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Design Manager/Flow Engine Guide
Chapter 3: Using the Design Manager and Flow Engine

Implementing a Design from the Flow Engine

If you want to control the implementation processes, you can implement your design in separate steps from the Flow Engine. Implementing your design from the Flow Engine allows you to control aspects of the flow such as updating the implementation status, enabling flashing icons, and setting run targets. You can implement your design with default implementation flow options set, or you can set your own values. This section contains the following procedures.

Implementing a Design in Separate Steps

The following procedure describes how to implement your design in separate steps. Follow this procedure according to how you want to implement your design.

  1. If you want to set implementation flow options or specify constraint, floorplan, and guide file data for copying, follow the procedures in the “Specifying Implementation Flow Options” and “Copying Constraints, Guide, and Floorplan File Data” sections.

  2. If you want to set a run target, enable flashing icons, or update the implementation status or flow, use the procedures in the following sections.

  3. Do one of the following.

Setting the State of the Flow

Use the Advanced command in the Flow Engine Setup menu to set the state of the implementation flow.

Note: This procedure is not used in normal Flow Engine use. It is used if some processing on the design was performed outside of the Design Manager or Flow Engine, such as in the FPGA Editor. It can also be used if you ran the Flow Engine Step Back button by mistake and want to reset the implementation state to its original state.

  1. Select Setup Advanced to open the dialog box shown in the following figure.

    Figure 3.22 Advanced Dialog Box

  2. Select a state from the Implementation State list box to update the Design Manager and Flow Engine as to which implementation state was last completed.

  3. Click OK.

Enabling Flashing Icons

You can enable flashing icons to indicate that a process step is being processed. A trade-off of this feature is that flashing icons slow down the implementation process.

  1. Select Setup Advanced to open the Advanced dialog box shown in the preceding figure.

  2. Select Use Flashing to Indicate Heartbeat

  3. Click OK.

Setting a Run Target

The Flow Engine flow includes several process steps. You can specify that the flow stop at a certain point with the Stop After command. When specified, the Flow Engine does not process beyond that point. You do not need to set a run target for typical Flow Engine use. By default, the Flow Engine processes all the steps.

  1. Select Setup Stop After or click the Set Target toolbar button.



    The dialog box shown in the following figure appears.

    Figure 3.23 Stop After Dialog Box

  2. Select the desired run target from the Stop After drop-down list box.

  3. Click OK.

    The Flow Engine stops processing after the specified point. A red stop sign visually indicates the run target.

Updating the Flow

When the Flow Engine is first invoked, it automatically looks for changes made to certain files. If changes are detected, the Flow Engine resets the flow for the implementation revision. For information on which file changes cause the flow to be reset, see the “Smart Flow Engine” section of the “Introduction” chapter. If you want to check for changes and the Flow Engine is already open, use the Setup Update Flow command.

  1. Select Setup Update Flow.

    The Flow Engine resets the flow if certain file changes are detected.

  2. Do one of the following.