Abstract: The inventive lightweight occurrence model uses a folded connectivity model which includes occurrence nodes. Each occurrence node includes occurrence specific data or a pointer to such data, a pointer to a parent occurrence node, and a pointer to a folded model describer. Thus, the information that would present in a full occurrence model can be included in the inventive lightweight occurrence model. The inventive model does not maintain duplicate information and requires less memory to store the inventive model. Since the inventive occurrence model is smaller than the full occurrence model, complex circuit designs, e.g. microprocessors, can be represented by the inventive lightweight occurrence model. Thus, low level characteristics of the design, e.g., timing delays, can be examined.

Abstract: The present invention allows traversal of net occurrences of a light weight occurrence model. In traversing down, a port iterator is preferably used, while in traversing up a port instance iterator is preferably used. The selected iterator is initialized with information about the current occurrence net from the inventive occurrence node that describes the occurrence net's owner and folded model describer. In traversing up, the iterator finds the next port that connects to the folded model net indicated by the describer used during initialization. Then, using information stored in the model, the iterator finds the occurrence net object that is one level higher in hierarchy than the original occurrence net object. In traversing down, the iterator finds the next port instance that connects to the folded model net indicated by the describer used during initialization.

Abstract: The present invention allows traversal of net occurrences of a light weight occurrence model. In traversing down, a port iterator is preferably used, while in traversing up a port instance iterator is preferably used. The selected iterator is initialized with information about the current occurrence net from the inventive occurrence node that describes the occurrence net's owner and folded model describer. In traversing up, the iterator finds the next port that connects to the folded model net indicated by the describer used during initialization. Then, using information stored in the model, the iterator finds the occurrence net object that is one level higher in hierarchy than the original occurrence net object. In traversing down, the iterator finds the next port instance that connects to the folded model net indicated by the describer used during initialization.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for creating and using a generic container as a data structure used in a software program. A selected data structure may be specified at start-up time or run-time using a mapping table that tracks the specified data structures for each generic container used by the program. Existing data structures are abstracted to a generic interface for use with the container. The program interacts with the generic container using the generic interface, which allows the container to add, delete, and look up data stored in the container and to retrieve a key used by the container. A program uses an object factory to create an instance of a generic container having the generic interface. At run-time, the object factory refers to the mapping table to determine which specific data structure is used for each generic container.