August 2010The Lattice Diamond software offers many exciting new features in the areas of design exploration, ease of use, and improved flow. This article will focus on one aspect of improved ease of use in the Diamond GUI - Project Views - and point out some of the new capabilities this feature provides.
Lattice Diamond Design Software
(Project Window Pane is Highlighted)
The left side of the Diamond user interface contains the project window pane. By default when a Diamond project is opened this window pane contains the File List view and Process view. The File List view contains all the information about the contents of a project such as which device is being targeted, pre-defined and user-defined strategies, and any defined implementation. Within each implementation, there are folders for source files (Verilog, VHDL, and EDIF files), constraint files (preference files), debug files (used by Reveal Inserter), script files (generated by Simulation Wizard), and analysis files (used by Power Calculator and Timing Analyzer views). Right-clicking on the project name, strategy, implementation, or source provides a number of options to add or remove items, open files, and set options. The File List view allows easy management of all the design source while still containing the power to create complex multiple implementation designs.
File List View
The Process view shows all the implementation processes and options. Right-clicking on each process offers the ability to Run, Rerun (force a run even if not required), and Rerun All (force all processes up to that point to be run). You can also stop a running process, do a “Clean Up Process” which resets all processes back to the initial state, or refresh the state of the processes. Under the Export process, tasks can be optionally checked. This allows these tasks to be run every time the Export process is run.
Process View
The File List and Process views provide the basic tools needed to manage a design project. But there are several other views which provide significantly more design information and capabilities. To make these views visible, the user must first click the Generate Hierarchy button located in the top row of the Diamond icon toolbar to the left of the run control icons. This causes the design to be parsed and the HDL Diagram, Dictionary, Module library, and Hierarchy views to be generated. The HDL Diagram view opens in the Tool view window pane which is to the right of the Project view window pane. In this article we will focus on the Dictionary, Module library, and Hierarchy project specific views
The Generate Hierarchy Button
The Dictionary view provides an alphabetical list of all design elements. This includes not just hierarchy levels such as modules but port names, net names, and cell names. The Dictionary view also provides the ability to search all design elements with regular expressions. Right-clicking on elements allows actions such as opening the source code definition, generating a testbench template, or generating a schematic symbol, depending on which element is selected.
Dictionary View
The Module library view provides a listing of all the modules in the design. For a VHDL or mixed language design it also lists all the VHDL libraries used and groups the modules into those libraries. Right-clicking on a module provides a menu for viewing the source, generating a testbench template, generating a schematic symbol, or setting the module as the top level unit of the design. Changing the top level unit will change the design that is passed to synthesis and implementation (or shown in the views if generate hierarchy is run again). This can be useful for a bottom-up design methodology. Normally the top level of the design will be automatically determined.
Module Library View
The Hierarchy view is one of the most important views for analyzing your design. This view by default shows the hierarchical structure of your design. In ispLEVER this information was shown in the modules tab. The Hierarchy views allows the hierarchy of the design to be expanded and collaped. Right-clicking opens a menu that allows any level of the hierarchy to show the source definition, the source where the hierarchy is instantiated, generate a testbench template, or generate a schematic symbol. In addition, you can view the connectivity, instance symbol, or module symbol for any level of the hierarchy inside the HDL Diagram view.
Hierarchy View
Additionally, the Hierarchy view can be expanded through the Tools Options menu. Under the HDL Diagram entry, the “Simplified Hierachy Display” checkbox can be turned off. Once this is done, the Hierarchy view adds ports, pin, signals, and continuous assignments items for understanding the design structure in more detail.
Hierarchy View
In summary, all the available project views show the wealth of available information in the Diamond software environment. The ability to display and analyze a project has been greatly enhanced in the Lattice Diamond software. Future articles will cover other key areas such as the concepts and uses of Implementations & Strategies and the various tools available in the software.
© Lattice Semiconductor Corporation 2012
