Using the Interface

This section describes the elements that compose the Constraints Editor interface and how to use them.

NOTE

Menus, dialog boxes, and parts of the application window are documented as they appear on a PC. Differences between the PC and the workstation applications are documented if there is a difference in operation between the two platforms.

Main Window

This section describes the Constraint Editor's main window. By default, the window contains a menu bar and toolbar at the top and the status bar at the bottom of the window. When you start the application, the main window appears, as shown in the following figure.

Figure 3.1 Constraints Editor Main Window

The toolbar and status bar appear by default when you start the Constraints Editor. You can hide them from view by selecting the Toolbar or the Status Bar commands, respectively, from the View menu.

Title Bar

The title bar displays the program name (Constraints Editor) followed by the name of the active tab window; for example, Constraints Editor [Advanced].

Menu Bar

Commands are available in the pull-down menus when a design is loaded. Certain commands and some command options are disabled and not available, depending on whether the open design is for an FPGA or a CPLD.

You can select menu commands with the mouse or the keyboard. See the “Using the Mouse” or “Using the Keyboard” section for more information. When you select a menu command with either method, a brief description of the command's function appears in the status bar at the bottom of the main window. In addition, some commands have keyboard shortcuts and accelerators. For complete command descriptions, see the “Menu Commands” chapter of this manual.

Toolbar

The toolbar appears at the top of the window just below the menu bar. The toolbar provides button access to frequently used commands in the menus. Textual labels for the buttons appear when you move the cursor arrow over a button. This feature is called a tool tip. A longer description also appears in the status bar. On a PC, the toolbar can be arranged in a variety of ways. The toolbar can either be docked (that is, attached to the main window) or floating (that is, contained in its own window).

You can arrange the toolbar in these ways.

• To move the toolbar, point to a spot between toolbar buttons (or to the title bar, if the toolbar is floating), then drag and drop the toolbar to the desired location. If you drop the toolbar near an edge of the main window, it will be docked on that edge. If you drag the toolbar away from the window edge, it will float instead of being docked.
  
  
• To toggle between a floating toolbar and a docked toolbar, double-click on a spot between toolbar buttons (or on the title bar, if the toolbar is floating).
  
  
• To prevent the toolbar from being docked, hold down the Ctrl key as you move the toolbar.
  
  

Common Fields

Many menu commands display dialog boxes in which you can enter information and set options. This section describes dialog box common fields and how to move items in list boxes.

The following fields are common to many of the Constraints Editor dialog boxes.

• OK closes the dialog box and implements the intended action according to the settings in the dialog box.
  
  
• Cancel closes the dialog box without effecting any action.
  
  
• Help displays information on that particular dialog box.
  
  

Moving Items in List Boxes

Many of the dialog boxes feature list boxes. You can select and move items from one list box to another using either the mouse or the keyboard, or a combination of these methods. The list box on the left generally represents the available selections. The list box on the right represents the list of items to be acted upon.

Using the mouse, you can select items in list boxes with the following methods.

• To move an item to a list box on the right, select it with the left mouse button. Click the > button. To move an item to a list box on the left, select it, then click the < button.
  
  
• To move all items to a list box on the right, click the >> button. To move all items to a list box on the left, click the << button. You do not have to select any items to move them all.
  
  
• To move sequential items, select the first one with the left mouse button. Hold down the Shift key. Select the last item and release the Shift key. Click the > or < button to move the selected items to the right or left list box, respectively.
  
  You can also select the first item then drag the mouse up or down until all the desired items are highlighted and then click the > or < button.
  
  
• To move multiple items in any order, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking individual items. When finished selecting, release the Ctrl key and click the > or < button.
  
  

Using the keyboard, you can select items in list boxes with the following methods.

NOTE

The Return key on a workstation (the Enter key on a PC) is equivalent to the OK button in the following procedures.

• To move an item in a list box, press the Tab key until the first item in the list box is highlighted. Press the down arrow key to select the desired item. Tab to the > or < button to move it to the right or left list box, respectively. Press Enter.
  
  
• To move all items to a list box on the right, tab to the >> button and press Enter. To move all items to a list box on the left, tab to the << button and press Enter.
  
  
• To move consecutive items, tab to the first item in the list box. Use the down arrow key to highlight the first desired item. Press and hold the Shift key while using the down arrow key to select the other items in the sequence. Tab to the > button. Press Enter.
  
  
• To move multiple items in any order, tab to the list box and press Shift F8. Use the up and down arrow keys to navigate within the list box. Press the space bar to select each item. Tab to the > button. Press the Enter key. This method applies only to workstations.
  
  

Using the Mouse

Use the mouse to perform the following operations.

• To select toolbar buttons, menus and menu items, and dialog box options, click the left mouse button on the desired item.
  
  
• To execute a “drag and drop” operation, place the cursor on the object you wish to move, press and hold the left mouse button as you move the cursor to the location you wish to move the object, then release the mouse button.
  
  
• To display a context-sensitive menu, move the mouse cursor over the appropriate area in the main window and then click the right mouse button. A menu will appear displaying possible operations you can perform. Click the right mouse button on the desired operation.
  
  

Using the Keyboard

Use the keyboard to select objects on your screen, such as a dialog box button or a menu option.

• To choose a menu and display its options, press the Alt key and the appropriate underlined letter key corresponding to the menu you want. For example, press Alt F to select the File menu.
  
  
• Use the arrow keys to scroll down the list of options in a menu or list box. Press Enter when the option you want to use is highlighted or, in the case of a menu item, press the underlined letter corresponding to the menu option you want. For example, press the N key to select the New command of the File menu.
  
  
• To select a dialog box option, use the Tab key to position the cursor on that object and highlight it. Press Enter to process the selection.
  
  To cancel out of a dialog box without changing anything, press the Esc key.
  
  
• To move to previous fields within dialog boxes, press and hold the Shift key, then press the Tab key.
  
  
• To obtain help, press the F1 function key.