DVT Eclipse IDE Design Hierarchy View

Description

The Design Hierarchy View presents the design instance tree starting from a top module or entity. It is the best starting point for exploring a design.

This video explains how to populate the view, how to search for design elements or ports within the hierarchy, and how you can access various other DVT features, like tracing signals or generating schematic diagrams.

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Transcript

Overview

The Design Hierarchy View lets you inspect the elaborated instance tree under a top modular entity. It is the best starting point for exploring the design.

To populate the view, click on the Select Top toolbar button and pick your top module from the possible candidates.

Focusing on a Particular Subtree

You can also focus on a particular subtree:

  • In the Design Hierarchy View, right-click on any sub-instance and select Show Design Hierarchy.
  • In the DVT Editor, right-click on a module and choose Show Design Hierarchy, or simply press Shift-F4.

Use the History dropdown to quickly return to a previous hierarchy.

Inspecting Instances and Ports

In the view, select instances to inspect their ports. You can also trace the drive and load of a port.

Searching for Instances and Ports

  • Type a few letters in the quick search box to locate a specific instance.
  • Type a dot followed by a search string to look for specific ports.

Navigating to Declarations and Connections

  • Double-click an instance to go to its declaration.
  • Double-clicking on a port takes you to where it's connected.

From the context menu, you can copy the instance path.

The view also presents information about UPF low-power domains, the power domain names, and unique coloring.

Further Actions with the Design Hierarchy View

The Design Hierarchy View serves as a starting point for other actions as well, like connecting instances or generating design diagrams.