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ASSOCIATIVE ARRAYS

Dynamic arrays are useful for dealing with contiguous collections of variables whose number changes dynamically. Associative arrays give you another way to store information. When the size of the collection is unknown or the data space is sparse, an associative array is a better option. In Associative arrays Elements Not Allocated until Used. Index Can Be of Any Packed Type, String or Class. Associative elements are stored in an order that ensures fastest access.

In an associative array a key is associated with a value. If you wanted to store the information of various transactions in an array, a numerically indexed array would not be the best choice. Instead, we could use the transaction names as the keys in associative array, and the value would be their respective information. Using associative arrays, you can call the array element you need using a string rather than a number, which is often easier to remember.
The syntax to declare an associative array is:

data_type array_id [ key _type];

data_type is the data type of the array elements.
array_id is the name of the array being declared.
key_type is the data-type to be used as an key.

Examples of associative array declarations are:

int array_name[*];//Wildcard index. can be indexed by any integral datatype.
int array_name [ string ];// String index
int array_name [ some_Class ];// Class index
int array_name [ integer ];// Integer index
typedef bit signed [4:1] Nibble;
int array_name [ Nibble ]; // Signed packed array

Elements in associative array elements can be accessed like those of one dimensional arrays. Associative array literals use the '{index:value} syntax with an optional default index.

//associative array of 4-state integers indexed by strings, default is '1.
integer tab [string] = '{"Peter":20, "Paul":22, "Mary":23, default:-1 };

Associative Array Methods

SystemVerilog provides several methods which allow analyzing and manipulating associative arrays. They are:

The num() or size() method returns the number of entries in the associative array.
The delete() method removes the entry at the specified index.
The exists() function checks whether an element exists at the specified index within the given array.
The first() method assigns to the given index variable the value of the first (smallest) index in the associative array. It returns 0 if the array is empty; otherwise, it returns 1.
The last() method assigns to the given index variable the value of the last (largest) index in the associative array. It returns 0 if the array is empty; otherwise, it returns 1.
The next() method finds the entry whose index is greater than the given index. If there is a next entry, the index variable is assigned the index of the next entry, and the function returns 1. Otherwise, the index is unchanged, and the function returns 0.
The prev() function finds the entry whose index is smaller than the given index. If there is a previous entry, the index variable is assigned the index of the previous entry, and the function returns 1. Otherwise, the index is unchanged, and the function returns 0.

EXAMPLE
module assoc_arr;
int temp,imem[*];
initial
begin
imem[ 2'd3 ] = 1;
imem[ 16'hffff ] = 2;
imem[ 4'b1000 ] = 3;
$display( "%0d entries", imem.num );
if(imem.exists( 4'b1000) )
$display("imem.exists( 4b'1000) ");
imem.delete(4'b1000);
if(imem.exists( 4'b1000) )
$display(" imem.exists( 4b'1000) ");
else
$display(" ( 4b'1000) not existing");
if(imem.first(temp))
$display(" First entry is at index %0db ",temp);
if(imem.next(temp))
$display(" Next entry is at index %0h after the index 3",temp);
// To print all the elements alone with its indexs
if (imem.first(temp) )
do
$display( "%d : %d", temp, imem[temp] );
while ( imem.next(temp) );
end
endmodule

RESULT

3 entries
imem.exists( 4b'1000)
( 4b'1000) not existing
First entry is at index 3b
Next entry is at index ffff after the index 3
3 : 1
65535 : 2

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