3.4.2.3 The Simulation Tool Interface

The description of a tool (Description 3.3) incorporates all information which is necessary to invoke a simulation tool, to control it, and to register its output files.

• command defines the name of the system command which invokes the simulation tool. This system command does not necessarily need to invoke a simulator, but can also execute a shell-script or an auxiliary program.

• cmdline describes a template of the command line which is used to invoke the system command.
• Additionally to command and cmdline an unlimited number of templates can be defined. Those are typically input decks or similar files to control a simulation tool. For each template a file named "tpl-key" (located in the tool's invocation directory) will contain the evaluated template.
• After the system command finishes SIESTA registers the simulation results. Each entry of the results section defines result files of the system command. The content of those files will be converted into data of type Type, except for results of type filename which stands for the file as such. Each result is identified by the label which has been defined in the tool's definition. This label has to be used by template symbols of other tools to access that result, or in the output mapping of the simulation-flow-model to associate a result with an output port.