intent/module-count

Remedy ¶

Add or remove instances until the count matches the declaration, or amend the declaration. A dropped channel and a stale declaration look identical from here.

What it means ¶

When the design intent declares an exact count for a module (2 CAN transceivers, 4 radios), this rule counts the design components matching that module’s criterion and fails if the count differs. It complements module-missing. That rule asks “is at least one present”, and this rule asks “are there exactly N”, so too few OR too many both fail.

Why engineers want it ¶

A dropped or duplicated channel is invisible to a presence check. A two-CAN design that lost one transceiver in a schematic edit still “has a CAN transceiver”, so module-missing passes. Only a count check catches the missing second channel. Over-count catches the opposite mistake (a copy-paste that left a stray instance).

Impact ¶

The design has the wrong number of a required block, such as a missing redundant channel, a dropped interface, or a duplicated part that doubles cost and load. It matches the declared architecture in kind but not in quantity.

Scope note ¶

Only modules that set a count are checked, so a declaration with modules but no counts compiles to no count rule. Counting by MPN needs no --params, since every model joins the design’s MPNs. Like every intent rule, it takes the expectation from the declaration and never enumerates it from the netlist.