Editing Netlist (section)

{{Short description|Representation of electronic circuit components}}
{{About|the electronics term|the memory company|Netlist Inc.}}
{{Use American English|date = April 2019}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2019}}
In [[electronic design]], a '''netlist''' is a description of the connectivity of an [[electronic circuit]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://blog.optimumdesign.com/schematic-vs.-netlist-a-guide-to-pcb-deisgn-integration|title=Schematic vs. Netlist: A Guide to PCB Design Integration|last=Holt|first=Randy|website=blog.optimumdesign.com|language=en-us|access-date=2019-04-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vlsiip.com/asic_dictionary/N/netlist.html|title=netlist.html|website=www.vlsiip.com|access-date=2019-04-03}}</ref> In its simplest form, a netlist consists of a list of the [[electronic component]]s in a circuit and a list of the [[node (circuits)|node]]s they are connected to.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.expresspcb.com/ExpressPCBBin/NetlistFileFormat.pdf|title=Netlist File Format|website=www.expresspcb.com|access-date=August 24, 2021|quote=The netlist is written in a single file, but includes four sections: 1) A file header, 2) A table listing each of the components, 3) A table listing each of the net names, 4) A table listing each of the net connections. Every table entry is written using a single line of text that ends with a [[CRLF]]. The fields of the table are separated with Space characters (0x20). String fields begin and end with double quotes. Each of the three tables are terminated by a blank line (CRLF).}}</ref> A [[Electrical network|network]] (net) is a collection of two or more interconnected components.

The structure, complexity and representation of netlists can vary considerably, but the fundamental purpose of every netlist is to convey [[Graph_(abstract_data_type)|connectivity information]]. Netlists usually provide nothing more than instances, nodes, and perhaps some attributes of the components involved.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/reference/chpt-7/example-circuits-and-netlists/|title=Example Circuits and Netlists {{!}} Using The spice Circuit Simulation Program {{!}} Electronics Textbook|website=www.allaboutcircuits.com|language=en|access-date=2019-04-03}}</ref> If they express much more than this, they are usually considered to be a [[hardware description language]] such as [[Verilog]] or [[VHDL]], or one of several languages specifically designed for input to [[simulator]]s or [[hardware compiler]]s (such as [[SPICE]] analog simulation netlists).