Forum Discussion

Altera_Forum's avatar
Altera_Forum
Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
12 years ago

System console TCL API

Is it possible to interface to system console via TCL API from external apps (e.g. GUI based C++ app)? Are their any tutorials?

8 Replies

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor

    --- Quote Start ---

    Is it possible to interface to system console via TCL API from external apps (e.g. GUI based C++ app)? Are their any tutorials?

    --- Quote End ---

    No, it is not possible to use Tcl API to create your own applications. If I understand it's structure correctly, System Console is actually a Java application with embedded Tcl interpreter.

    If you wish to use functionality that System Console provides, you are basically stuck using traditional IPC methods between your System Console TCL script and your external application, like the TCP/IP method Dave mentioned.

    Depending on your GUI application requirements (maybe you are starting from scratch and don't have to do that much), you can use the dashboard API's. I have used it to produce diagnostic interfaces for lab technicians to use, for example.

    http://www.altera.com/education/demonstrations/qsys/system-console/system-console-demo.html
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor

    What's the difference between system console and virtual JTAG? Why not use virtual jtag to debug your design?

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor

    --- Quote Start ---

    Virtual JTAG is a component

    http://www.altera.com/literature/ug/ug_virtualjtag.pdf

    System Console is software that allows you to communicate via JTAG, eg., you can use System Console to communicate with SLD JTAG components.

    Cheers,

    Dave

    --- Quote End ---

    As czeh's post, i can use tcl-tk communicate with virtual jtag and use it to debug my fpga design. Also i can use VJ to test my fpga design,eg.. i can send data to fpga, and can read data from fpga for offline analyzing. As attahced shows, i have designed one debug station used for my current designs debugging and testing.
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor

    I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think tcl-tk is available for the Web edition of Quartus... I could be mistaken. (TCL yes, but not tk last time I checked).

    Anyhow, I personally prefer to use something like VB or Python (w/ wxWidgets) for a little more modern looking UI and a more robust/powerful IDE.
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor

    Following up: I just tried using TCL/TK in Quartus Web edition and it seems to work fine. I just used the sample code found if you run this command in the TCL Console:

    init_tk -long_help