Forum Discussion
New ContributorIs there any way to script the creation of a signal tap instance?
I have been trying to see if it is possible to create a signal tap instance using a scripted approach. For example, create an instance, add some signals from the design using wildcards, setup triggers etc. But I can't seem to find an API for this - does it exist?
I have seen that there are scripting APIs for interacting to an existing running signal tap instance, but that isn't what I'm looking for.
I could script the creation of a "signal tap logic analyser" IP instance and then instantiate that in HDL code in my design. However that seems quite heavy - adding it do different parts of the design becomes cumbersome and I don't want to keep them in my codebase.
The use case is I want to have a collection of debugging nodes that I can conditionally insert and quickly change the configuration of, without cluttering my main RTL.
Thanks!
6 Replies
PixelPusherWhat are the benefits of that? Improved compilation speed?
I can selectively include different .stp in the project which I think achieves the same thing?
KennyT_alteraSuper Contributor
The main benefit of using reusable debug partitions is that you can keep the Signal Tap logic isolated and swap it in or out without touching the main RTL. With partition reuse, unchanged logic may also avoid recompilation.
That said, if your main goal is simply to share and version-control different debug setups, using multiple pre-created .stp files should work just as well. There still isn’t a documented API to generate the .stp configuration automatically.
sstrellThe latter: put Signal Tap in a reusable design block and make multiple design blocks that you can basically just swap in and out.
As mentioned, you can't set up the .stp file without using the GUI.
- PixelPusher
Thanks for the suggestion.
I have looked at the user guide and example designs for block design with signal tap. Is this the flow you meant?- Create a design partition around the piece of logic you want to debug
- Use the CREATE_PARTITION_BOUNDARY_PORTS qsf assignment to select ports you want to export, which could be nested deep in the partition hierarchy
- Connect signal tap:
- Create a signal tap instance in the UI and connect to the exported nodes OR
- Create a signal tap HDL instance and connect it to the ports of partition, then generate an stp file from `quartus_stp top --create_signaltap_hdl_file` ...
Or are you referring to creating signal tap instances within a separate design partitions to the logic you want to debug, and then conditionally including those design partitions?
I am trying to avoid using the GUI to create the signal tap files, because it's slow and harder to share with coworkers, recreate and source control etc. Perhaps there is a route forward with CREATE_PARTITION_BOUNDARY_PORTS alongside using the signal tap HDL instance. Is that a workflow you recommend?
- KennyT_altera
No, there is no documented public API to script creation of a Signal Tap instance itself, such as creating an STP, adding signals by wildcard, or defining triggers from scratch.
Sstrell provide the right recommended approach in Quartus Pro, which is block-based design using design partitions. You can keep debug logic in a separate partition and use partition reuse / empty partitions to include or remove it without cluttering the main RTL.
- sstrell
You may want to look at a block-based design approach, creating reusable design partitions that include Signal Tap instances. There's a user guide all about doing this in Pro:
https://docs.altera.com/r/docs/683247/current
