.tim to .tex (Tim to LaTeX) File Export Option?

[Superman]

Hello,

This tool looks like a great one to use, as one has the option to export the results as vector files (PDF, EPS, or SVG) aside from bitmap or raster ones (PNG, JPEG), compared to other software apps like Xilinx’s Vivado.

Although not related to timing diagrams per se, I know that there’s a third-party MATLAB package that allows one to export MATLAB plots as .tex files that contain TikZ code for the plot. I was wondering if TimingAnalyzer can be upgraded such that one can export the results from the .tim files as .tex files. The .tex files would contain code that involves a LaTeX package called tikz-timing.

Tikz-timing manual: https://www.ctan.org/pkg/tikz-timing

Matlab2Tikz: https://github.com/matlab2tikz/matlab2tikz

[Dan Fabrizio]

Hi,

Tikz-timing looks interesting.    I see the wavedrom app (https://wavedrom.com/) format looks similar and might be able to support Tikz-timing format more easily.

Have you looked at wavedrom?

Thanks,

Dan

 

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Dan Fabrizio
The TimingAnalyzer
www.timing-diagrams.com

[Andrew Song]

Hi Dan,

I looked at wavedrom. Honestly speaking, while tikz-timing is theoretically more suitable in LaTeX (as in doing everything in one software instead of separate software), wavedrom’s syntax seems to be slightly more comprehensible than tikz-timing. Some certain things (i.e. color shading, and arrows on Step 8 of the tutorial) can be done on tikz-timing, but wavedrom seems to tackle them more easily (tikz-timing was last updated in 2017). However, wavedrom outputs the file in SVG, which can be used in LaTeX, but the process is more roundabout for compiling SVG files than EPS files (I think also for PS files, which can be converted to EPS according to this page:

https://www.ctan.org/pkg/ps2eps).

By the way, I found another software that’s similar to yours called Timing Editor:

http://timingeditor.sourceforge.net

Any thoughts on Timing Editor? It seems that there are more exporting options for yours compared to Timing Editor. By the way, Timing Editor has the ability to draw flatter slopes and “mid-way” waves, which can be done on tikz-timing. I am wondering if one can do that on Timing Analyzer.

The hardware community deserves better looking visuals for waveforms; they don’t deserve to look at papers with ugly screenshots of simulation results (and experimental waveforms from devices if applicable) from Vivado or “proof-of-concept plots” in raster files like PNG or JPEG. The awareness of software with the capability of exporting vector files must be spread.

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[Andrew Song]

By the way, I must admit that Timing Editor doesn’t have the ability to import simulation results from Vivado, and neither does wavedrom, so functionally speaking, yours is better than those two. It’s just that I am giving suggestions on how to make things more aesthetically pleasing, especially for exporting the results in TimingAnalyzer as a .tex file for LaTeX users.

[Andrew Song]

Correction: doesn’t have the ability -> seems to not have the ability*

[Dan Fabrizio]

Hi Andrew,

I haven't really talked about it much,  but I'm working on a C++ version of the TimingAnalyzer.   

It works with standard python scripts and the new GUI app is an executable.  

I have been looking at tikz-timing and wavedrom and other apps that draw timing diagrams.

I intend to add a draw mode that will have features from these other apps that are used to just draw diagrams.

Including more edge shapes which will address the edge slopes and style. 

My goal is to create publishing quality diagrams in the draw mode.

Thanks for you feedback,

Dan

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[Superman]

Hi Dan,

Regarding the C++ version, is it just like running Python scripts to draw waveforms, but using C++ code to draw them?

Aside from more edge shapes that the other apps would otherwise not have, can you provide another example of such a feature from these other apps, if you don't mind saying?

I really like the fact that your goal is to publish quality diagrams in the draw mode, especially when we export them, we can export them as vector files (EPS, PDF, SVG).

P.S. although not directly related to TimingAnalyzer app itself, if you can get the chance, perhaps you can make an extension-like package such as Asymptote (https://www.ctan.org/pkg/asymptote) or pythontex (https://ctan.org/pkg/pythontex) such that we can directly type out the TimingAnalyzer-like commands in the LaTeX code and get the output when we compile the LaTeX code (in the LaTeX format with TikZ and the default font, Computer Modern Roman), or provide an option to export the description code with that extension package's syntax if not in pure TikZ code or tikz-timing code from the original app. I personally feel that the syntax for tikz-timing is relatively not easy to grasp, even though I have used tikz-timing once. Just a suggestion.

I have seen a dissertation and reports in which the respective authors screenshotted waveforms from Verilog-like software such as Vivado, and to be frank, those screenshots of the results are very terrible in quality if not "formal"; one can't really see the simulation results well in the former situation, or get an overall picture in the latter situation. I hope that with your app, those students won't need to take ugly screenshots of those results from such software like Vivado when writing their reports and theses.

Anyway, I appreciate your willingness to improve the aesthetics and the ease of use of creation of the waveform diagrams, especially simulation results!

[Dan Fabrizio]

Hi Andrew,

I don't want to mislead you or anyone using the TimingAnalyzer.

I just wanted to let you know that the program is still being developed.  At some point when the C++ version has all the features of the Java version,  I will announce it and ask for beta testers. I'm not sure when that will be and if the draw mode will be included.   At this time,  it is a feature idea that would be nice to have.

Also,  I want to mention that this tool is only free while in beta testing.       

Thanks,

Dan

    

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