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--- language:expressions [2022/07/22 15:15]
rajit [Functions]
+++ language:expressions [2022/12/13 10:03]
rajit [External Functions]
@@ Line 101: / Line 101: @@
 }
 </code>
+===== External Functions =====
+ACT is a hardware description language. However, especially when simulating a design, it is useful to be able to have additional functionality that goes beyond the circuit that is implemented. For example, a designer may want to test a CHP program by providing it inputs from a test suite that is contained in a file. To do so would require providing an I/O library for ACT. Similarly there may be other additional features one might want for simulation purposes.
+Instead of providing specific solutions to a large number of potential use cases, ACT provides a single generic mechanism: the ability to call an //external// function. An external function is one that is not defined within the ACT language itself, but is rather defined in the C programming language. The C function must be compiled into a shared object library that is loaded by ACT during run-time.