Managing Quartus II Projects, Quartus II Handbook version ... - Altera

June2012 

QII52012-12.0.0 

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Quartus II Handbook Version 12.0 

Volume 2: Design Implementation and Optimization 

June 2012 

4. Managing Quartus II Projects 

This chapter discusses how to create and manage projects, and how to migrate them 

from one computing platform to another. 

Today’s larger and more sophisticated FPGA designs are often developed by several 

engineers and are constantly changing throughout the project lifecycle. Designers 

must track their project changes to ensure efficient design coordination. 

This chapter discusses the following topics: 

■ “Managing Your Quartus II Projects” on page 4–1 

■ “Exporting and Importing Version-Compatible Database Files” on page 4–6 

■ “Managing Projects in a Team-Based Design Environment” on page 4–15 

■ “Scripting Support” on page 4–16 

Managing Your Quartus II Projects 

To help you manage your FPGA designs, the Quartus ® II software provides tools that 

assist you with your design tasks, including creating a project, creating assignments, 

managing revisions, and archiving projects. 

A Quartus II project contains all your design files, setting files, and other files 

necessary for the successful compilation of your design. 

h For more information about creating and opening a project, adding files to and 

removing files from a project, modifying project settings, saving project changes, and 

specifying the top-level entity, refer to Managing Files in a Project in Quartus II Help. 

For more information about libraries, refer to “Specifying Libraries” on page 4–10. 

1 On the General page of the Options dialog box, you can also specify a default 

directory that automatically stores all project files. 

After you create a new project, the Quartus II software automatically generates 

various project files necessary for successful compilation, including the Quartus II 

Project File (.qpf) and Quartus II Settings File (.qsf). 

h For more information about the .qpf and .qsf, refer to Quartus II Project File (.qpf) and 

Quartus II Setting File (.qsf) in Quartus II Help. 

f For a list of supported Quartus II project files and design file types, refer to 

Introduction to the Quartus II Software manual. 

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4–2 Chapter 4: Managing Quartus II Projects 


File Association 

Quartus II project files are files associated with a Quartus II project, but are not design 

files in the project hierarchy. Most project files do not contain design logic. The 

Quartus II software supports project files such as .qpf, Quartus II IP File (.qip), and 

.qsf, among others. 

Design files are files that contain logic for a Quartus II project. The Compiler compiles 

the Quartus II design files. The Quartus II software also supports designs created 

from EDIF Input Files (.edf) or Verilog Quartus Mapping Files (.vqm) generated by 

EDA design entry and synthesis tools. You can also create Verilog HDL or VHDL 

designs in the Quartus II software and EDA design entry tools and either generate 

EDIF Input Files (.edf) and Verilog Quartus Mapping File (.vqm), or use the Verilog 

HDL or VHDL design files directly in Quartus II projects. The Quartus II software also 

supports use of Quartus II Exported Partition Files (.qxp) as source files containing 

entities you can add to your design. 

The Quartus II software sets file type association when you run the Quartus II 

software version 9.1 or earlier; however, in the Quartus II software versions 10.0 and 

later, the Quartus II software sets file type association after installation, which can be 

overwritten if you run prior versions of the Quartus II software after installing 

Quartus II software versions 10.0 and later. If your files are associated with a different 

version of the Quartus II software, and you want to associate the files with the 

Quartus II software version 10.0, you can manually associate the files to the Quartus II 

software version 10.0. 

Example 4–1 shows how to associate files with the current version of the Quartus II 

software manually: 

Example 4–1. Command to Associate Files 

\quartus\bin\qreg.exe --file_assoc r 

Editing Text-Based Designs with the Quartus II Text Editor 

You can use any text editor with the Quartus II software; however, the Quartus II Text 

Editor allows you to take advantage of features available only in the Quartus II 

software, error location, and predefined templates to help you with coding. 

The Quartus II software provides templates that allow you to insert predefined code 

directly into your design file; you can choose from several design languages, and you 

can directly add TimeQuest analyzer design constraints and megafunction 

information. You can also create and save your own templates. 

h For more information about editing Quartus II Text Editor files, refer to Editing 

Quartus II Text Editor Files in Quartus II Help. For more information about text editors, 

refer to About the Quartus II Text Editor in Quartus II Help. For more information about 

the Quartus II Text Editor options and setting a preferred text editor, refer to Setting 

Quartus II Text Editor Options in Quartus II Help. 

f For more information about the Quartus II language template feature, refer to the 

“Quartus II Language Templates” section in the Recommended HDL Coding Styles 

chapter in volume 1 of the Quartus II Handbook. 

Quartus II Handbook Version 12.0 June 2012 Altera Corporation 

Volume 2: Design Implementation and Optimization

Chapter 4: Managing Quartus II Projects 4–3 


Creating Assignments 

Assignments control a variety of different functions of the Quartus II software and are 

an important part of an efficient and effective design. When used in conjunction with 

a good design practices, assignments can help you successfully compile your design. 

You can create assignments with different editors and dialog boxes in the Quartus II 

software or with Tcl scripts. Assignments are logic functions you assign to a physical 

resource on the device, or compilation resources you assign to logic functions. 

Quartus II Settings File 

As you create assignments in the Quartus II software, you can choose either to store 

the assignments in memory temporarily or write the assignment out to the .qsf with 

the Update assignments to disk during design processing only option located on the 

Processing page of the Options dialog box. You can open the Options dialog box by 

clicking Options on the Tools menu. If you turn on the Update assignments to disk 

during design processing only option, the Quartus II software stores all assignments 

in memory and writes to the .qsf when a compilation starts or when you save or close 

the project. The performance of the software improves when you save assignments in 

memory. You can view this performance improvement when the Quartus II software 

stores the project files on a remote data disk. 

f For more information about the .qsf, refer to the Quartus II Settings File Manual. 

Preserving QSF Format 

When you create new assignments, the Quartus II software appends the assignments 

to the end of the .qsf. If you modify an assignment, the corresponding line in the .qsf 

changes to maintain the order of assignments in the .qsf, unless you add and remove 

project source files, or when you add, remove, and exclude members from an 

assignment group. In these cases, the Quartus II software appends all assignments to 

the end of the .qsf. For example, if you add a new design file to the project, the 

Quartus II software appends the list of all your design files to the end of the .qsf. 

The Quartus II software preserves all spaces and tabs for all unmodified assignments 

and comments. When you create a new assignment or modify an existing assignment 

in the GUI, the Quartus II software writes the assignment with the default formatting. 

Quartus II Default Settings File 

You can ensure consistent results when defaults change between versions of the 

Quartus II software with the assignment_defaults.qdf, located in the bin or bin64 

directory of the Quartus II installation path. 

The Quartus II software reads assignments from various files and stores the 

assignments in memory. The Quartus II software reads settings files in the following 

order and assignments in subsequent files take precedence over earlier ones: 

1. assignment_defaults.qdf from /bin or bin64 

2. assignment_defaults.qdf from the project directory 

3. _assignment_defaults.qdf from the project directory 

4. .qsf from the project directory 

June 2012 Altera Corporation Quartus II Handbook Version 12.0 




As the Quartus II software reads each new file, if an existing assignment from an 

existing project file matches, following rules of case sensitivity, multivalued fields, 

and other rules, the Quartus II software replaces the old value with a new value. For 

example, if the first file has an assignment A=1, and the second file has A=2, the 

software replaces assignment A=1 with assignment A=2. 

Creating Timing Assignments 

If you create timing assignments with the TimeQuest Timing Analyzer, the Quartus II 

software creates a Synopsys Design Constraints File (.sdc) that contains your SDC 

commands. 

f For more information about TimeQuest analyzer and SDC constraints, refer to the 

Quartus II TimeQuest Timing Analyzer chapter in volume 3 of the Quartus II Handbook. 

Creating Revisions 

In the Quartus II software, a revision is a set of assignments and settings. A project 

may have multiple revisions, and each revision has its own set of assignments and 

settings. You can create multiple revisions in a project, and you can create a unique 

revision based on an existing revision. Creating a unique revision allows you to 

optimize a design for different results; creating a revision based on an existing 

revision allows you to try new settings and assignments and then compare the 

revisions. 

Creating a revision of your design allows you to create a new set of assignments and 

settings for a set of design files without losing your previous assignments and 

settings. You can perform the following tasks with revisions: 

■ Create a revision not based on a previous revision. Creating a unique revision 

allows you to optimize a design for different fundamental reasons, such as to 

optimize by area in one revision and then optimize for f MAX in another revision. 

When you create a unique revision, the Quartus II software uses all default 

settings. 

■ Create a revision based on an existing revision, but try new settings and 

assignments in the new revision. A new revision includes all the assignments and 

settings in the existing revision.You can revert from the new revision to the 

original revision. You can compare revisions manually, or with features in the 

Quartus II software. 

Managing Project Revisions 

The Revisions dialog box manages your revisions by allowing you to create and 

delete a revision, specify the current revision, and compare revisions. 

Each time you create a new revision of a project, the Quartus II software creates a new 

.qsf and adds the name of the new revision to the list of revisions in the .qsf. The 

name of a new .qsf matches the revision name. 





You can compare the compilation results of multiple revisions side by side with the 

Compare Revisions dialog box. The Compare Revisions dialog box compares the 

compilation results of each revision in three categories: 

■ Analysis & Synthesis 

■ Fitter 

■ TimeQuest Timing Analyzer 

In addition to viewing the compilation results of each revision, you can also compare 

the assignments for each revision. Comparing the compilation results and 

assignments for each revision allows you to gain a better understanding of how 

different optimization options affect your design. 

h For more information about creating, deleting, specifying, and comparing revisions, 

refer to Managing Project Revisions in Quartus II Help. 

Creating New Copies of Your Design 

If your design requires that you have two separate copies of your project, rather than 

just a separate revision, you can create a second copy of your project with the Copy 

Project command. For example, if you have a design that is compatible with a 32-bit 

data bus and you require a new copy of your design to interface with a 64-bit data 

bus, you may want a separate copy of the project. 

The Quartus II software provides utilities to copy and save different copies of your 

project. Creating a copy of your project with the Copy Project command directs the 

Quartus II software to copy all your design files, your .qsf, and all your associated 

revisions. 

If you are creating a new copy of a project that contains an .edf or a .vqm from a 

third-party EDA synthesis tool, first create a copy of your project and then replace any 

.edf or .vqm files with the newly generated .edf or .vqm. 

h For more information about the Copy Project command, refer to Copy Project Dialog 

Box in Quartus II Help. 

Archiving and Restoring Projects 

To share large projects between engineers or to transfer your project to a new version 

of the Quartus II software, you can archive your project. Archiving your project 

creates a single compressed Quartus II Archive File (.qar) that contains all your 

design, project, and settings files. The .qar contains all the .qdf files required to 

compile your design and restore the original compilation results. When you restore 

the archive in a different version of the Quartus II software, you must include the .qdf 

in the archive to preserve previous compilation results. For more information about 

the .qdf, refer to “Quartus II Default Settings File” on page 4–3. 

1 You can copy files listed in the Source Control file set for the Archiver with the Copy 

Project command. If you cannot find your source file in the Source Control file set, 

add the source file to your project before copying. 




Exporting and Importing Version-Compatible Database Files 

h For more information about archiving a project and restoring an archived project, 

refer to About Archiving Projects and Archiving Projects in Quartus II Help. 


The Quartus II software generates version-compatible database files that are a 

representation of the internal database files. The Quartus II software allows you to 

export and import version-compatible database files for a project to use compilation 

databases in different versions of the Quartus II software. If you export 

version-compatible database files for a project, you can import these files in a future 

version of the Quartus II software. By importing version-compatible database files 

and rerunning timing analysis, you can check a project's fitting and timing results in 

newer versions of the Quartus II software. 

Version-compatible databases allows you to use the same project database when you 

upgrade to a newer version of the Quartus II software, eliminating the need to 

recompile your project, which saves design time. 

Figure 4–1 shows the Quartus II software version-compatible database structure. 

Figure 4–1. Quartus II Version-Compatible Database Structure 

Quartus II Project 

Quartus II Project (Version 1) 

Quartus II Project (Revision A) Settings A 

Quartus II Project (Revision B) Settings B 

Quartus II Project (Version 2) 

filtref.v 

filtref_2.vwf 

filtref_2.qsf 

Quartus II Project (Revision A) Settings C 

Quartus II Project (Revision B) Settings D 

h For more information about exporting and importing version-compatible database 

files, including device support, refer to Exporting and Importing Version-Compatible 

Database Files in Quartus II Help. 

If you require the database files to reproduce the compilation results in the same 

Quartus II software version, you can use the command-line option to archive a full 

compilation database. For more information, refer to “Archiving and Restoring 

Projects” on page 4–5. 



filtref.v 

filtref.vwf 

filtref.asf



Migrating to a New Version of the Quartus II Software 

To migrate your design to a newer version of the Quartus II software, follow these 

steps: 

1. On the File menu, click Open Project and browse to select the Quartus II project 

file to open the older version of the Quartus II software project. 

2. On the Project menu, click Copy Project to create a new copy of the project. The 

older version closes and the copied project opens. 

3. Before exporting the database, you must run Analysis and Synthesis for the new 

version. On the Project menu, click Export Database. By default, the Quartus II 

software exports the database to the export_db directory of the copied project. You 

can also create a new directory. 

4. Open the copied project from the new version of the Quartus II software. The 

Quartus II software deletes the existing database but not the exported database. 

5. On the Project menu, click Import Database. By default, the Quartus II software 

selects the directory that contains the exported database you just created. Select 

the exported database and the Quartus II software imports the version-compatible 

database files. 

Saving the Database in a Version-Compatible Format 

To save the database in a version-compatible format during a full compilation, follow 

these steps: 

1. On the Assignments menu, click Settings. The Settings dialog box appears. 

2. In the Category list, select Compilation Process Settings. The Compilation 

Process Settings page appears. 

3. Turn on the Export version compatible database option. 

4. Browse to the directory in which you want to save the database. 

5. Click OK. 

You can also export a project database as version-compatible database files during a 

full compilation. 

h For more information about importing and exporting version-compatible databases, 

refer to Exporting and Importing Version-Compatible Database Files in Quartus II Help. 





Quartus II Project Platform Migration 

When moving your project from one computing platform to another, you must 

consider the following cross-platform issues: 

■ “File Names and Hierarchies” 

■ “Specifying Libraries” 

■ “Quartus II Search Path Precedence Rules” 

■ “Quartus II-Generated Files for Third-Party EDA Tools” 

■ “Migrating Database Files Between Platforms” 

File Names and Hierarchies 

To ensure a successful migration across platforms, consider the following differences 

between operating systems when naming source files, especially when interacting 

with the operating systems from the command prompt or a Tcl script: 

■ Some operating system file systems are case sensitive. When writing scripts, 

ensure that you specify paths exactly, even if the current operating system is not 

case sensitive. Use lowercase letters when naming files. 

■ Use a character set common to all the used platforms. 

■ Do not change the forward-slash (/) and back-slash (\) path separators in the .qsf 

because the Quartus II software changes all back-slash (\) path separators to 

forward-slashes (/). 

■ Observe the shortest file name length limit of the different operating systems you 

are using. 

1 Altera recommends that you avoid using spaces in the name of the project 

directory. You can rename the directory with a symbol such as the 

underscore (_) as a place holder instead of spaces (for example, 

“my_design” instead of “my design”). 





You can specify files and directories inside a Quartus II project as paths relative to the 

project directory. For example, for a project titled foo_design with a directory 

structure shown in Figure 4–2, specify the source files as: top.v, foo_folder/foo1.v, 

foo_folder/foo2.v, and foo_folder/bar_folder/bar1.vhdl. 

Figure 4–2. All Inclusive Project Directory Structure 

foo_design 

foo_design.qsf 

If the .qsf is in a directory that is separate from the source files, you can specify paths 

using the relative and absolute paths and libraries options. 

Relative Paths 

If the source files are very near to the Quartus II project directory, you can express 

relative paths using the .. notation. For example, in the directory structure shown in 

Figure 4–3, you can specify top.v as ../source/top.v and foo1.v as 

../source/foo_folder/foo1.v. 

Figure 4–3. Quartus II Project Directory Separate from Design Files 



top.v 

foo_design 

foo_folder 

quartus 

source 

foo1.v 

foo2.v 

bar_folder 

bar1.vhdl 

foo_design.qsf 

top.v 

foo_folder 

foo1.v 

foo2.v 

bar_folder 

bar1.vhdl



1 When you copy a directory structure to a different platform, ensure that all the 

subdirectories are in the same hierarchical structure and relative path as in the 

original platform. 

Specifying Libraries 

You can specify the directory containing source files as a library that the Quartus II 

software searches when you compile your project. A Quartus II library is a directory 

containing your Quartus II project design files. You can specify the following libraries 

in the Quartus II software: 

■ Project libraries—Apply to a specific project 

■ Global libraries—Apply to all projects 

1 The project directory takes precedence over the project libraries. 

All files in your libraries are relative to the libraries. For example, if you specify the 

user_lib1 directory as a project library and you want to add the /user_lib1/foo1.v file 

to the library, you can specify the foo1.v file in the .qsf as foo1.v. The Quartus II 

software searches the file in directories that the Quartus II software specifies as 

libraries. 

h For more information about libraries , refer to Libraries Page (Settings Dialog Box) in 

Quartus Help. 

Specifying Project Libraries 

To specify project libraries from the GUI, on the Assignments menu, click Settings 

and select Libraries. Type the name of the directory in the Project Library name box, 

or browse to the name of the directory. The .qsf of the current revision stores project 

libraries. 

You can also specify project libraries in the Libraries page in the General category in 

the Options dialog box. 

Specifying Global Libraries 

To specify global libraries from the GUI, on the Tools menu, click Options and select 

Libraries. Type the name of the directory in the Global Library name box, or browse 

to the name of the directory. The quartus2.ini file stores global libraries. 

To specify libraries from the GUI, on the Assignments menu, click Settings and select 

Libraries. 

For Windows, the Quartus II software searches for the quartus2.ini file in the 

following directories and order: 

1. USERPROFILE, for example, C:\Documents and Settings\ 

2. Directory specified by the TMP environmental variable 

3. Directory specified by the TEMP environmental variable 

4. Root directory, for example, C:\ 

For Linux, the Quartus II software creates the file in the altera.quartus directory 

under the directory. 





1 If the altera.quartus directory does not exist, the Quartus II software creates the file in 

the directory. 

1 Whenever you specify a directory name in the GUI or in Tcl, the Quartus II software 

maintains the directory name you use in the .qsf rather than resolved to an absolute 

path. 

If the directory is outside of the project directory, the path returned in the dialog box is 

an absolute path. You can use the Browse button in either the Settings dialog box or 

the Options dialog box to select a directory. You can change the absolute path to a 

relative path by editing the absolute path displayed in the library name field to create 

a relative path before you click Add to put the directory in the Libraries list. 

Alternatively, you can also select from the Libraries list and double-click to edit the 

path. 

When copying projects that specify project libraries, you must either copy your 

project library files along with the project directory or ensure that your project library 

files exist in the target platform. 

Quartus II Search Path Precedence Rules 

If two files have the same file name, the Quartus II software’s search path precedence 

rules determine the found file. The Quartus II software resolves relative paths by 

searching for the file in the following directories and order: 

1. The project directory. 

2. The project’s database (db) directory. 

3. Project libraries are searched in the order specified by the SEARCH_PATH setting 

of the .qsf for the current revision. 

1 Altera recommends that you use the SEARCH_PATH assignment to define 

the project libraries. You can have multiple SEARCH_PATH assignments. 

However, you can specify only one source directory for each 

SEARCH_PATH assignment. For more information about SEARCH_PATH 

assignments, refer to Example 4–18 on page 4–19. 

4. Global user libraries are searched in the order specified by the SEARCH_PATH 

setting on the Global User Libraries page in the Options dialog box. 

5. The Quartus II software libraries directory, for example, 

\libraries. For more information about 

libraries, refer to “Specifying Libraries Using Scripts” on page 4–19. 





Quartus II-Generated Files for Third-Party EDA Tools 

The project archive and copy features in the Quartus II software do not include 

Quartus II generated files for third-party EDA tools such as: 

■ Verilog Output Files (.vo) 

■ VHDL Output Files (.vho) 

■ Standard Delay Format Output Files (.sdo) output netlist files 

■ Stamp model files 

■ PartMiner XML-Format Files (.xml) 

■ IBIS Output Files (.ibs) 

When you archive your design project, you can save the database in a 

version-compatible format during a full compilation and include the 

version-compatible database files in your project archive. 

1 Version-compatible databases may not be available for all device families because the 

archive does not include the compilation database. If you require the database files to 

reproduce the compilation results in the same Quartus II software version, you can 

use the command-line option to archive a full database. For more information, refer to 

“Archiving and Restoring Projects” on page 4–5. 

For more information about saving the database in a version-compatible format and 

archiving projects, refer to “Saving the Database in a Version-Compatible Format” on 

page 4–7 and “Archiving Projects” on page 4–17. 

To copy your project to another platform, you can regenerate the output netlist or 

output files by following these steps: 

1. Import the version-compatible database. For more information, refer to 

“Migrating to a New Version of the Quartus II Software” on page 4–7. 

2. From the Tools menu, run the TimeQuest analyzer. 

3. Run the EDA Netlist Writer. 

To restore your project, you can regenerate the output netlist or output files by 

performing the following steps: 

1. Restore your design project. For more information about restoring an archived 

project, refer to “Archiving and Restoring Projects” on page 4–5. 

2. Import the version-compatible database. For more information about migrating to 

a new version, refer to “Migrating to a New Version of the Quartus II Software” on 

page 4–7. 

3. From the Processing menu, run the TimeQuest analyzer. 

4. Run the EDA Netlist Writer. 

1 When you create version-compatible databases, you do not need to 

recompile your design as you move across platforms. 





Migrating Database Files Between Platforms 

There is nothing inherent in the file format and syntax of the exported 

version-compatible database files that might cause problems when migrating the files 

to other platforms. However, the contents of the database can cause problems for 

platform migration. For example, using the absolute paths in version-compatible 

database files generated by the Quartus II software can cause problems for migration. 

Altera recommends that you change the absolute paths to relative paths before 

migrating files whenever possible. 

Working with Messages 

The Quartus II software generates various types of messages, including Information, 

Warning, Extra Info, Critical Warning, and Error messages. Some messages include 

information about software status during a compilation and alert you to possible 

problems with your design. The Messages box in the Quartus II GUI displays 

messages, and these messages are written to stdout when you use command-line 

executables. In both cases, Quartus II report files write messages. 

You can right-click a message in the Message window to get help for the message, 

locate the source of the message of your design, and manage messages. 

Messages provide useful information if you take time to review them after each 

compilation. The following sections describe the Quartus II software features to help 

you manage messages. 

Messages Window 

The Messages window displays nine message tabs, enabling you to review all 

messages of a certain type. The Info, Extra Info, Warning, Critical Warning, and 

Error tabs display messages by type. 

h For more information about the Messages window and message tabs, refer to About 

the Messages Window in Quartus II Help. For more information about managing 

messages in the Messages window, refer to Managing Messages in the Messages Window 

in Quartus II Help. 

Message Suppression 

You can use message suppression to reduce the number of messages after a 

compilation by preventing individual messages and entire categories of messages 

from displaying. For example, if you review a particular message and determine that 

your design is not the cause of the message, you can suppress the message for 

subsequent compilations. Message suppression saves time because you see only new 

messages during subsequent compilations. 

Adding a suppressed message creates a suppression rule. Suppressing exact selected 

messages adds patterns that are exact strings to the suppression rules. Suppressing all 

similar messages adds patterns with wildcards to the suppression rules. 

Furthermore, you can suppress all messages of a particular type in a particular stage 

of the compilation flow. On the Tools menu, click Options. In the Category list, select 

Suppression in the Messages section. 





Suppressing individual messages is controlled in two locations in the Quartus II GUI. 

You can right-click on a message in the Messages window and choose commands in 

the Suppress sub-menu entry. To open the Message Suppression Manager, right-click 

in the Messages window. From the Suppress sub-menu, click Message Suppression 

Manager. For more information about the Message Suppression Manager, refer to 

“Message Suppression Manager” on page 4–15. 

Message Suppression Methods 

You can use the following methods to create suppression rules: 

■ Suppress Exact Selected Messages 

■ Suppress All Similar Messages 

■ Suppress All Flagged Messages 

If you suppress a message with the Suppress Exact Selected Messages option, the 

Quartus II software suppresses only messages that match the exact text during 

subsequent compilations. The Suppress All Similar Messages option behaves like a 

wildcard pattern on variable fields in messages and the Suppress All Flagged 

Messages option only suppresses flagged messages. 

Example 4–2 shows an example of suppressing common Info type of messages: 

Example 4–2. Example of Suppressing Common Info Type Message 

Info: Found 1 design units, including 1 entities, in source file mult.v. 

This Info type of message is common during synthesis. The Quartus II software 

displays the message for each processed source file with varying information about 

the number of design units, entities, and source file name. 

Example 4–3 shows an example of this message in Help: 

Example 4–3. Example of Suppressing Common Info Type Message 

Found design units, including entities, in source file . 

Choosing to suppress all similar messages effectively replaces the variable parts of 

that message (, , and ) with wildcards. 

Example 4–4 shows the suppression rule to suppress common Info type of messages: 

Example 4–4. Suppression Rule to Suppress Common Info Type of Messages 

Info: Found * design units, including * entities, in source file *. 

The Quartus II software suppresses all messages that match the pattern. 




Managing Projects in a Team-Based Design Environment 

Message Suppression Details and Limitations 

The following rules describe which messages that you can suppress and how to 

suppress them: 

■ You cannot suppress error messages or messages with information about Altera 

legal agreements. 

■ Suppressing a message also suppresses all its submessages, if any. 

■ Suppressing a submessage causes the Quartus II software to suppress matching 

submessages only if the parent messages are the same. 

■ You cannot create your own custom wildcards to suppress messages. 

■ You must use the Quartus II GUI to manage message suppression, including 

choosing messages to suppress. The Quartus II software surpresses these 

messages during compilation in the GUI and when using command-line 

executables. 

■ The Quartus II software surpresses the messages on a per-revision basis, not for an 

entire project. The Quartus II software stores information about which messages to 

suppress in a file called .srf. If you create a revision based on a 

suppressed messages revision, the Quartus II software copies the suppression 

rules file to the new revision. You cannot make all revisions in one project using 

the same suppression rules file. 

■ You cannot remove messages or modify message suppression rules while a 

compilation is running. 

Message Suppression Manager 

You can use the Message Suppression Manager to view and suppress messages, view 

and delete suppression rules, and view suppressed messages. The Message 

Suppression Manager has three tabs labeled Suppressible Messages, Suppression 

Rules, and Suppressed Messages. 

h For more information about the Message Suppression Manager, refer to About Message 

Suppression in Quartus II Help. 

Managing Projects in a Team-Based Design Environment 

The Quartus II software provides several methods to help you manage efficient 

design coordination across multiple designers and design iterations. You can use the 

following features to preserve and track project changes: 

■ Creating Revisions 

■ Managing Different Design Versions 

■ Creating Version-Compatible Databases 

■ Archiving Projects 

h For more information about creating revisions, managing different design versions, 

creating version-compatible databases, and archiving projects in a team-based design 

environment, refer to About Project Management in Quartus II Help. 




Scripting Support 

The Quartus II software supports top-down incremental compilation flows. With 

top-down compilation, one designer or project lead compiles the entire design in the 

software. Different designers or IP providers can design and verify different parts of 

the design, and the project lead can add design entities to the project as they are 

completed. However, the project lead compiles and optimizes the top-level project as 

a whole. Completed parts of the design can have fitting results and performance fixed 

as other parts of the design change. 

f For more information about incremental compilation for team-based design, refer to 

the Quartus II Incremental Compilation for Hierarchical and Team-Based Design chapter in 

volume 1 of the Quartus II Handbook. For more information about best practices for 

incremental compilation partitions and floorplan assignments, refer to Best Practices 

for Incremental Compilation Partitions and Floorplan Assignments chapter in volume 1 of 

the Quartus II Handbook. 


You can run procedures and create settings described in this chapter in a Tcl script. 

You can also run some procedures at a command prompt. For more information about 

scripting command options, refer to the Quartus II Command-Line and Tcl API Help 

browser. 

Example 4–5 shows the command to run the Help browser: 

Example 4–5. Command to Run the Help Browser 

quartus_sh --qhelp r 

Managing Revisions 

You can use the following commands to create and manage revisions. For more 

information about managing revisions, including creating and deleting revisions, 

setting the current revision, and getting a list of revisions, refer to “Creating 

Revisions” on page 4–4. 

Creating Revisions 

The -based_on and -set_current options are optional. You can also use 

-copy_results option to copy results from the “based_on” revision. 

Example 4–6 shows a Tcl command to create a new revision called speed_ch, based on 

a revision called chiptrip, and sets the new revision as the current revision: 

Example 4–6. Creating Revisions Command 

create_revision speed_ch -based_on chiptrip -set_current 

Setting the Current Revision 

The -force option enables you to open the revision that you specify under revision 

name and overwrite the compilation database if the database version is incompatible. 





Example 4–7 shows the Tcl command to specify the current revision: 

Example 4–7. Specifying the Current Revision Command 

set_current_revision -force 

Getting a List of Revisions 

Example 4–8 shows the Tcl command to get a list of revisions in the opened project: 

Example 4–8. Getting a List of Revisions in an Opened Project Command 

get_project_revisions 

Deleting Revisions 

Example 4–9 shows the Tcl command to delete a revision: 

Example 4–9. Deleting a Revision Command 

delete_revision 

Archiving Projects 

You can archive projects with a Tcl command or a command run at the system 

command prompt. 

Example 4–10 shows the Tcl command to create a project archive with the default 

settings, overwriting the existing specified archived file: 

Example 4–10. Creating a Project Archive with the Default Settings Command 

project_archive archive.qar -overwrite r 

You can change default settings with the project_archive command with options 

such as: 

■ -all_revisions 

■ -include_libraries 

■ -include_outputs 

■ -use_file_set 

■ -version_compatible_database 

1 For new device families, a version-compatible database might not be available 

because the archive does not include the compilation database. If you require the 

database files to reproduce the compilation results in the same Quartus II software 

version, you can use the -use_file_set full_db command-line option to archive a 

full database. For more information, refer to “Archiving and Restoring Projects” on 

page 4–5. 





Example 4–11 shows the command to create a project archive called top: 

Example 4–11. Creating a Project Archive Command 

quartus_sh --archive top r 

You can overwrite the existing archive file with the -overwrite option. 

The VERILOG_INCLUDE_FILE assignment allows you to add a file into your project; 

however, the VERILOG_INCLUDE_FILE assignment adds the file for archiving 

purposes only and has no impact on compilation. The VERILOG_INCLUDE_FILE and 

VERILOG_FILE are two different assignments. A syntax error occurs if you use the 

VERILOG_FILE assignment to add a file. 

f For more information, refer to the Quartus II Integrated Synthesis chapter in volume 1 

of the Quartus II Handbook. 

Restoring Archived Projects 

You can restore archived projects with a Tcl command or with a command run at a 

command prompt. For more information about restoring archived projects, refer to 

“Archiving and Restoring Projects” on page 4–5. 

Example 4–12 shows the Tcl command to restore the project archive named 

archive.qar in the restored subdirectory and overwrite existing files: 

Example 4–12. Restoring a Project Archive Command 

project_restore archive.qar -destination restored -overwrite r 

Example 4–13 shows the command to restore a project archive: 

Example 4–13. Restoring a Project Archive Command 

quartus_sh --restore archive.qar r 

Importing and Exporting Version-Compatible Databases 

You can import and export version-compatible databases with either a Tcl command 

or a command run at a command prompt. For more information about importing and 

exporting version-compatible databases, refer to “Exporting and Importing 

Version-Compatible Database Files” on page 4–6. 

1 The flow and database_manager packages contain commands to manage 

version-compatible databases. 

Example 4–14 shows the Tcl command to import or export version-compatible 

databases from the database_manager package. 

Example 4–14. Importing and Exporting Version-Compatible Databases Command 

export_database r 

import_database r 





Example 4–15 shows the Tcl commands from the flow package to import or export 

version-compatible databases. If you use the flow package, you must specify the 

database directory variable name. 

Example 4–15. Importing and Exporting Version-Compatible Databases from the flow Package 

Command 

set_global_assignment -name VER_COMPATIBLE_DB_DIR 

execute_flow –flow export_database 

execute_flow –flow import_database 

Example 4–16 shows the Tcl commands to generate version-compatible databases 

after every compilation. 

Example 4–16. Generating Version-Compatible Databases After Every Compilation Command 

set_global_assignment -name AUTO_EXPORT_VER_COMPATIBLE_DB ON 

set_global_assignment-name VER_COMPATIBLE_DB_DIR 

Example 4–17 shows the quartus_cdb and the quartus_sh executables to manage 

version-compatible databases: 

Example 4–17. quartus_cdb and quartus_sh Executable 

quartus_cdb -c --export_database= r 

quartus_cdb -c --import_database=r 

quartus_sh –flow export_database -c \ r 

quartus_sh –flow import_database -c \ r 

Specifying Libraries Using Scripts 

In Tcl, use commands in the ::quartus::project package to specify project libraries. 

To specify project libraries, use the set_global_assignment command. 

Example 4–18 shows the typical usage of the set_global_assignment command: 

Example 4–18. Commands to Specify Project Libraries Using the SEARCH_PATH Assignment 

set_global_assignment -name SEARCH_PATH "../other_dir/library1" 



To report any project libraries specified for a project and any global libraries specified 

for the current installation of the Quartus II software, use the get_global_assignment 

and get_user_option Tcl commands. 

Example 4–19 shows that the Tcl script outputs the user paths and global libraries for 

an open Quartus II project: 

Example 4–19. Commands to Report Specified Project Libraries 

get_global_assignment -name SEARCH_PATH 

get_user_option -name SEARCH_PATH 




Conclusion 

Conclusion 

f For more information about Tcl scripting, refer to the Tcl Scripting chapter in volume 2 

of the Quartus II Handbook. For more information about all settings and constraints in 

the Quartus II software, refer to the Quartus II Settings File Manual. For more 

information about command-line scripting, refer to the Command-Line Scripting 

chapter in volume 2 of the Quartus II Handbook. 

h For more information about Tcl scripting, refer to the API Functions for Tcl in 

Quartus II Help. 

Designers often try different settings and versions of their designs throughout the 

development process. The Quartus II project revisions facilitate the creation and 

management of different assignments and settings. Project archives are useful to save 

your results, or pass designs between different members of a team. In addition, 

understanding how to migrate your projects from one computing platform to another, 

controlling messages, and reducing compilation time are important as well. The 

Quartus II software facilitates efficient management of your design to accommodate 

today’s sophisticated FPGA designs. 

Document Revision History 

Table 4–1 shows the revision history for this chapter. 

Table 4–1. Document Revision History (Part 1 of 2) 

Date Version Changes 

■ Removed survey link. 

June 2012 12.0.0 ■ Updated the “Scripting Support” on page 4–16 to add information about 

VERILOG_INCLUDE_FILE. 

November 2011 10.1.1 Template update. 

December 2010 10.1.0 

July 2010 10.0.0 

■ Changed to new document template. 

■ Removed Figure 4–1, Figure 4–6, Table 4–2. 

■ Moved “Hiding Messages” to Help. Moved information in “Message Suppression 

Manager” on page 4–15 to Help. 

■ Removed references about the set_user_option command in “Specifying Libraries 

Using Scripts” on page 4–19. 

■ Removed Classic Timing Analyzer references. 

■ Major reorganization done to this chapter. 

■ Updated “Working with Messages” on page 4–17. Added a link to Help. Removed 

Figure 4–2 on page 4–7, Figure 4–11 on page 23, and Figure 4–12 on page. 

■ Updated “Specifying Libraries” on page 4–14 section. Changed “User Libraries” to 

“Libraries”. Removed “Reducing Compilation Time” on page 4–26. 

■ Added “Managing Projects in a Team-Based Design Environment” on page 4–22 and “File 

Association” on page 4–2. 

■ Updated Figure 4–1 on page 4–6, Figure 4–2 on page 4–8, Figure 4–6 on page 4–18, 

Figure 4–6 on page 4–19, and Figure 4–7 on page 4–21. 





Table 4–1. Document Revision History (Part 2 of 2) 

Date Version Changes 

■ Updated “Creating a New Project” on page 4–4, “Archiving a Project” on page 4–9, 

“Restoring an Archived Project” on page 4–11. 

November 2009 9.1.0 ■ Added “Quartus II Text Editor” on page 4–2, “Reducing Compilation Time” on page 4–32. 

■ Updated Table 4–1 on page 4–10, Table 4–2 on page 4–20. 

■ Updated Figure 4–4 on page 4–9, Figure 4–7 on page 4–19. 

April 2009 9.0.0 Updated to fix “Document Revision History” for version 9.0.0. 

March 2009 9.0.0 

■ Updated “Managing Quartus II Projects” on page 4–1, “Creating a New Project” on 

page 4–2, “Using Revisions with Your Design” on page 4–3, “Creating and Deleting 

Revisions” on page 4–4, “Creating New Copies of Your Design” on page 4–6, “Version- 

Compatible Databases” on page 4–11, “Quartus II Project Platform Migration” on 

page 4–12, “Filenames and Hierarchies” on page 4–12, “Quartus II Search Path 

Precedence Rules” on page 4–15, “Quartus II-Generated Files for Third-Party EDA Tools” 

on page 4–15, “Migrating Database Files between Platforms” on page 4–16, “Message 

Suppression” on page 4–20, “Quartus II Settings File” on page 4–24, “Quartus II Default 

Settings File” on page 4–25, “Managing Revisions” on page 4–26, “Archiving Projects” 

on page 4–26 and “Archiving Projects with the Quartus II Archive Project Feature” on 

page 4–7, “Importing and Exporting Version-Compatible Databases” on page 4–27, 

“Specifying Libraries Using Scripts” on page 4–28, “Conclusion” on page 4–30. 

■ Updated Figure 4–1, Figure 4–7, Figure 4–8, and Figure 4–11. 

■ Updated Table 4–1 and Table 4–2. 

■ Updated Example 4–3, Example 4–4, Example 4–5, and Example 4–6. 

f For previous versions of the Quartus II Handbook, refer to the Quartus II Handbook 

Archive.

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