Error: "(vlog-2110) Illegal reference to net"

system-verilog
SSadh picture SSadh · Mar 30, 2015 · Viewed 26.4k times · Source

I have a simple fifo code in System Verilog. I get several vlog-2110 illegal reference to net error messages. I looked at the previous stackoverflow guidelines and did not see anything wrong with what I am doing. Please help!!!

I am giving below my error messages followed by my code. I will be much obliged. Thank you for your time.

Error messages:

vlog -work work -sv -stats=none C:/Users/Single_FIFO.sv Model Technology ModelSim DE vlog 10.4 Compiler 2014.12 Dec 3 2014 -- Compiling module fifo_core_and_cntl
Error: C:/Users/Single_FIFO.sv(24): (vlog-2110) Illegal reference to net "occucy".
Error: C:/Users/Single_FIFO.sv(26): (vlog-2110) Illegal reference to net "empty".
Error: C:/Users/Single_FIFO.sv(28): (vlog-2110) Illegal reference to net "empty".
Error: C:/Users/Single_FIFO.sv(30): (vlog-2110) Illegal reference to net "full".
Error: C:/Users/Single_FIFO.sv(32): (vlog-2110) Illegal reference to net "full". ...... ......

My simple fifo code: the small offending portion of it, is shown below.

module fifo_core_and_cntl (data_in, data_put, data_get, clk, reset_n, data_out, occucy, empty, full); 
  input [7:0]data_in;
  input data_put, data_get, clk, reset_n;
  output [7:0]data_out;
  output empty, full;
  output [4:0]occucy;
  logic [4:0]current_readptr, current_writeptr, next_readptr, next_writeptr;
  logic [15:0][7:0]data_fifo;   // This is data Fifo: 2D packed array of vectors: sixteen 8 bit vectors.

  always_ff @ (posedge clk, negedge reset_n) // For the Current counter updates.
    if (!reset_n)
    begin   
      current_writeptr <= 0;
      current_readptr <= 0;
    end
    else
    begin
      current_writeptr <= next_writeptr;    
      current_readptr <= next_readptr;
    end
  end

  always_comb begin  // Combo logic for fifo status outputs and also for internal fifo rd/wr pointer updates.
    occucy = current_writeptr - current_readptr;     // fifo occupancy indication
    if (current_writeptr == current_readptr)
      empty = 1'b1;
    else
      empty = 1'b0;
  end
endmodule

Answer

Tudor Timi picture Tudor Timi · Mar 30, 2015

empty and full are declared as output, which means their implied type is wire. You can only drive wires with a continuous assign:

assign empty = some_value;

If you want to assign these signals from an always block, you should explicitly declare them as logic (or reg if you're using Verilog):

`output logic empty, full;

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