How To Disable Printing In Uvm Untility Macros Single Field

Caroline Mae

2 min read

·

01-01-2025

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Disabling printing in UVM utility macros, specifically targeting individual fields, requires a nuanced understanding of the uvm_info, uvm_warning, and uvm_error macros. While there isn't a single, direct method to completely silence a specific field's output, we can leverage verbosity levels and conditional checks to effectively manage printing behavior.

Understanding UVM Verbosity Levels

UVM utilizes a verbosity level system to control the amount of information printed to the console. This system operates on a hierarchical basis, meaning a higher verbosity level at a parent component will often override lower levels in child components. The levels are typically:

• UVM_NONE: No messages are printed.
• UVM_LOW: Only critical errors and warnings.
• UVM_MEDIUM: Errors, warnings, and some informational messages.
• UVM_HIGH: A more detailed level of informational messages.
• UVM_FULL: All messages, including debug-level information.

Conditional Printing within Macros

The most effective way to control printing for a single field is to incorporate conditional statements directly within the macro calls. This allows for fine-grained control based on specific conditions or flags.

Example:

Let's assume you have a structure like this:

typedef struct packed {
  bit [7:0] field_a;
  bit [15:0] field_b;
  bit [31:0] field_c;
} my_struct_t;

And you want to disable printing only for field_b. You can modify your printing statements like so:

my_struct_t my_struct;

// ... some code to populate my_struct ...

if (!$test$plusargs("print_field_b")) begin
  `uvm_info("MY_COMPONENT", $sformatf("Field A: %0h", my_struct.field_a), UVM_MEDIUM)
  //Field B printing is skipped because of conditional statement
  `uvm_info("MY_COMPONENT", $sformatf("Field C: %0h", my_struct.field_c), UVM_MEDIUM)
end else begin
  `uvm_info("MY_COMPONENT", $sformatf("Field A: %0h", my_struct.field_a), UVM_MEDIUM)
  `uvm_info("MY_COMPONENT", $sformatf("Field B: %0h", my_struct.field_b), UVM_MEDIUM)
  `uvm_info("MY_COMPONENT", $sformatf("Field C: %0h", my_struct.field_c), UVM_MEDIUM)
end

This approach allows you to selectively control printing based on command-line arguments or internal flags. By setting $test$plusargs("print_field_b") to false (or not providing the argument), the printing of field_b is effectively disabled.

Setting Verbosity Levels Programmatically

You can also set the verbosity level programmatically using the set_verbosity_level function. However, this is generally less precise for controlling individual fields and more suitable for managing overall message levels.

uvm_report_object::set_verbosity_level("MY_COMPONENT", UVM_MEDIUM); // Adjust level as needed

Conclusion

While a single function doesn't exist to selectively mute individual fields in UVM macros, the combination of conditional checks within the macro calls and the strategic use of verbosity levels provides the necessary control for managing the printed output. The choice between conditional printing and programmatic verbosity level setting depends on the desired level of granularity and control. For isolating specific field output, conditional statements offer superior precision.