly awaiting the trigger object in an infinite loop.
+- `delay(interval: float)`
+- `changed(*signals)`
+- `edge(signal, value)`
+- `posedge(signal)`
+- `negedge(signal)`
+  - Create a new trigger object by copying the current object and appending another trigger.
+  - Awaiting the returned trigger object pauses the process until the first of the combined triggers hit, i.e. the triggers are combined using OR semantics.
+
+To ensure testbench helper functions are only called from a testbench process, the `amaranth.sim.testbench_helper` decorator is added.
+The function wrapper expects the first positional argument (or second, after `self` or `cls` if decorating a method/classmethod) to be a simulator context, and will raise `TypeError` if not.
+If the function is called outside a testbench process, an exception will be raised.
+
+`Tick()`, `Delay()`, `Active()` and `Passive()` as well as the ability to pass generator coroutines as `process` are deprecated and removed in a future version.
+
+## Drawbacks
+[drawbacks]: #drawbacks
+
+- Increase in API surface area and complexity.
+- Churn.
+
+## Rationale and alternatives
+[rationale-and-alternatives]: #rationale-and-alternatives
+
+- Do nothing. Keep the existing interface, add `Changed()` alongside `Delay()` and `Tick()`, use `yield from` when calling functions.
+
+## Prior art
+[prior-art]: #prior-art
+
+Other python libraries like [cocotb](https://docs.cocotb.org/en/stable/coroutines.html) that originally used generator based coroutines have also moved to `async`/`await` style coroutines.
+
+## Unresolved questions
+[unresolved-questions]: #unresolved-questions
+
+None.
+
+## Future possibilities
+[future-possibilities]: #future-possibilities
+
+- Add simulation helper methods to standard interfaces where it makes sense.
+  - This includes `lib.memory.Memory`.
+- There is a desire for a `sim.time()` method that returns the current simulation time, but it needs a suitable return type to represent seconds with femtosecond resolution and that is out of the scope for this RFC.