Assertion
A software language construct which evaluates a condition and causes a fail or error message if the condition is false. A concise way to perform a check, often a check which is a prerequisite to subsequent processing, e.g. a check for null pointer before the pointer is used. In high-level Design/Verification Language terms, an assertion is often used to refer to a property/assertion construct which checks for a condition (the property) using a concise language which allows interrogation of signal states, transitions, in some order or within some time constraints. The properties referred to in assertion statements can be built up from sequences and can become considerably complex; they can also be used with some formal tools for static evaluation. SystemVerilog Assertions (SVA) is a part of the SystemVerilog design/verification language and contains a powerful set of syntax to make these condition checks. Other assertion languages include PSL (property specification language).
