SPICE netlist

A major improvement in terms of usability has been the addition of a graphical waveform post processing and schematic capture tools. Waveform post processors greatly facilitate computation and documentation of simulation results. Schematic capture automates the SPICE netlist generation dramatically reducing the number of syntax errors. 

The first line of any SPICE netlist is the title line. It is used for documentation purposes only. The next few lines usually tell SPICE which analysis will be performed and what the bounds of that analysis will be. For example, we may be requesting a time domain analysis of a circuit (called a transient analysis). The information as to how long the waveform is and what increments and what section of it are of interest is defined in this section of the code. SPICE netlists generally have one function, command, or element per line (Fig. 2.1). Also defined upfront are global constants, subcircuits (models) used repeatedly in the main circuit, and instructions on which nodes are of interest in the final solution, though this structure is not mandatory. 

Figure 2.1 Typical lines of the beginning of a SPICE netlist.

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