Extra: Array in VHDL

6.1 Array

In VHDL, an array is a collection of elements that share the same data type. You can think of an array as a variable that holds many elements of the same type, and these elements are indexed to be accessed. The index can be a number or another indexable type, such as integer, natural, or std_logic_vector. Arrays can have one dimension (one-dimensional array) or more (two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and so on). Two-dimensional arrays are often used to represent tables or matrices.

6.2 Type

A type is a definition used to declare a new data type in VHDL. A type can be used to define complex data types, such as arrays or records, or as a type used to declare variables, ports, or signals. Types can also be used to describe the properties and structure of data.

VHDL has predefined data types, such as std_logic, std_logic_vector, integer, and others, but we can also create our own custom data types. Types that are predefined or embedded in VHDL libraries are called "built-in types," while types that we define ourselves are called "user-defined types."

Here is an example of using type and array to create a bank of 8-bit registers:

type RegisterArray is array (0 to 7) of std_logic_vector(7 downto 0);
signal registers : RegisterArray := (others => (others => '0'));

In the example above, we are defining a structure that could be used in an entity like a RegisterBank which has eight 8-bit registers. These registers are represented by the registers array, which has 8 elements, each with a length of 8 bits.