Patent ID: 8775150

Claim:
A method for automatically providing for an unknown state without the use of a library therefor in a user defined enumerated type data construct of a Hardware Description Language (HDL) tool implemented in a computer system, comprising: receiving an HDL design file representing a hardware device in an HDL that does not natively predefine the unknown state, said HDL design file including said user defined enumerated type data construct including a plurality of predefined literal enumerated values, and having associated with said user defined enumerated type data construct a case statement and a plurality of predefined attributes; parsing said HDL design file to detect said user defined enumerated type data construct; identifying for said detected user defined enumerated type data construct a case statement defining a conditional action for at least one of said predefined literal enumerated values thereof; modifying said detected user defined enumerated type data construct to include an additional literal enumerated value created to denote the unknown state; and, adaptively reconfiguring said case statement to maintain a conditional action corresponding to said additional literal enumerated value for compatibility with the detected user defined enumerated type data construct as modified.