ModelSim

Advanced Verification and Debugging

SE
Tutorial
Version 6.0b

Published: November 15, 2004

T-2

This document is for information and instruction purposes. Mentor Graphics reserves the right to make changes in
specifications and other information contained in this publication without prior notice, and the reader should, in all cases,
consult Mentor Graphics to determine whether any changes have been made.
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 T-3

Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-5

Lesson 1 - ModelSim conceptual overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-11

Lesson 2 - Basic simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-19

Lesson 3 - ModelSim projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-31

Lesson 4 - Working with multiple libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-41

Lesson 5 - Simulating designs with SystemC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-51

Lesson 6 - Viewing simulations in the Wave window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-65

Lesson 7 - Creating stimulus with Waveform Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-75

Lesson 8 - Debugging with the Dataflow window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-89

Lesson 9 - Viewing and initializing memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-99

Lesson 10 - Analyzing performance with the Profiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-113

Lesson 11 - Simulating with Code Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-123

Lesson 12 - Debugging with PSL assertions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-135

Lesson 13 - Waveform Compare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T-147

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T-4

Lesson 14 - Automating ModelSim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-159

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-175

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 T-5

Introduction

Topics
The following topics are covered in this chapter:

Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-6

Where to find our documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-7

Technical support and updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-8

Before you begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-9
Example designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-9

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T-6 Introduction

Assumptions
We assume that you are familiar with the use of your operating system. You should be familiar with the window management
functions of your graphic interface: either OpenWindows, OSF/Motif, CDE, KDE, GNOME, or Microsoft Windows 98/Me/NT/
2000/XP.
We also assume that you have a working knowledge of VHDL, Verilog, and/or SystemC. Although ModelSim is an excellent tool
to use while learning HDL concepts and practices, this document is not written to support that goal.

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 Where to find our documentation T-7

Where to find our documentation

ModelSim documentation is available from our website at www.model.com/support or in the following formats and locations:

Document Format How to get it

ModelSim Installation & paper shipped with ModelSim
Licensing Guide
PDF select Help > Documentation; also available from the Support
page of our web site: www.model.com

ModelSim Quick Guide paper shipped with ModelSim

(command and feature
quick-reference) PDF select Help > Documentation, also available from the Support
page of our web site: www.model.com

ModelSim Tutorial PDF, HTML select Help > Documentation; also available from the Support
page of our web site: www.model.com

ModelSim Users Manual PDF, HTML select Help > Documentation

ModelSim Command PDF, HTML select Help > Documentation

Reference

ModelSim GUI Reference PDF, HTML select Help > Documentation

Foreign Language PDF, HTML select Help > Documentation

Interface Reference

Std_DevelopersKit Users PDF www.model.com/support/documentation/BOOK/sdk_um.pdf

Manual
The Standard Developers Kit is for use with Mentor Graphics
QuickHDL.

Command Help ASCII type help [command name] at the prompt in the Transcript pane

Error message help ASCII type verror <msgNum> at the Transcript or shell prompt

Tcl Man Pages (Tcl HTML select Help > Tcl Man Pages, or find contents.htm in
manual) \modeltech\docs\tcl_help_html
Technotes HTML select Technotes dropdown on www.model.com/support

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T-8 Introduction

Technical support and updates

Support
Model Technology online and email technical support options, maintenance renewal, and links to international support
contacts:
www.model.com/support/default.asp
Mentor Graphics support:
www.mentor.com/supportnet

Updates
Access to the most current version of ModelSim:
www.model.com/downloads/default.asp

Latest version email

Place your name on our list for email notification of news and updates:
www.model.com/products/informant.asp

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 Before you begin T-9

Before you begin

Preparation for some of the lessons leaves certain details up to you. You will decide the best way to create directories, copy files,
and execute programs within your operating system. (When you are operating the simulator within ModelSims GUI, the interface
is consistent for all platforms.)
Examples show Windows path separators - use separators appropriate for your operating system when trying the examples.

Example designs
ModelSim comes with Verilog and VHDL versions of the designs used in these lessons. This allows you to do the tutorial
regardless of which license type you have. Though we have tried to minimize the differences between the Verilog and VHDL
versions, we could not do so in all cases. In cases where the designs differ (e.g., line numbers or syntax), you will find language-
specific instructions. Follow the instructions that are appropriate for the language that you are using.

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T-10 Introduction

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 T-11

Lesson 1 - ModelSim conceptual overview

Topics
The following topics are covered in this chapter:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-12

Basic simulation flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-13

Creating the working library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-13
Compiling your design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-13
Running the simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-13
Debugging your results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-14

Project flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-15

Multiple library flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-16

Debugging tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-17

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T-12 Lesson 1 - ModelSim conceptual overview

Introduction
ModelSim is a simulation and debugging tool for VHDL, Verilog, SystemC, and mixed-language designs.
This lesson provides a brief conceptual overview of the ModelSim simulation environment. It is divided into four topics, which
you will learn more about in subsequent lessons:

Topic Additional information and

practice

Basic simulation flow Lesson 2 - Basic simulation

Project flow Lesson 3 - ModelSim projects

Multiple library flow Lesson 4 - Working with multiple

libraries

Debugging tools Remaining lessons

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 Basic simulation flow T-13

Basic simulation flow

The following diagram shows the basic steps for simulating a design in ModelSim.

Create a working library

Compile design files

Run simulation

Debug results

Creating the working library

In ModelSim, all designs, be they VHDL, Verilog, SystemC, or some combination thereof, are compiled into a library. You
typically start a new simulation in ModelSim by creating a working library called "work". "Work" is the library name used by the
compiler as the default destination for compiled design units.

Compiling your design

After creating the working library, you compile your design units into it. The ModelSim library format is compatible across all
supported platforms. You can simulate your design on any platform without having to recompile your design.

Running the simulation

With the design compiled, you invoke the simulator on a top-level module (Verilog) or a configuration or entity/architecture pair
(VHDL). Assuming the design loads successfully, the simulation time is set to zero, and you enter a run command to begin
simulation.

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T-14 Lesson 1 - ModelSim conceptual overview

Debugging your results

If you dont get the results you expect, you can use ModelSims robust debugging environment to track down the cause of the
problem.

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 Project flow T-15

Project flow
A project is a collection mechanism for an HDL design under specification or test. Even though you dont have to use projects in
ModelSim, they may ease interaction with the tool and are useful for organizing files and specifying simulation settings.
The following diagram shows the basic steps for simulating a design within a ModelSim project.

Create a project

Add files to the project

Compile design files

Run simulation

Debug results

As you can see, the flow is similar to the basic simulation flow. However, there are two important differences:
You do not have to create a working library in the project flow; it is done for you automatically.
Projects are persistent. In other words, they will open every time you invoke ModelSim unless you specifically close them.

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T-16 Lesson 1 - ModelSim conceptual overview

Multiple library flow

ModelSim uses libraries in two ways: 1) as a local working library that contains the compiled version of your design; 2) as a
resource library. The contents of your working library will change as you update your design and recompile. A resource library
is typically static and serves as a parts source for your design. You can create your own resource libraries, or they may be supplied
by another design team or a third party (e.g., a silicon vendor).
You specify which resource libraries will be used when the design is compiled, and there are rules to specify in which order they
are searched. A common example of using both a working library and a resource library is one where your gate-level design and
testbench are compiled into the working library, and the design references gate-level models in a separate resource library.
The diagram below shows the basic steps for simulating with multiple libraries.

Create a working library

Compile design files

Link to resource libraries

Run simulation

Debug results

You can also link to resource libraries from within a project. If you are using a project, you would replace the first step above with
these two steps: create the project and add the testbench to the project.

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 Debugging tools T-17

Debugging tools
ModelSim offers numerous tools for debugging and analyzing your design. Several of these tools are covered in subsequent
lessons, including:
Setting breakpoints and stepping through the source code
Viewing waveforms and measuring time
Exploring the "physical" connectivity of your design
Viewing and initializing memories
Analyzing simulation performance
Testing code coverage
Comparing waveforms

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T-18 Lesson 1 - ModelSim conceptual overview

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 T-19

Lesson 2 - Basic simulation

Topics
The following topics are covered in this lesson:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-20
Design files for this lesson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-20
Related reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-20

Creating the working design library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-21

Compiling the design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-23

Loading the design into the simulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-24

Running the simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-25

Setting breakpoints and stepping in the Source window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-27

Lesson wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-29

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T-20 Lesson 2 - Basic simulation

Introduction
In this lesson you will go step-by-step through the basic simulation flow:

Create a working library

Compile design units

Run simulation

Debug results

Design files for this lesson

The sample design for this lesson is a simple 8-bit, binary up-counter with an
associated testbench. The pathnames are as follows:
Verilog <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/counter.v and tcounter.v
VHDL <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/counter.vhd and tcounter.vhd
This lesson uses the Verilog files counter.v and tcounter.v in the examples. If you
have a VHDL license, use counter.vhd and tcounter.vhd instead. Or, if you have
a mixed license, feel free to use the Verilog testbench with the VHDL counter or
vice versa.

Related reading
ModelSim Users Manual Chapter 3 - Design libraries (UM-57), Chapter 5 -
Verilog simulation (UM-111), Chapter 4 - VHDL simulation (UM-71)
ModelSim Command Reference (vlib (CR-356), vmap (CR-370), vlog (CR-358),
vcom (CR-311), vopt (CR-371), view (CR-332), and right (CR-250) commands)

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 Creating the working design library T-21

Creating the working design library Figure 1: The Welcome to ModelSim dialog

Before you can simulate a design, you must first create a library and compile the
source code into that library.

1 Create a new directory and copy the tutorial files into it.
Start by creating a new directory for this exercise (in case other users will be
working with these lessons).
Verilog: Copy counter.v and tcounter.v files from /<install_dir>/examples
to the new directory.
VHDL: Copy counter.vhd and tcounter.vhd files from /<install_dir>/
examples to the new directory.

2 Start ModelSim if necessary.

a Type vsim at a UNIX shell prompt or use the ModelSim icon in
Windows.
Upon opening ModelSim for the first time, you will see the Welcome to
ModelSim dialog (Figure 1). Click Close.
b Select File > Change Directory and change to the directory you created
in step 1. Figure 2: The Create a New Library dialog
3 Create the working library.
a Select File > New > Library.
This opens a dialog where you specify physical and logical names for the
library (Figure 2). You can create a new library or map to an existing
library. Well be doing the former.
b Type work in the Library Name field if it isnt entered automatically.
3b

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T-22 Lesson 2 - Basic simulation

c Click OK. Figure 3: The newly created work library

ModelSim creates a directory called work and writes a specially-
formatted file named _info into that directory. The _info file must remain
in the directory to distinguish it as a ModelSim library. Do not edit the
folder contents from your operating system; all changes should be made
from within ModelSim.
ModelSim also adds the library to the list in the Workspace (Figure 3)
and records the library mapping for future reference in the ModelSim
initialization file (modelsim.ini).
When you pressed OK in step c above, three lines were printed to the Main
window Transcript pane:
vlib work
vmap work work
# Modifying modelsim.ini

The first two lines are the command-line equivalent of the menu commands you
invoked. Most menu driven functions will echo their command-line equivalents in
this fashion. The third line notifies you that the mapping has been recorded in the
ModelSim initialization file.

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 Compiling the design T-23

Compiling the design Figure 4: The Compile HDL Source Files dialog

With the working library created, you are ready to compile your source files.
You can compile by using the menus and dialogs of the graphic interface, as in the
Verilog example below, or by entering a command at the ModelSim> prompt as
in the VHDL example below.

1 Verilog: Compile counter.v and tcounter.v.

a Select Compile > Compile.
This opens the Compile Source Files dialog (Figure 4).
If the Compile menu option is not available, you probably have a project
open. If so, close the project by selecting File > Close when the
Workspace pane is selected.
b Select counter.v, hold the <Ctrl> key down, and then select tcounter.v.
c With the two files selected, click Compile.
The files are compiled into the work library.
d Click Done. Figure 5: Verilog modules compiled into the work library

VHDL: Compile counter.vhd and tcounter.vhd.

a Type vcom counter.vhd tcounter.vhd at the ModelSim> prompt and
press <Enter> on your keyboard.

2 View the compiled design units.

a On the Library tab, click the + icon next to the work library and you will
see two design units (Figure 5). You can also see their types (Modules,
Entities, etc.) and the path to the underlying source files if you scroll to
the right.

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T-24 Lesson 2 - Basic simulation

Loading the design into the simulator Figure 6: Loading the design with the Start Simulation dialog

1 Load the test_counter module into the simulator.

a Double-click test_counter in the Main window Workspace to load the
design.
You can also load the design by selecting Simulate > Start Simulation
in the menu bar. This opens the Start Simulation dialog. With the Design
tab selected, click the + sign next to the work library to see the counter
and test_counter modules. Select the test_counter module and click OK
(Figure 6).
When the design is loaded, you will see a new tab named sim that
displays the hierarchical structure of the design (Figure 7). You can
navigate within the hierarchy by clicking on any line with a + (expand)
or - (contract) icon. You will also see a tab named Files that displays
all files included in the design.

Figure 7: Workspace tab showing a Verilog design

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 Running the simulation T-25

Running the simulation Figure 8: Adding signals to the Wave window

Now you will run the simulation.

1 Set the graphic user interface to view all debugging windows.

a Select View > Debug Windows > All Windows.
This opens all ModelSim windows, giving you different views of your
design data and a variety of debugging tools. Most windows will open as
panes within the Main window. The Dataflow, List, and Wave windows
will open as separate windows. You may need to move or resize the 2c
windows to your liking. Panes within the Main window can be undocked
to stand alone.

2 Add signals to the Wave window.

a In the Workspace pane, select the sim tab.
b Right-click test_counter to open a popup context menu.
c Select Add > Add to Wave (Figure 8).
Three signals are added to the Wave window.

3 Run the simulation. Figure 9: Waves being drawn in the Wave window
a Click the Run icon in the Main or Wave window toolbar.
The simulation runs for 100 ns (the default simulation length)
and waves are drawn in the Wave window.
b Type run 500 at the VSIM> prompt in the Main window.
The simulation advances another 500 ns for a total of 600 ns (Figure 9).

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T-26 Lesson 2 - Basic simulation

c Click the Run -All icon on the Main or Wave window toolbar.
The simulation continues running until you execute a break
command or it hits a statement in your code (e.g., a Verilog
$stop statement) that halts the simulation.
d Click the Break icon.
The simulation stops running.

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 Setting breakpoints and stepping in the Source window T-27

Setting breakpoints and stepping in the Figure 10: A breakpoint in the Source window

Source window
Next you will take a brief look at one interactive debugging feature of the
ModelSim environment. You will set a breakpoint in the Source window, run the
simulation, and then step through the design under test. Breakpoints can be set
only on lines with red line numbers.

1 Open counter.v in the Source window.

a Select the Files tab in the Main window Workspace.
b Double-click counter.v to add it to the Source window.

2 Set a breakpoint on line 31 of counter.v (if you are simulating the VHDL files,
use line 30 instead).
a Scroll to line 31 and click on the line number.
A red ball appears next to the line (Figure 10) indicating that a breakpoint
has been set. Figure 11: The Restart dialog

3 Disable, enable, and delete the breakpoint.

a Click the red ball to disable the breakpoint. It will become a black circle.
b Click the black circle to re-enable the breakpoint. It will become a red
ball.
c Click the red ball with your right mouse button and select Remove
Breakpoint 31.
d Click on line number 31 again to re-create the breakpoint.

4 Restart the simulation.

a Click the Restart icon to reload the design elements and reset
the simulation time to zero.
The Restart dialog that appears gives you options on what to
retain during the restart (Figure 11).
b Click Restart in the Restart dialog.

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T-28 Lesson 2 - Basic simulation

c Click the Run -All icon. Figure 12: Resting the mouse pointer on a variable in the Source view
The simulation runs until the breakpoint is hit. When the
simulation hits the breakpoint, it stops running, highlights the
line with a blue arrow in the Source view (Figure 12), and issues a Break
message in the Transcript pane.
When a breakpoint is reached, typically you want to know one or more
signal values. You have several options for checking values:
look at the values shown in the Objects window (Figure 13).
set your mouse pointer over the count variable in the Source
window, and a "balloon" will pop up with the value (Figure 12)
highlight the count variable in the Source window, right-click it, and
select Examine from the pop-up menu
use the examine command to output the value to the Main window
Transcript (i.e., examine count)

5 Try out the step commands.

a Click the Step icon on the Main window toolbar.
This single-steps the debugger. Figure 13: Values shown in the Objects window

Experiment on your own. Set and clear breakpoints and use the
Step, Step Over, and Continue Run commands until you feel comfortable
with their operation.

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 Lesson wrap-up T-29

Lesson wrap-up
This concludes this lesson. Before continuing we need to end the current
simulation.

1 Select Simulate > End Simulation.

2 Click Yes when prompted to confirm that you wish to quit simulating.

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T-30 Lesson 2 - Basic simulation

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 T-31

Lesson 3 - ModelSim projects

Topics
The following topics are covered in this lesson:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-32
Related reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-32

Creating a new project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-33

Adding objects to the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-34
Changing compile order (VHDL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-35

Compiling and loading a design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-36

Organizing projects with folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-37

Adding folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-37
Moving files to folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-38

Simulation Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-39

Lesson wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-40

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T-32 Lesson 3 - ModelSim projects

Introduction
In this lesson you will practice creating a project. At a minimum, projects have a
work library and a session state that is stored in a .mpf file. A project may also
consist of:
HDL source files or references to source files
other files such as READMEs or other project documentation
local libraries
references to global libraries
This lesson uses the Verilog files tcounter.v and counter.v in the examples. If you
have a VHDL license, use tcounter.vhd and counter.vhd instead.

Related reading
ModelSim Users Manual, Chapter 2 - Projects (UM-37)

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 Creating a new project T-33

Creating a new project Figure 14: The Create Project dialog

1 If you just finished the previous lesson, ModelSim should already be running.
If not, start ModelSim.
2b
a Type vsim at a UNIX shell prompt or use the ModelSim icon in
Windows.
2c
2 Create a new project.
a Select Create a Project from the Welcome dialog or File > New >
Project (Main window) from the menu bar.
2d
This opens a dialog where you enter a Project Name, Project Location
(i.e., directory), and Default Library Name (Figure 14). The default
library is where compiled design units will reside.
b Type test in the Project Name field.
c Click Browse to select a directory where the project file will be stored.
d Leave the Default Library Name set to work.
e Click OK.
If you see the Select Initial Ini dialog, asking which modelsim.ini file you
would like the project to be created from, select the Use Default Ini
button.

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T-34 Lesson 3 - ModelSim projects

Adding objects to the project Figure 15: Adding new items to a project

Once you click OK to accept the new project settings, you will see a blank Project
tab in the workspace area of the Main window and the Add items to the Project
dialog will appear (Figure 15). From this dialog you can create a new design file,
add an existing file, add a folder for organization purposes, or create a simulation
configuration (discussed below).

1 Add two existing files.

a Click Add Existing File.
This opens the Add file to Project dialog (Figure 16). This dialog lets you
browse to find files, specify the file type, specify which folder to add the
file to, and identify whether to leave the file in its current location or to
copy it to the project directory.
b Click Browse.
c Open the examples directory in your ModelSim installation tree.
d Verilog: Select counter.v, hold the <Ctrl> key down, and then select
tcounter.v.
VHDL: Select counter.vhd, hold the <Ctrl> key down, and then select 1a
tcounter.vhd.
Figure 16: The Add file to Project dialog
e Click Open and then OK.
f Click Close to dismiss the Add items to the Project dialog.

1b

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 Creating a new project T-35

You should now see two files listed in the Project tab of the Workspace Figure 17: Newly added project files display a ? for status
pane (Figure 17).
Question mark icons (?) in the Status column mean the file hasnt been
compiled or the source file has changed since the last successful compile.
The other columns identify file type (e.g., Verilog or VHDL),
compilation order, and modified date.

Changing compile order (VHDL)

Compilation order is important in VHDL designs. Follow these steps to change
compilation order within a project.

1 Change the compile order.

a Select Compile > Compile Order.
This opens the Compile Order dialog box (Figure 18).
b Click the Auto Generate button.
ModelSim "determines" the compile order by making multiple passes
Figure 18: The Compile Order dialog box
over the files. It starts compiling from the top; if a file fails to compile
due to dependencies, it moves that file to the bottom and then recompiles
it after compiling the rest of the files. It continues in this manner until all
files compile successfully or until a file(s) cant be compiled for reasons
other than dependency.
Alternatively, you can select a file and use the Move Up and Move Down
buttons to put the files in the correct order.
c Click OK to close the Compile Order dialog. move up / down buttons

1b

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-36 Lesson 3 - ModelSim projects

Compiling and loading a design Figure 19: The Library tab with an expanded library

1 Compile the files.

a Right-click anywhere in the Project tab and select Compile > Compile
All from the pop-up menu.
ModelSim compiles both files and changes the symbol in the Status
column to a check mark. A check mark means the compile succeeded. If
the compile had failed, the symbol would be a red X, and you would
see an error message in the Transcript pane.

2 View the design units.

a Click the Library tab in the workspace.
b Click the "+" icon next to the work library.
You should see two compiled design units, their types (modules in this 2a 2b 3a
case), and the path to the underlying source files (Figure 19).
Figure 20: The structure tab for the counter design unit
3 Load the test_counter design unit.
a Double-click the test_counter design unit.
You should see a new tab named sim that displays the structure of the
test_counter design unit (Figure 20). A fourth tab named Files contains
information about the underlying source files.
At this point you would generally run the simulation and analyze or
debug your design like you did in the previous lesson. For now, youll
continue working with the project. However, first you need to end the
simulation that started when you loaded test_counter.
4a
4 End the simulation.
a Select Simulate > End Simulation.
b Click Yes.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Organizing projects with folders T-37

Organizing projects with folders Figure 21: Adding a new folder to the project

If you have a lot of files to add to a project, you may want to organize them in
folders. You can create folders either before or after adding your files. If you
1b
create a folder before adding files, you can specify in which folder you want a file
placed at the time you add the file (see Folder field in Figure 16). If you create a
folder after adding files, you edit the file properties to move it to that folder.

Adding folders
As shown previously in Figure 15, the Add items to the Project dialog has an
option for adding folders. If you have already closed that dialog, you can use a Figure 22: A folder in a project
menu command to add a folder.

1 Add a new folder.

a Select File > Add to Project > Folder.
b Type Design Files in the Folder Name field (Figure 21).
c Click OK.
Youll now see a folder in the Project tab (Figure 22).

2 Add a sub-folder.
a Right-click anywhere in the Project tab and select Add to Project >
Folder.
b Type HDL in the Folder Name field (Figure 23).
c Click the Folder Location drop-down arrow and select Design Files.
d Click OK.
Figure 23: Creating a subfolder

2b

2c

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-38 Lesson 3 - ModelSim projects

Youll now see a + icon next to the Design Files folder in the Project Figure 24: A folder with a sub-folder
tab (Figure 24).
e Click the + icon to see the HDL sub-folder.

Moving files to folders

Now that you have folders, you can move the files into them. If you are running
on a Windows platform, you can simply drag-and-drop the files into the folder. On
Unix platforms, you either have to place the files in a folder when you add the files
to the project, or you have to move them using the properties dialog.

1 Move tcounter.v and counter.v to the HDL folder.

a Select counter.v, hold the <Ctrl> key down, and then select tcounter.v.
b Right-click either file and select Properties.
This opens the Project Compiler Settings dialog (Figure 25), which lets
you set a variety of options on your design files.
2e
c Click the Place In Folder drop-down arrow and select HDL.
d Click OK. Figure 25: Changing file location via the project settings dialog
The two files are moved into the HDL folder. Click the + icons on the
folders to see the files.
The files are now marked with a ? icon. Because you moved the files,
the project no longer knows if the previous compilation is still valid.

1c

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Simulation Configurations T-39

Simulation Configurations Figure 26: The Simulation Configuration dialog

A Simulation Configuration associates a design unit(s) and its simulation options. 1b

For example, say every time you load tcounter.v you want to set the simulator 1c
resolution to picoseconds (ps) and enable event order hazard checking. Ordinarily
you would have to specify those options each time you load the design. With a 1f
Simulation Configuration, you specify options for a design and then save a
"configuration" that associates the design and its options. The configuration is 1d

then listed in the Project tab and you can double-click it to load counter.v along
with its options.

1 Create a new Simulation Configuration.

a Select File > Add to Project > Simulation Configuration.
This opens the Simulate dialog (Figure 26). The tabs in this dialog
present a myriad of simulation options. You may want to explore the tabs 1e
to see whats available. You can consult the ModelSim Users Manual to
get a description of each option.
b Type counter in the Simulation Configuration Name field.
c Select HDL from the Place in Folder drop-down.
Figure 27: A Simulation Configuration in the Project tab
d Click the + icon next to the work library and select test_counter.
e Click the Resolution drop-down and select ps.
f For Verilog, click the Verilog tab and check Enable Hazard Checking.
g Click OK.
The Project tab now shows a Simulation Configuration named counter
(Figure 27).

2 Load the Simulation Configuration.

a Double-click the counter Simulation Configuration in the Project tab.
In the Transcript pane of the Main window, the vsim (the ModelSim
simulator) invocation shows the -hazards and -t ps switches (Figure 28).
These are the command-line equivalents of the options you specified in
the Simulate dialog.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-40 Lesson 3 - ModelSim projects

Lesson wrap-up Figure 28: Transcript shows options used for Simulation Configuration

This concludes this lesson. Before continuing you need to end the current
simulation and close the current project.

1 Select Simulate > End Simulation. Click Yes.

2 Select the Project tab in the Main window Workspace.

3 Right-click the test project to open a context popup menu and select Close
Project.
If you do not close the project, it will open automatically the next time you
start ModelSim.

command-line switches

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-41

Lesson 4 - Working with multiple libraries

Topics
The following topics are covered in this lesson:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-42
Related reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-42

Creating the resource library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-43

Creating the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-45

Linking to the resource library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-46

Permanently mapping resource libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-49

Lesson wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-50

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-42 Lesson 4 - Working with multiple libraries

Introduction
In this lesson you will practice working with multiple libraries. As discussed in
Lesson 1 - ModelSim conceptual overview, you might have multiple libraries to
organize your design, to access IP from a third-party source, or to share common
parts between simulations.
You will start the lesson by creating a resource library that contains the counter
design unit. Next, you will create a project and compile the testbench into it.
Finally, you will link to the library containing the counter and then run the
simulation.

Design files for this lesson

The sample design for this lesson is a simple 8-bit, binary up-counter with an
associated testbench. The pathnames are as follows:
Verilog <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/counter.v and tcounter.v
VHDL <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/counter.vhd and tcounter.vhd

This lesson uses the Verilog files tcounter.v and counter.v in the examples. If you
have a VHDL license, use tcounter.vhd and counter.vhd instead.

Related reading
ModelSim Users Manual, 3 - Design libraries (UM-57)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Creating the resource library T-43

Creating the resource library Figure 29: Creating the new resource library

1 Create a directory for the resource library.

Create a new directory called resource_library. Copy counter.v from
<install_dir>/modeltech/examples to the new directory.

2 Create a directory for the testbench.

Create a new directory called testbench that will hold the testbench and
4b
project files. Copy tcounter.v from <install_dir>/modeltech/examples to the
new directory.
You are creating two directories in this lesson to mimic the situation where
you receive a resource library from a third-party. As noted earlier, we will
link to the resource library in the first directory later in the lesson.

3 Start ModelSim and change to the exercise directory.

If you just finished the previous lesson, ModelSim should already be running.
If not, start ModelSim.
a Type vsim at a UNIX shell prompt or use the ModelSim icon in
Windows.
If the Welcome to ModelSim dialog appears, click Close.
b Select File > Change Directory and change to the resource_library
directory you created in step 1.

4 Create the resource library.

a Select File > New > Library.
b Type parts_lib in the Library Name field (Figure 29).
The Library Physical Name field is filled out automatically.
Once you click OK, ModelSim creates a directory for the library, lists it
in the Library tab of the Workspace, and modifies the modelsim.ini file
to record this new library for the future.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-44 Lesson 4 - Working with multiple libraries

5 Compile the counter into the resource library. Figure 30: Compiling into the resource library
a Click the Compile icon on the Main window toolbar.
b Select the parts_lib library from the Library list (Figure 30). 5b
c Double-click counter.v to compile it.
d Click Done.
You now have a resource library containing a compiled version of the counter
design unit.
5c
6 Change to the testbench directory.
a Select File > Change Directory and change to the testbench directory
you created in step 2.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Creating the project T-45

Creating the project

Now you will create a project that contains tcounter.v, the counters testbench.

1 Create the project.

a Select File > New > Project.
b Type counter in the Project Name field.
c Click OK.
d If a dialog appears asking about which modelsim.ini file to use, click Use
Default Ini.

2 Add the testbench to the project.

a Click Add Existing File in the Add items to the Project dialog.
b Click the Browse button and select tcounter.v.
c Click Open and then OK.
d Click Close to dismiss the Add items to the Project dialog.
The tcounter.v file is listed in the Project tab of the Main window.

3 Compile the testbench.

a Right-click tcounter.v and select Compile > Compile Selected.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-46 Lesson 4 - Working with multiple libraries

Linking to the resource library Figure 31: Verilog simulation error reported in the Main window

To wrap up this part of the lesson, you will link to the parts_lib library you created
earlier. But first, try simulating the testbench without the link and see what
happens.
ModelSim responds differently for Verilog and VHDL in this situation.

Verilog

1 Simulate a Verilog design with a missing resource library.

a In the Library tab, click the + icon next to the work library and double-
click test_counter.
The Main window Transcript reports an error (Figure 31). When you see
a message that contains text like "Error: (vsim-3033)", you can view
more detail by using the verror command.
b Type verror 3033 at the ModelSim> prompt. Figure 32: VHDL simulation warning reported in Main window
The expanded error message tells you that a design unit could not be
found for instantiation. It also tells you that the original error message
should list which libraries ModelSim searched. In this case, the original
message says ModelSim searched only work.

VHDL

1 Simulate a VHDL design with a missing resource library.

a In the Library tab, click the + icon next to the work library and double-
click test_counter.
The Main window Transcript reports a warning(Figure 32). When you
see a message that contains text like "Warning: (vsim-3473)", you can
view more detail by using the verror command.
b Type verror 3473 at the ModelSim> prompt.
The expanded error message tells you that a component (dut in this
case) has not been explicitly bound and no default binding can be found.
c Type quit -sim to quit the simulation.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Linking to the resource library T-47

The process for linking to a resource library differs between Verilog and VHDL. Figure 33: Specifying a search library in the Simulate dialog
If you are using Verilog, follow the steps in "Linking in Verilog" (T-47). If you are
using VHDL, follow the steps in "Linking in VHDL" (T-48) one page later.

Linking in Verilog
Linking in Verilog requires that you specify a "search library" when you invoke
the simulator.

1 Specify a search library during simulation.

a Click the Simulate icon on the Main window toolbar.
b Click the + icon next to the work library and select
test_counter.
c Click the Libraries tab.
d Click the Add button next to the Search Libraries field and browse to
parts_lib in the first directory you created earlier in the lesson.
e Click OK.
The dialog should have parts_lib listed in the Search Libraries field
(Figure 33).
f Click OK.
The design loads without errors.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-48 Lesson 4 - Working with multiple libraries

Linking in VHDL Figure 34: Mapping to the parts_lib library

To link to a resource library in VHDL, you have to create a logical mapping to the
physical library and then add LIBRARY and USE statements to the source file.

1 Create a logical mapping to parts_lib.

a Select File > New > Library.
b In the Create a New Library dialog, select a map to an existing library.
c Type parts_lib in the Library Name field.
d Click Browse to open the Select Library dialog and browse to parts_lib
in the resource_library directory you created earlier in the lesson.
Click OK to select the library and close the Select Library dialog.
e The Create a New Library dialog should look similar to the one shown in
Figure 34. Click OK to close the dialog.

2 Add LIBRARY and USE statements to tcounter.vhd.

Figure 35: Adding LIBRARY and USE statements to the testbench
a In the Library tab of the Main window, click the + icon next to the work
library.
b Right-click test_counter in the work library and select Edit.
This opens the file in the Source window.
c Add these two lines to the top of the file:
LIBRARY parts_lib;
USE parts_lib.ALL;

The testbench source code should now look similar to that shown in
Figure 33.
d Select File > Save.

3 Recompile and simulate.

a In the Project tab of the Main window, right-click tcounter. vhd and
select Compile > Compile Selected.
b In the Library tab, double-click test_counter to load the design.
The design loads without errors.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Permanently mapping resource libraries T-49

Permanently mapping resource libraries

If you reference particular resource libraries in every project or simulation, you
may want to permanently map the libraries. Doing this requires that you edit the
master modelsim.ini file in the installation directory. Though you wont actually
practice it in this tutorial, here are the steps for editing the file:

1 Locate the modelsim.ini file in the ModelSim installation directory

(<install_dir>/modeltech/modelsim.ini).

2 IMPORTANT - Make a backup copy of the file.

3 Change the file attributes of modelsim.ini so it is no longer "read-only."

4 Open the file and enter your library mappings in the [Library] section. For
example:
parts_lib = C:/libraries/parts_lib

5 Save the file.

6 Change the file attributes so the file is "read-only" again.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-50 Lesson 4 - Working with multiple libraries

Lesson wrap-up
This concludes this lesson. Before continuing we need to end the current
simulation and close the project.

1 Select Simulate > End Simulation. Click Yes.

2 Select the Project tab of the Main window Workspace.

3 Select File > Close. Click OK.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-51

Lesson 5 - Simulating designs with SystemC

Topics
The following topics are covered in this lesson:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-52
Design files for this lesson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-52
Related reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-52

Setting up the environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-53

Preparing an OSCI SystemC design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-56

Compiling a SystemC-only design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-56

Mixed SystemC and HDL example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-56

Viewing SystemC objects in the GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-60

Setting breakpoints and stepping in the Source window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-61

Lesson Wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-64

Note: The functionality described in this tutorial requires a systemc license feature in
your ModelSim license file. Please contact your Mentor Graphics sales representative if
you currently do not have such a feature.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-52 Lesson 5 - Simulating designs with SystemC

Introduction
ModelSim treats SystemC as just another design language. With only a few
exceptions in the current release, you can simulate and debug your SystemC
designs the same way you do HDL designs.

Design files for this lesson

There are two sample designs for this lesson. The first is a very basic design, called
"basic", containing only SystemC code. The second design is a ring buffer where
the testbench and top-level chip are implemented in SystemC and the lower-level
modules are written in HDL.
The pathnames to the files are as follows:
SystemC <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/systemc/sc_basic
SystemC/Verilog <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/systemc/sc_vlog
SystemC/VHDL <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/systemc/sc_vhdl
This lesson uses the SystemC/Verilog version of the ringbuf design in the
examples. If you have a VHDL license, use the VHDL version instead. There is
also a mixed version of the design, but the instructions here do not account for the
slight differences in that version.

Related reading
ModelSim Users Manual Chapter 6 - SystemC simulation (UM-159),
Chapter 7 - Mixed-language simulation (UM-187), Chapter 16 - C Debug (UM-399)

ModelSim Command Reference sccom command (CR-254)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Setting up the environment T-53

Setting up the environment

SystemC is a licensed feature. You need the systemc license feature in your
ModelSim license file to simulate SystemC designs. Please contact your Mentor
Graphics sales representatives if you currently do not have such a feature.
The table below shows the supported operating systems for SystemC and the
corresponding required versions of a C compiler.

Platform Supported compiler versions

HP-UX 11.0 or later aCC 3.45 with associated patches

RedHat Linux 7.2 and 7.3 gcc 3.2.3

RedHat Linux Enterprise version 2.1

SunOS 5.6 or later gcc 3.2

Windows NT and other NT-based Minimalist GNU for Windows

platforms (win2K, XP, etc.) (MinGW) gcc 3.2.3

See SystemC simulation in the ModelSim Users Manual for further details.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-54 Lesson 5 - Simulating designs with SystemC

Preparing an OSCI SystemC design

When you first bring up an OpenSystemC Initiative (OSCI) compliant design in
ModelSim, you must make a few minor modifications to the SystemC code to
prepare it for running in ModelSim. For a SystemC design to run on ModelSim,
you must first:
Replace sc_main() with an SC_MODULE, potentially adding a process to
contain any testbench code
Replace sc_start() by using the run (CR-252) command in the GUI
Remove calls to sc_initialize()
Export the top level SystemC design unit(s) using the
SC_MODULE_EXPORT macro
In order to maintain portability between OSCI and ModelSim simulations, we
recommend that you preserve the original code by using #ifdef to add the
ModelSim-specific information. When the design is analyzed, sccom (CR-254)
recognizes the MTI_SYSTEMC preprocessing directive and handles the code
appropriately.
For more information on the minor modifications to OSCI SystemC files
necessary for simulation in ModelSim, see "Modifying SystemC source code"
(UM-164).

1 Create a new directory and copy the tutorial files into it.
Start by creating a new directory for this exercise (in case other users will be
working with these lessons). Create the directory, then copy all files from
<install_dir>/modeltech/examples/systemc/sc_basic into the new directory.

2 Start ModelSim and change to the exercise directory.

If you just finished the previous lesson, ModelSim should already be running.
If not, start ModelSim.
a Type vsim at a UNIX shell prompt or use the ModelSim icon in
Windows.
If the Welcome to ModelSim dialog appears, click Close.
b Select File > Change Directory and change to the directory you created
in step 1.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Preparing an OSCI SystemC design T-55

3 Use a text editor to view and edit the basic_orig.cpp file. To use ModelSims Figure 36: Basic example excerpts, before and after modifications
editor, from the Main Menu select File > Open. Change the files of type to
C/C++ files then double-click basic_orig.cpp.
The red highlighted code in the _orig files (Figure 36) indicates the section of
the code that needs modification.
a Using the #ifdef MTI_SYSTEMC preprocessor directive, add the
SC_MODULE_EXPORT(top); to the design (see Figure 36). Close the
preprocessing directive with #else.
The original code in the .cpp file follows directly after #else. Of course,
that section the file must end with #endif.
b Save the file as basic.cpp.

4 View and edit the basic_orig.h header file.

a Add a ModelSim specific SC_MODULE (top) (see Figure 36).
The declarations that were in sc_main are placed here in the header file,
in SC_MODULE (top). This creates a top level module above mod_a,
which allows the tools automatic name binding feature to properly
associate the primitive channels with their names.
b Save the file as basic.h.
Now, you have made all the edits that are required for preparing the design for
compilation.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-56 Lesson 5 - Simulating designs with SystemC

Compiling a SystemC-only design // basic_orig.cpp (original file) //basic.cpp (modified file)

#include "basic.h" //Existing contents of
//basic_orig.cpp, and adds:
Now, you are ready to compile the design whose sources you have just edited. int sc_main( int, char*[] )
With designs that contain SystemC objects, you compile SystemC files using the { #include "basic.h"
sc_clock clk;
sccom compiler, and HDL files using vlog or vcom. Our first example design,
mod_a a( "a" ); #ifdef MTI_SYSTEMC
"basic", contains only SystemC code. Thus, you only need to run the SystemC a.clk( clk );
compiler, sccom (CR-254), to compile the design. SC_MODULE_EXPORT(top);
sc_initialize();
return 0; #else
1 Set the working library.
} ... // OSCI sc_main code here...
a Type vlib work in the ModelSim Transcript window to create the -------------------------------------- #endif
working library. //basic_orig.h ---------------------------------
#ifndef INCLUDED_TEST //basic.h
2 Compile and link all SystemC files. #define INCLUDED_TEST //Includes everything in
a Type sccom -g basic.cpp at the ModelSim> prompt. #include "systemc.h" //basic_orig.h and adds the
SC_MODULE( mod_a ) { //following:
The -g argument compiles the design for debug. sc_in_clk clk;
Upon successfully compiling the design, the following message is issued void main_action_method()
{ ... // OSCI SC_MODULE code here
to the screen:
cout
Model Technology ModelSim sccom compiler 2003.05 May 25 2004 << simcontext()->delta_count() #ifdef MTI_SYSTEMC
<< " main_action_method called" SC_MODULE(top)
Exported modules: << endl;
{
top } sc_clock clk;
void main_action_thread() mod_a a;
b Type sccom -link at the ModelSim> prompt to perform the final link on
{ SC_CTOR(top)
the SystemC objects while( true ) { :a("a")
You have successfully completed the compilation of the design. The successful cout {
<< simcontext()->delta_count() a.clk( clk );
compilation verifies that all the necessary file modifications have been entered
<< " main_action_thread called" }
correctly. << endl; };
} #endif
}
SC_CTOR( mod_a )
{
SC_METHOD( main_action_method );
SC_THREAD( main_action_thread );
}
};

#endif

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Mixed SystemC and HDL example T-57

Mixed SystemC and HDL example

In this next example, you have a SystemC testbench that instantiates an HDL
module. In order for the SystemC testbench to interface properly with the HDL
module, you must create a stub module, a foreign module declaration. You will
use the scgenmod (CR-258) utility to create the foreign module declaration.
Finally, you will link the created C object files using sccom -link.

1 Create a new directory and copy the tutorial files into it.
Start by creating a new directory for this exercise (in case other users will be
working with these lessons). Create the directory, then copy all files from
<install_dir>/modeltech/examples/systemc/sc_vlog into the new directory.
If you have a VHDL license, copy the files in <install_dir>/modeltech/
examples/systemc/sc_vhdl instead.

2 Start ModelSim and change to the exercise directory

If you just finished the previous lesson, ModelSim should already be running.
If not, start ModelSim.
a Type vsim at a command shell prompt.
If the Welcome to ModelSim dialog appears, click Close.
b Select File > Change Directory and change to the directory you created
in step 1.

3 Set the working library.

a Type vlib work in the ModelSim Transcript window to create the
working library.

4 Compile the design.

a Verilog:
Type vlog *.v in the ModelSim Transcript window to compile all Verilog
source files.
VHDL:
Type vcom -93 *.vhd in the ModelSim Transcript window to compile all
VHDL source files.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-58 Lesson 5 - Simulating designs with SystemC

Upon successful compilation, the following message (Verilog version

shown) appears in the Transcript window:
#Model Technology ModelSim vlog compiler
#--Compiling module control
#--Compiling module retrieve
#--Compiling module ringbuf
#--Compiling module store
# Top level modules:
# ringbuf

5 Create the foreign module declaration (SystemC stub) for the Verilog
module, ringbuf.
a Verilog:
Type scgenmod -bool ringbuf > ringbuf.h at the ModelSim> prompt.
The -bool argument is used to generate boolean scalar port types inside
the foreign module declaration. See scgenmod (CR-258) for more
information.
VHDL:
Type scgenmod ringbuf > ringbuf.h at the ModelSim> prompt.
The output is redirected to a file, ringbuf.h (Figure 37). This file is included
in the test_ringbuf.cpp file (Figure 38).

6 Compile and link all SystemC files, including the generated ringbuf.h.
a Type sccom -g test_ringbuf.cpp at the ModelSim> prompt.
The test_ringbuf.cpp file contains an include statement for test_ringbuf.h
and a a necessary SC_MODULE_EXPORT(top) statement, which
informs ModelSim that the top level module is SystemC.
Upon successfully compiling the design, following message appears in
the Transcript window:
Model Technology ModelSim sccom compiler 2003.05 May 25 2004

Exported modules:
test_ringbuf

b Type sccom -link at the ModelSim> prompt to perform the final link on
the SystemC objects.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Mixed SystemC and HDL example T-59

7 Load the design. Figure 37: ringbuf.h

a Click on the Library tab in the Workspace pane of the Main window. #include "systemc.h"

b Click the + icon next to the work library in the Main window to expand class ringbuf : public sc_foreign_module
the work library. {
public:
c Double click the test_ringbuf design unit in the Workspace pane. sc_in<bool> clock;
The equivalent command-line entry is vsim test_ringbuf, entered at the sc_in<bool> reset;
sc_in<bool> txda;|
ModelSim> prompt.
sc_out<bool> rxda;
sc_out<bool> txc;
8 If necessary, you may close the Locals, Profile, and Watch panes of the main sc_out<bool> outstrobe;
window. Please make sure the Objects and Active Processes windows are
open, as shown in Figure 39. ringbuf(sc_module_name nm, const char* hdl_name,
int num_generics, const char** generic_list)
: sc_foreign_module(nm, hdl_name, num_generics, generic_list),
clock("clock"),
reset("reset"),
txda("txda"),
rxda("rxda"),
txc("txc"),
outstrobe("outstrobe")
{}

~ringbuf()
{}

};

Figure 38: test_ringbuf.cpp file

// test_ringbuf.cpp
// Copyright Model Technology, a Mentor Graphics
// Corporation company 2004, - All rights reserved.

#include "test_ringbuf.h"
#include <iostream>

SC_MODULE_EXPORT(test_ringbuf);

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-60 Lesson 5 - Simulating designs with SystemC

Viewing SystemC objects in the GUI Figure 39: test_ringbuf design in ModelSim

SystemC objects are denoted in the ModelSim GUI with a green S on the Library
tab, a green C on the Files tab, and a green square, circle or diamond icon
elsewhere.

1 View Workspace and objects

a Click on the Library tab in the Workspace pane of the Main window.
SystemC objects have a green S next to their names (Figure 40).

2 Observe window linkages.

a Click on the Sim tab in the Workspace pane of the Main window.
b Select the clock instance in the sim tab (Figure 41).
The Locals and Objects windows update to show the associated SystemC
or HDL objects.

3 Add objects to the Wave window.

a Right-click test_ringbuf in the sim tab and select Add > Add to Wave.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Viewing SystemC objects in the GUI T-61

Setting breakpoints and stepping in the Source window Figure 40: SystemC objects in the work library

As with HDL files, you can set breakpoints and step through SystemC files in the
Source window. In the case of SystemC, ModelSim uses C Debug, an interface to
the open-source gdb debugger. Please see C Debug (UM-399) for complete details.

1 Set a breakpoint.
a Double-click on test_ringbuf in the Main window workspace to bring up
the Source window.
b In the Source window, scroll to near line 148 of test_ringbuf.h.
c Click on or just to the right of the line number next to the line (shown in
Figure 42) containing:
Verilog: bool var_dataerror_newval = actual.read ...

VHDL: sc_logic var_dataerror_newval = acutal.read ...

ModelSim recognizes that the file contains SystemC code, so it

automatically launches C Debug. Once the debugger is running, Figure 41: SystemC objects in the Main window Workspace panes sim tab
ModelSim places a solid red sphere next to the line number (Figure 42).

2 Run and step through the code.

a Type run 500 at the VSIM> prompt.
When the simulation hits the breakpoint, it stops running, highlights the
line with an arrow in the Source window (Figure 43), and issues the
following message in the Main window:
# C breakpoint c.1
# test_ringbuf:compare_data (this=0x842f658) at
test_ringbuf.h:<line_number>

3b

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-62 Lesson 5 - Simulating designs with SystemC

b Click the Step icon on the Source window toolbar. Figure 42: An active breakpoint in a SystemC file

This steps the simulation to the next statement. Because the next
statement is a function call, ModelSim steps into the function, which is
in a separate file (Figure 44).
c Click the Continue Run icon on the Source window toolbar.

The breakpoint in test_ringbuf.h is hit again.

Examining SystemC objects and variables

To examine the value of a SystemC object or variable, you can use the examine
command or view the value in the Objects window.
Figure 43: Simulation stopped at the breakpoint
1 View the value and type of an sc_signal.
a Type show at the CDBG > prompt to display a list of all the objects in
the design, including their types.
Inspect the list to discover that the type for "dataerror" is boolean
(sc_logic for VHDL) and "counter" is integer (Figure 45).
b Type examine dataerror at the CDBG > prompt.
The value returned is "true".

2 View the value of a SystemC variable.

a Type examine counter at the CDBG > prompt to view the value of this
variable.
The value returned is "-1".

Removing a breakpoint

1 Right-click the breakpoint on the red sphere and select Remove Breakpoint.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Viewing SystemC objects in the GUI T-63

2 Click the Continue Run button again. Figure 44: ModelSim steps into a function in a separate file
The simulation runs for 500 ns and waves are drawn in the Wave window
(Figure 46).
If you are using the VHDL version, you might see warnings in the Main
window transcript. These warnings are related to VHDL value
conversion routines and can be ignored.

Figure 45: Output of show command

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-64 Lesson 5 - Simulating designs with SystemC

Lesson Wrap-up Figure 46: SystemC primitive channels in the Wave window

This concludes the lesson. Before continuing we need to quit the C debugger and
end the current simulation.

1 Select Tools > C Debug > Quit C Debug.

2 Select Simulate > End Simulation. Click Yes when prompted to confirm
that you wish to quit simulating.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-65

Lesson 6 - Viewing simulations in the Wave window

Topics
The following topics are covered in this lesson:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-66
Related reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-66

Loading a design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-67

Adding objects to the Wave window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-68

Using cursors in the Wave window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-70

Working with a single cursor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-70
Working with multiple cursors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-71

Saving the window format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-73

Lesson wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-74

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-66 Lesson 6 - Viewing simulations in the Wave window

Introduction Figure 47: The Wave window and its many panes

pathname value waveform

The Wave window allows you to view the results of your simulation as HDL
waveforms and their values.
The Wave window is divided into a number of window panes (Figure 47). All
window panes in the Wave window can be resized by clicking and dragging the
bar between any two panes.

Related reading
ModelSim GUI Reference "Wave window" (GR-211)
ModelSim Users Manual Chapter 8 - WLF files (datasets) and virtuals (UM-
225)

cursor name cursor value cursor

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Loading a design T-67

Loading a design
For the examples in this lesson, we have used the design simulated in Lesson 2 -
Basic simulation.

1 If you just finished the previous lesson, ModelSim should already be running.
If not, start ModelSim.
a Type vsim at a UNIX shell prompt or use the ModelSim icon in
Windows.
If the Welcome to ModelSim dialog appears, click Close.

2 Load the design.

a Select File > Change Directory and open the directory you created in
Lesson 2.
The work library should already exist.
b Click the + icon next to the work library and double-click test_counter.
ModelSim loads the design and adds sim and Files tabs to the
Workspace.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-68 Lesson 6 - Viewing simulations in the Wave window

Adding objects to the Wave window Figure 48: A Wave window docked in the Main window

ModelSim offers several methods for adding objects to the Wave window. In this
exercise, you will try different methods. 2a

1 Add objects from the Objects pane.

a Select an item in the Objects pane of the Main window, right-click, and
then select Add to Wave > Signals in Region.
ModelSim adds several signals to the Wave window.

2 Undock the Wave window.

By default ModelSim opens Wave windows as a tab in the MDI frame of the
Main window. You can change the default via the Preferences dialog (Tools
> Edit Preferences). See "ModelSim GUI preferences" (GR-266) in the
ModelSim GUI & Interface Reference for more information.
a Click the undock icon on the Wave pane (Figure 48).
The Wave pane becomes a standalone, un-docked window.

3 Add objects using drag-and-drop.

You can drag an object to the Wave window from many other windows and
panes (e.g., Workspace, Objects, and Locals).
a In the Wave window, select Edit > Select All and then Edit > Delete.
b Drag an instance from the sim tab of the Main window to the Wave
window.
ModelSim adds the objects for that instance to the Wave window.
c Drag a signal from the Objects pane to the Wave window.
d In the Wave window, select Edit > Select All and then Edit > Delete.

4 Add objects using a command.

a Type add wave * at the VSIM> prompt.
ModelSim adds all objects from the current region.
b Run the simulation for awhile so you can see waveforms.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Zooming the waveform display T-69

Zooming the waveform display Figure 49: Zooming in with the mouse pointer

Zooming lets you change the display range in the waveform pane. There are
numerous methods for zooming the display.

1 Zoom the display using various techniques.

a Click the Zoom Mode icon on the Wave window toolbar.

b In the waveform pane, click and drag down and to the right.
You should see blue vertical lines and numbers defining an area to zoom
in (Figure 49).
c Select View > Zoom > Zoom Last.
The waveform pane returns to the previous display range.
d Click the Zoom In 2x icon a few times.
1b
Figure 50: Zooming out with the mouse pointer

e In the waveform pane, click and drag up and to the right.

You should see a blue line and numbers defining an area to zoom out
(Figure 50).
f Select View > Zoom > Zoom Full. 1e

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-70 Lesson 6 - Viewing simulations in the Wave window

Using cursors in the Wave window Figure 51: Working with a single cursor in the Wave window

Cursors mark simulation time in the Wave window. When ModelSim first draws
the Wave window, it places one cursor at time zero. Clicking anywhere in the
waveform pane brings that cursor to the mouse location.
You can also add additional cursors; name, lock, and delete cursors; use cursors
to measure time intervals; and use cursors to find transitions.

Working with a single cursor

1 Position the cursor by clicking and dragging.

a Click the Select Mode icon on the Wave window toolbar.

b Click anywhere in the waveform pane.

A cursor is inserted at the time where you clicked (Figure 51).
c Drag the cursor and observe the value pane.
1e
The signal values change as you move the cursor. This is perhaps the
easiest way to examine the value of a signal at a particular time.
d In the waveform pane, drag the cursor to the right of a transition with the
mouse positioned over a waveform.
The cursor "snaps" to the transition. Cursors "snap" to a waveform edge
if you click or drag a cursor to within ten pixels of a waveform edge. You
can set the snap distance in the Window Preferences dialog (select Tools
> Window Preferences).
e In the cursor pane, drag the cursor to the right of a transition (Figure 51).
The cursor doesnt snap to a transition if you drag in the cursor pane.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Using cursors in the Wave window T-71

2 Rename the cursor. Figure 52: Renaming a cursor

a Right-click "Cursor 1" in the cursor name pane, and select and delete the
text (Figure 52).
b Type A and press Enter.
The cursor name changes to "A".

3 Jump the cursor to the next or previous transition.

a Click signal count in the pathname pane.
a Click the Find Next Transition icon on the Wave window toolbar.

The cursor jumps to the next transition on the currently selected signal.
b Click the Find Previous Transition icon on the Wave window toolbar.

2a
Figure 53: Interval measurement between two cursors

The cursor jumps to the previous transition on the currently selected

signal.

Working with multiple cursors

1 Add a second cursor.

a Click the Add Cursor icon on the Wave window toolbar.

b Right-click the name of the new cursor and delete the text.
c Type B and press Enter.
d Drag cursor B and watch the interval measurement change dynamically
(Figure 53).

1d

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-72 Lesson 6 - Viewing simulations in the Wave window

2 Lock cursor B. Figure 54: A locked cursor in the Wave window

a Right-click cursor B in the cursor pane and select Lock B.
The cursor color changes to red and you can no longer drag the cursor
(Figure 54).

3 Delete cursor B.
a Right-click cursor B and select Delete B.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Saving the window format T-73

Saving the window format

If you close the Wave window, any configurations you made to the window (e.g.,
signals added, cursors set, etc.) are discarded. However, you can use the Save
Format command to capture the current Wave window display and signal
preferences to a DO file. You open the DO file later to recreate the Wave window
as it appeared when the file was created.
Format files are design-specific; use them only with the design you were
simulating when they were created.

1 Save a format file.

a Select File > Save > Format.
b Leave the file name set to wave.do and click Save.
c Close the Wave window.

2 Load a format file.

a In the Main window, select View > Debug Windows > Wave.
All signals and cursor(s) that you had set are gone.
b In the Wave window, select File > Open > Format.
c Select wave.do and click Open.
ModelSim restores the window to its previous state.
d Close the Wave window when you are finished by selecting File > Close.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-74 Lesson 6 - Viewing simulations in the Wave window

Lesson wrap-up
This concludes this lesson. Before continuing we need to end the current
simulation.

1 Select Simulate > End Simulation. Click Yes.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-75

Lesson 7 - Creating stimulus with Waveform Editor

Topics
The following topics are covered in this lesson:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-76
Related reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-76

Loading a design unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-77

Creating waves with a wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-78

Editing waveforms in the Wave window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-80

Saving and reusing the wave commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-83

Exporting the created waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-84

Running the simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-85

Simulating with the testbench file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-86

Importing an EVCD file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-87

Lesson wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-88

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-76 Lesson 7 - Creating stimulus with Waveform Editor

Introduction
The Waveform Editor creates stimulus for your design via interactive
manipulation of waveforms. You can then run the simulation with these edited
waveforms or export them to a stimulus file for later use.
In this lesson you will do the following:
Load the counter design unit without a testbench
Create waves via a wizard
Edit waves interactively in the Wave window
Export the waves to an HDL testbench and extended VCD file
Run the simulation
Re-simulate using the exported testbench and VCD file

Related reading
ModelSim Users Manual 10 - Generating stimulus with Waveform Editor (UM-
225)

ModelSim GUI Reference "Wave window" (GR-211)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Loading a design unit T-77

Loading a design unit

For the examples in this lesson, we will use part of the design simulated in Lesson
2 - Basic simulation.

Note: You can also use Waveform Editor prior to loading a design. See "Using
Waveform Editor prior to loading a design" (GR-287) for more information.

1 If you just finished the previous lesson, ModelSim should already be running.
If not, start ModelSim.
a Type vsim at a UNIX shell prompt or use the ModelSim icon in
Windows.
If the Welcome to ModelSim dialog appears, click Close.

2 Load the counter design unit.

a Select File > Change Directory and open the directory you created in
Lesson 2.
The work library should already exist.
b Click the + icon next to the work library and double-click counter.
ModelSim loads the counter design unit and adds sim and Files tabs to
the Workspace.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-78 Lesson 7 - Creating stimulus with Waveform Editor

Creating waves with a wizard Figure 55: Creating waves from the Objects pane

Waveform Editor includes a Create Pattern wizard that walks you through the
process of creating editable waveforms.

1 Use the Create Pattern wizard to create a clock pattern.

a In the Objects pane, right click signal clk and select Create Wave (Figure
55).
This opens the Create Pattern Wizard dialog where you specify the type
of pattern (Clock, Repeater, etc.) and a start and end time.
b The default pattern is Clock, which is what we need, so click Next
(Figure 56).

1a

Figure 56: The Create Pattern Wizard

1b

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 Creating waves with a wizard T-79

c In the second dialog of the wizard, enter 0 for Initial Value, leave Figure 57: Specifying clock pattern attributes
everything else as is, and click Finish (Figure 57).
A generated waveform appears in the Wave window (Figure 58). Notice
the small red dot on the waveform icon that denotes an editable wave.
1c
2 Create a second wave using the wizard.
a Right-click signal reset in the Objects pane and select Create Wave.
b Select Constant for the pattern type and click Next.
c Enter 0 for the Value and click Finish.
A second generated waveform appears in the Wave window.

Figure 58: The created waveform

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-80 Lesson 7 - Creating stimulus with Waveform Editor

Editing waveforms in the Wave window Figure 59: The Insert Pulse dialog

Waveform Editor gives you numerous commands for interactively editing

waveforms (e.g., invert, mirror, stretch edge, cut, paste, etc.). You can access these
commands via the menus, toolbar buttons, or via keyboard and mouse shortcuts.
You will try out several commands in this part of the exercise.

1 Insert a pulse on signal reset.

a Click the Edit Mode icon on the Wave window toolbar.

Figure 60: Signal reset with an inserted pulse

b Click signal reset so it is selected.

c In the waveform pane, right click on signal reset and select Edit Wave
> Insert Pulse.
d In the Insert Pulse dialog, enter 100 for duration and 100 for time (Figure
59), and click OK.
Signal reset now goes high from 100 ns to 200 ns (Figure 62).

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Editing waveforms in the Wave window T-81

2 Stretch an edge on signal clk. Figure 61: The Edit Stretch Edge dialog
a Click signal clk on the transition at 350 ns.
b Select Edit > Edit Wave > Stretch Edge from the menu bar (Figure 61).
c In the Edit Stretch Edge dialog, enter 50 for Duration, make sure the
Time field shows 350, and then click OK (Figure 62).
The wave edge stretches so its high until 400 ns. Note the difference
between stretching and moving an edgethe Stretch command moves an
edge by moving other edges on the waveform (either increasing
waveform duration or deleting edges at the beginning of simulation
time); the Move command moves an edge but does not move other edges
on the waveform. If you scroll the Wave window to the right, you will
see that the waveform for signal clk now extends to 1050 ns.

Figure 62: Stretching an edge on signal clk

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-82 Lesson 7 - Creating stimulus with Waveform Editor

3 Delete an edge. Figure 63: Deleting an edge on signal clk

a Click signal clk just to the right of the transition at 350 ns.
The cursor should "snap" to 350 ns.
b Click the Delete Edge icon

The edge is deleted and clk now stays high until 400 ns. (Figure 63).

4 Undo and redo an edit.

a Click the Wave Undo icon.

The deleted edge reappears.

b Click the Wave Redo icon.

The edge is deleted again. You can undo and redo any number of editing
operations except extending all waves and changing drive types. Those
two edits cannot be undone.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Saving and reusing the wave commands T-83

Saving and reusing the wave commands

You can save the commands that ModelSim used to create the waveforms. You
can load this "format" file at a later time to re-create the waves. In this exercise,
we will save the commands, quit and reload the simulation, and then open the
format file.

1 Save the wave commands to a format file.

a Select File > Close in the Wave window and you will be prompted to
save the wave commands.
b Click Yes.
c Type waveedit.do in the File name field and then click Save.
This saves a DO file named waveedit.do to the current directory.

2 Quit and then reload the simulation.

a In the Main window, select Simulate > End Simulation, and click Yes
to confirm you want to quit simulating.
b Double-click the counter design unit on the Library tab to reload the
simulation.

3 Open the format file.

a Select View > Debug Windows > Wave to open the Wave window.
a In the Wave window, select File > Open > Format.
b Double-click wave.do to open the file.
The waves you created earlier in the lesson reappear. If waves do not
appear, you probably did not load the counter design unit.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-84 Lesson 7 - Creating stimulus with Waveform Editor

Exporting the created waveforms Figure 64: The Export Waveform dialog

At this point you can run the simulation or you can export the created waveforms
to one of four stimulus file formats. You will run the simulation in a minute but
1b
first lets export the created waveforms so we can use them later in the lesson.

1 Export the created waveforms in an HDL testbench format.

a In the Wave window, select File > Export Waveform.
b Select Verilog Testbench (or VHDL Testbench if you are using the 1c
VHDL sample files).
c Enter 1000 (Figure 64) for End Time if necessary and click OK.
ModelSim creates a file named export.v (or export.vhd) in the current
directory. Later in the lesson we will compile and simulate the file.

2 Export the created waveforms in an extended VCD format.

a Select File > Export Waveform.
b Select EVCD File.
c Enter 1000 for End Time if necessary and click OK.
ModelSim creates an extended VCD file named export.vcd. We will
import this file later in the lesson.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Running the simulation T-85

Running the simulation Figure 65: The counter waveform reacts to the created stimulus pattern

Once you have finished editing the waveforms, you can run the simulation straight
away.

1 Add a design signal.

a In the Objects pane, right-click count and select Add to Wave > Selected
Signals.
The signal is added to the Wave window.

2 Run the simulation.

a Click the Run -All icon

The simulation runs for 1000 ns and the waveform is drawn for
sim:/counter/count (Figure 65).
Look at the signal transitions for count from 300 ns to 500 ns. The
transitions occur when clk goes high, and you can see that count follows
the pattern you created when you edited clk by deleting an edge.

3 Quit the simulation.

a In the Main window, select Simulate > End Simulation, and click Yes
to confirm you want to quit simulating.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-86 Lesson 7 - Creating stimulus with Waveform Editor

Simulating with the testbench file Figure 66: The testbench design unit compiled into the work library

Earlier in the lesson you exported the created waveforms to a testbench file. In this
exercise you will compile and load the testbench and then run the simulation.

1 Compile and load the testbench.

a At the ModelSim prompt, enter vlog export.v (or vcom export.vhd if you
are working with VHDL files).
You should see a design unit named EditorTestbench appear in the
Library tab (Figure 66).
b Double-click EditorTestbench on the Library tab to load the design.

2 Add waves and run the design.

a At the VSIM> prompt, type add wave *.
b Next type run -all.
The waveforms in the Wave window match those you saw in the last
exercise (Figure 67).
Figure 67: Waves from the newly created testbench
3 Quit the simulation.
a In the Main window, select Simulate > End Simulation, and click Yes
to confirm you want to quit simulating.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Importing an EVCD file T-87

Importing an EVCD file

Earlier in the lesson you exported the created waveforms to an extended VCD file.
In this exercise you will use that file to stimulate the counter design unit.

1 Load the counter design unit and add waves.

a Double-click counter on the Library tab.
b In the Objects pane, right-click count and select Add to Wave > Selected
Signals.

2 Import the VCD file.

a In the Wave window, select File > Import EVCD.
b Double-click export.vcd.
The created waveforms draw in the Wave window.
c Click the Run -All icon

The simulation runs for 1000 ns and the waveform is drawn for
sim:/counter/count.
When you import an EVCD file, signal mapping happens automatically
if signal names and widths match. If they do not, you have to manually
map the signals. See "Signal mapping and importing EVCD files" (GR-
295) for more information.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-88 Lesson 7 - Creating stimulus with Waveform Editor

Lesson wrap-up
This concludes this lesson. Before continuing we need to end the current
simulation.

1 Select Simulate > End Simulation. Click Yes.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-89

Lesson 8 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

Topics
The following topics are covered in this lesson:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-90
Related reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-90

Compiling and loading the design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-91

Exploring connectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-92

Tracing events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-93

Tracing an X (unknown) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-95

Displaying hierarchy in the Dataflow window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-96

Lesson Wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-97

Note: The functionality described in this tutorial requires a dataflow license feature in
your ModelSim license file. Please contact your Mentor Graphics sales representative if
you currently do not have such a feature.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-90 Lesson 8 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

Introduction
The Dataflow window allows you to explore the "physical" connectivity of your
design; to trace events that propagate through the design; and to identify the cause
of unexpected outputs. The window displays processes; signals, nets, and
registers; and interconnect.

Design files for this lesson

The sample design for this lesson is a testbench that verifies a cache module and
how it works with primary memory. A processor design unit provides read and
write requests.
The pathnames to the files are as follows:
Verilog <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/dataflow/verilog
VHDL <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/dataflow/vhdl
This lesson uses the Verilog version in the examples. If you have a VHDL license,
use the VHDL version instead. When necessary, we distinguish between the
Verilog and VHDL versions of the design.

Related reading
ModelSim Users Manual "Tracing signals with the Dataflow window" (UM-299)
ModelSim GUI Reference "Dataflow window" (GR-128)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Compiling and loading the design T-91

Compiling and loading the design

In this exercise you will use a DO file to compile and load the design.

1 Create a new directory and copy the tutorial files into it.
Start by creating a new directory for this exercise (in case other users will be
working with these lessons). Create the directory and copy all files from
<install_dir>/examples/dataflow/verilog to the new directory.
If you have a VHDL license, copy the files in <install_dir>/examples/
dataflow/vhdl instead.

2 Start ModelSim and change to the exercise directory.

If you just finished the previous lesson, ModelSim should already be running.
If not, start ModelSim.
a Type vsim at a UNIX shell prompt or use the ModelSim icon in
Windows.
If the Welcome to ModelSim dialog appears, click Close.
b Select File > Change Directory and change to the directory you created
in step 1.

3 Execute the lesson DO file.

a Type do run.do at the ModelSim> prompt.
The DO file does the following:
Creates the working library
Compiles the design files
Opens the Dataflow and Wave windows
Adds signals to the Wave window
Logs all signals in the design
Runs the simulation
Feel free to open the DO file and look at its contents.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-92 Lesson 8 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

Exploring connectivity Figure 68: A signal in the Dataflow window

A primary use of the Dataflow window is exploring the "physical" connectivity of

your design. You do this by expanding the view from process to process. This
allows you to see the drivers/receivers of a particular signal, net, or register.

1 Add a signal to the Dataflow window.

a Make sure instance p is selected in the sim tab of the Workspace pane.
b Drag signal strb from the Objects pane to the Dataflow window (Figure
68).

2 Explore the design.

a Double-click the net highlighted in red.
The view expands to display the processes that are connected to strb
(Figure 69).
b Select signal test on process #NAND#44 (labeled line_62 in the
VHDL version) and click the Expand net to all drivers icon.
Notice that after the display expands, the signal line for strb is Figure 69: Expanding the view to display connected processes
highlighted in green. This highlighting indicates the path you have
traversed in the design.
c Select signal oen on process #ALWAYS#149(labeled line_75 in
the VHDL version), and click the Expand net to all readers
icon.
Continue exploring if you wish. When you are done, click the
Erase All icon.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Tracing events T-93

Tracing events Figure 70: The embedded wave viewer pane

Another useful debugging feature is tracing events that contribute to an

unexpected output value. Using the Dataflow windows embedded wave viewer,
you can trace backward from a transition to see which process or signal caused the
unexpected output.

1 Add an object to the Dataflow window.

a Make sure instance p is selected in the sim tab of the Main window.
b Drag signal t_out from the Objects pane into the Dataflow window.
c Select View > Show Wave in the Dataflow window to open the wave
viewer (Figure 70). You may need to increase the size of the Dataflow
window and scroll the panes to see everything.

2 Trace the inputs of the nand gate.

a Select process #NAND#44 (labeled line_62 in the VHDL version) in the
dataflow pane.
All input and output signals of the process are displayed automatically in
Figure 71: Signals added to the wave viewer automatically
the wave viewer.
b In the wave view, scroll to time 2785 ns (the last transition of signal
t_out) .
c Click on the last transition of signal t_out to set a cursor (Figure 71).

2c

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T-94 Lesson 8 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

d Select Trace > Trace next event to trace the first contributing event. Figure 72: Cursor in wave viewer marking last event
ModelSim adds a cursor marking the last event, the transition of the
strobe to 0 at 2745 ns, which caused the output of 1 on t_out (Figure 72).
e Select Trace > Trace next event two more times.
f Select Trace > Trace event set.
The dataflow pane sprouts to the preceding process and shows the input
driver of signal strb (Figure 73). Notice too that the wave viewer now
shows the input and output signals of the newly selected process.
You can continue tracing events through the design in this manner: select
Trace next event until you get to a transition of interest in the wave
viewer, and then select Trace event set to update the dataflow pane.
Figure 73: Tracing the event set
3 Select File > Close to close the Dataflow window.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Tracing an X (unknown) T-95

Tracing an X (unknown) Figure 74: A signal with unknown values

The Dataflow window lets you easily track an unknown value (X) as it propagates
through the design. The Dataflow window is linked to the stand-alone Wave
window, so you can view signals in the Wave window and then use the Dataflow
window to track the source of a problem. As you traverse your design in the
Dataflow window, appropriate signals are added automatically to the Wave
window.

1 View t_out in the Wave and Dataflow windows.

a Scroll in the Wave window until you can see /top/p/t_out.
t_out goes to an unknown state at 2065 ns and continues transitioning
between 1 and unknown for the rest of the run (Figure 74). The red color
1b
of the waveform indicates an unknown value.
b Double-click the last transition of signal t_out at 2785 ns. Figure 75: ChaseX identifies the cause of the unknown on t_out
This automatically opens the Dataflow window and displays t_out, its
associated process, and its waveform. You may need to increase the size
of the Dataflow window and scroll the panes to see everything.
c Move the cursor in the Wave window.
As previously mentioned the Wave and Dataflow windows are designed
to work together. As you move the cursor in the Wave, the value of t_out
changes in the Dataflow window.
d Move the cursor to a time when t_out is unknown (e.g., 2724 ns).

2 Trace the unknown.

a In the Dataflow window, make sure t_out is selected and then select
Trace > ChaseX.
The design expands to show the source of the unknown (Figure 75). In
this case there is a HiZ (U in the VHDL version) on input signal test_in
and a 0 on input signal_rw (bar_rw in the VHDL version), so output
signal test2 resolves to an unknown.
Scroll to the bottom of the Wave window, and you will see that all of the
signals contributing to the unknown value have been added.

3 Clear the Dataflow window before continuing.

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T-96 Lesson 8 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

Displaying hierarchy in the Dataflow win- Figure 76: The Dataflow options dialog

dow
You can display connectivity in the Dataflow window using hierarchical
instances. You enable this by modifying the options prior to adding objects to the
window. 1b

1 Change options to display hierarchy.

a Select Tools > Options from the Dataflow window menu bar.
b Check Show Hierarchy and then click OK (Figure 76).

2 Add signal t_out to the Dataflow window.

a Type add dataflow /top/p/t_out at the VSIM> prompt.
The Dataflow window will display t_out and all hierarchical instances Figure 77: Dataflow window displaying with hierarchy
(Figure 77).

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Lesson Wrap-up T-97

Lesson Wrap-up
This concludes this lesson. Before continuing we need to end the current
simulation.

1 Type quit -sim at the VSIM> prompt.

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T-98 Lesson 8 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-99

Lesson 9 - Viewing and initializing memories

Topics
The following topics are covered in this lesson:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-100
Related reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-100

Compiling and loading the design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-101

Viewing a memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-102

Navigating within the memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-104
Saving memory contents to a file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-106

Initializing a memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-107

Interactive debugging commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-109

Lesson Wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-111

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-100 Lesson 9 - Viewing and initializing memories

Introduction
In this lesson you will learn how to view and initialize memories in ModelSim.
ModelSim defines and lists as memories any of the following:
reg, wire, and std_logic arrays
Integer arrays
Single dimensional arrays of VHDL enumerated types other than
std_logic

Design files for this lesson

The ModelSim installation comes with Verilog and VHDL versions of the
example design. The files are located in the following directories:
Verilog <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/memory/verilog
VHDL <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/memory/vhdl
This lesson uses the Verilog version for the exercises. If you have a VHDL
license, use the VHDL version instead.

Related reading
ModelSim GUI Reference "Memory windows" (GR-169)
ModelSim Command Reference mem display (CR-196), mem load (CR-199),
mem save (CR-202), radix (CR-241) commands

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Compiling and loading the design T-101

Compiling and loading the design

1 Create a new directory and copy the tutorial files into it.
Start by creating a new directory for this exercise (in case other users will be
working with these lessons). Create the directory and copy all files from
<install_dir>/examples/memory/verilog to the new directory.
If you have a VHDL license, copy the files in <install_dir>/examples/
memory/vhdl instead.

2 Start ModelSim and change to the exercise directory.

If you just finished the previous lesson, ModelSim should already be running.
If not, start ModelSim.
a Type vsim at a UNIX shell prompt or use the ModelSim icon in
Windows.
If the Welcome to ModelSim dialog appears, click Close.
b Select File > Change Directory and change to the directory you created
in step 1.

3 Create the working library and compile the design.

a Type vlib work at the ModelSim> prompt.
b Verilog:
Type vlog sp_syn_ram.v dp_syn_ram.v ram_tb.v at the ModelSim>
prompt.

VHDL:
Type vcom -93 sp_syn_ram.vhd dp_syn_ram.vhd ram_tb.vhd at the
ModelSim> prompt.

4 Load the design.

a On the Library tab of the Main window Workspace, click the "+" icon
next to the work library.
b Double-click the ram_tb design unit to load the design.

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T-102 Lesson 9 - Viewing and initializing memories

Viewing a memory Figure 78: Viewing the memories tab in the Main window workspace

Memories can be viewed via the ModelSim GUI.

1 Open a Memory instance.

a Select View > Debug Windows > Memory.
The Memories tab opens in the Workspace pane (Figure 78) and lists the
memories in the current design context (ram_tb) with the range, depth,
and width of each memory.
b VHDL: The radix for enumerated types is Symbolic. To change the radix
to binary for the purposes of this lesson, type the following command at
the vsim prompt:
VSIM> radix bin
c Double-click the /ram_tb/spram1/mem instance in the memories list to
view its contents.
Figure 79: The mem tab in the MDI pane shows instance
A mem tab is created in the MDI frame to display the memory contents. /ram_tb/spram1/mem
The data are all X (0 in VHDL) since you have not yet simulated the
design. The first column (blue hex characters) lists the addresses (Figure
79), and the remaining columns show the data values.
d Double-click instance /ram_tb/spram2/mem in the Memories tab of the
Workspace,
This creates a new tab in the MDI frame called mem(1) that contains the
addresses and data for the spram2 instance. Each time you double-click
a new memory instance in the Workspace, a new tab is created for that
instance in the MDI frame.

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 Viewing a memory T-103

2 Simulate the design. Figure 80: Memory display updates with simulation
a Click the run -all icon in the Main window.
b Click the mem tab of the MDI frame to bring the
/ram_tb/spram1/mem instance to the foreground (Figure 80).
VHDL:
In the Transcript pane, you will see NUMERIC_STD warnings that can be
ignored and an assertion failure that is functioning to stop the simulation. The
simulation itself has not failed.

3 Lets change the address radix and the number of words per line for instance
/ram_tb/spram1/mem.
a Right-click anywhere in the Memory Contents pane and select
Properties.
The Properties dialog box opens (Figure 81).
b For the Address Radix, select Decimal. This changes the radix for the
addresses only.
Figure 81: Changing the address radix
c Select Words per line and type 1 in the field.
d Click OK.
You can see the results of the settings in Figure 82. If the figure doesnt match
what you have in your ModelSim session, check to make sure you set the
Address Radix rather than the Data Radix. Data Radix should still be set to
Symbolic, the default.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-104 Lesson 9 - Viewing and initializing memories

Navigating within the memory Figure 82: Memory window: new address radix and line length

You can navigate to specific memory address locations, or to locations containing

particular data patterns. First, you will go to a specific address.

1 Use Goto to find a specific address.

a Right-click anywhere in address column and select Goto (Figure 83).
The Goto dialog box opens in the data pane.
b Type 30 in the dialog box.
c Click OK.
The requested address appears in the top line of the window.

Figure 83: The Goto dialog box

1a

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 Viewing a memory T-105

2 Edit the address location directly. Figure 84: Edit the address directly
To quickly move to a particular address, do the following:
a Double click any address in the address column.
b Enter any desired address. (Figure 84)
c Press <Enter> on your keyboard.
The pane scrolls to that address.

3 Now, lets find a particular data entry. 2b

a Right-click anywhere in the data column and select Find.
The Find in dialog box opens (Figure 85).
b Type 11111010 in the Find data: field and click Find Next.
The data scrolls to the first occurrence of that address. Click Find Next
a few more times to search through the list.
c Click Close to close the dialog box.

Figure 85: Find in: searching for data value

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T-106 Lesson 9 - Viewing and initializing memories

Saving memory contents to a file Figure 86: Save Memory dialog box

You can save memory contents to a file that can be loaded at some later point in
simulation.

1 Save a memory pattern from the /ram_tb/spram1/mem instance to a file.

a Make sure /ram_tb/spram1/mem is open and selected in the MDI frame.
b Select File > Save to bring up the Save Memory dialog box (Figure 86).
c For the Address Radix, select Decimal.
d For the Data Radix, select Binary.
e Type data_mem.mem into the Filename field.
f Click OK.
You can view the saved file in any editor.
Memory pattern files can be saved as relocatable files, simply by leaving out the
address information. Relocatable memory files can be loaded anywhere in a
memory because no addresses are specified.

2 Save a relocatable memory pattern file from the /ram_tb/spram2/mem

instance.
a Select the mem(1) tab in the MDI pane to see the data for the /ram_tb/
1c 1d
spram2/mem instance.
b Right-click on the memory contents to open a popup menu and select
Properties.
c In the Properties dialog, set the Address Radix to Decimal and the Data
1e
Radix to Binary. Click OK to accept the changes and close the dialog.
d Select File > Save to bring up the Save Memory dialog box.
e Specify a Start address of 0 and End address of 250.
f For Address Radix select Decimal, and for Data Radix select Binary.
g Click No addresses to create a memory pattern that you can use to
relocate somewhere else in the memory, or in another memory.
h Enter the file name as reloc.mem, then click OK to save the memory
contents and close the dialog.

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 Initializing a memory T-107

You will use this file for initialization in the next section. Figure 87: Load Memory dialog box

Initializing a memory
In ModelSim, it is possible to initialize a memory using one of three methods:
from a saved memory file, from a fill pattern, or from both.
First, lets initialize a memory from a file only. You will use one you saved
previously, data_mem.mem.

1 View instance /ram_tb/spram3/mem.

a Double-click the /ram_tb/spram3/mem instance in the Memories tab.
This will open a new tab mem(2) in the MDI frame to display the
contents of /ram_tb/spram3/mem. Scan these contents so you can
identify changes once the initialization is complete.
b Right-click and select Properties to bring up the Properties dialog.
2b
c Change the Address Radix to Decimal and Data Radix to Binary and
click OK.

2 Initialize spram3 from a file.

a Right-click anywhere in the data column and select Load to bring up the
Load Memory dialog box (Figure 87).
The default Load Type is File Only. Figure 88: Initialized memory from file and fill pattern
b Type data_mem.mem in the Filename field.
c Click OK.
The addresses in instance /ram_tb/spram3/mem are updated with the data
from data_mem.mem (Figure 88).

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T-108 Lesson 9 - Viewing and initializing memories

In this next step, you will experiment with loading from both a file and a fill Figure 89: Loading a relocatable memory file
pattern. You will initialize spram3 with the 250 addresses of data you saved
previously into the relocatable file reloc.mem. You will also initialize 50
additional address entries with a fill pattern. 3c

3 Load the /ram_tb/spram3/mem instance with a relocatable memory pattern

(reloc.mem) and a fill pattern. 3b

a Right-click in the data column of the mem(2) tab and select Load to
bring up the Load Memory dialog box (Figure 89). 3d

b For Load Type, select Both File and Data.

c For Address Range, select Addresses and enter 0 as the Start address and 3e
300 as the End address.
This means that you will be loading the file from 0 to 300. However, the 3f
reloc.mem file contains only 251 addresses of data. Addresses 251 to 300
will be loaded with the fill data you specify next.
d For File Load, enter reloc.mem in the Filename field.
e For Data Load, select a Fill Type of Increment.
f In the Fill Data field, set the seed value of 0 for the incrementing data.
g Click OK.
h View the data near address 250 by double-clicking on any address in the
Address column and entering 250.
You can see the specified range of addresses overwritten with the new data. Also, Figure 90: Overwritten values in memory instance
you can see the incrementing data beginning at address 251 (Figure 90).
Now, before you leave this section, go ahead and clear the instances already being
viewed.

4 Right-click somewhere in the mem(2) pane and select Close All.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Interactive debugging commands T-109

Interactive debugging commands Figure 91: Original memory contents

The memory panes can also be used interactively for a variety of debugging
purposes. The features described in this section are useful for this purpose.

1 Open a memory instance and change its display characteristics.

a Double-click instance /ram_tb/dpram1/mem in the Memories tab.
b Right-click in the memory contents pane and select Properties.
c Change the Data Radix to Hexadecimal.
d Select Words per line and enter 2.
e Click OK. Figure 92: Changing memory contents for a range of addresses
2 Initialize a range of memory addresses from a fill pattern.
a Right-click in the data column of /ram_tb/dpram1/mem contents pane
2b
and select Change to open the Change Memory dialog (Figure 92).
b Click the Addresses radio button and enter the start address as
0x00000006 and the end address as 0x00000009. The "0x" hex notation
is optional.
2c
c Select Random as the Fill Type.
d Enter 0 as the Fill Data, setting the seed for the Random pattern.
e Click OK. 2d

The data in the specified range are replaced with a generated random fill
pattern (Figure 93).
Figure 93: Random contents of a range of addresses

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-110 Lesson 9 - Viewing and initializing memories

3 Change contents by highlighting. Figure 94: Changing contents by highlighting

You can also change data by highlighting them in the Address Data pane.
a Highlight the data for the addresses 0x0000000c:0x0000000e, as shown
in Figure 94.
b Right-click the highlighted data and select Change.
This brings up the Change dialog box (Figure 95). Note that the
Addresses field is already populated with the range you highlighted.
c Select Value as the Fill Type.
d Enter the data values into the Fill Data field as follow: 34 35 36
e Click OK.
The data in the address locations change to the values you entered (Figure
96). Figure 95: Entering data to change

4 Edit data in place.

To edit only one value at a time, do the following:
3c
a Double click any value in the Data column.
b Enter the desired value and press <Enter>.
c When you are finished editing all values, press the <Enter> key on your
keyboard to exit the editing mode. 3d
If you needed to cancel the edit function, press the <Esc> key on your
keyboard.

Figure 96: Changed contents for specified addresses

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Lesson Wrap-up T-111

Lesson Wrap-up
This concludes this lesson. Before continuing we need to end the current
simulation.

1 Select Simulate > End Simulation. Click Yes.

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T-112 Lesson 9 - Viewing and initializing memories

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-113

Lesson 10 - Analyzing performance with the Profiler

Topics
The following topics are covered in this lesson:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-114
Design files for this lesson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-114
Related reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-114

Compiling and loading the design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-115

Running the simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-116

View Profile Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-118

Using the data to improve performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-119

Filtering and saving the data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-120

Lesson wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-121

Note: The functionality described in this tutorial requires a profile license feature in your
ModelSim license file. Please contact your Mentor Graphics sales representative if you
currently do not have such a feature.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-114 Lesson 10 - Analyzing performance with the Profiler

Introduction
The Profiler identifies the percentage of simulation time spent in each section of
your code as well as the amount of memory allocated to each function and
instance. With this information, you can identify bottlenecks and reduce
simulation time by optimizing your code. Users have reported up to 75%
reductions in simulation time after using the Profiler.
This lesson introduces the Profiler and shows you how to use the main Profiler
commands to identify performance bottlenecks. It will guide you through a simple
code change that improves performance in the example design.

Design files for this lesson

The example design for this lesson consists of a finite state machine which
controls a behavioral memory. The testbench test_sm provides stimulus.
The ModelSim installation comes with Verilog and VHDL versions of this design.
The files are located in the following directories:
Verilog <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/profiler/verilog
VHDL <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/profiler/vhdl
This lesson uses the Verilog version for the exercises. If you have a VHDL
license, use the VHDL version instead.

Related reading
ModelSim Users Manual Chapter 12 - Profiling performance and memory use
(UM-317), Chapter 20 - Tcl and macros (DO files) (UM-471)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Compiling and loading the design T-115

Compiling and loading the design

1 Create a new directory and copy the tutorial files into it.
Start by creating a new directory for this exercise (in case other users will be
working with these lessons). Create the directory and copy all files from
<install_dir>/examples/profiler/verilog to the new directory.
If you have a VHDL license, copy the files in <install_dir>/examples/
profiler/vhdl instead.

2 Start ModelSim and change to the exercise directory.

If you just finished the previous lesson, ModelSim should already be running.
If not, start ModelSim.
a Type vsim at a UNIX shell prompt or use the ModelSim icon in
Windows.
If the Welcome to ModelSim dialog appears, click Close.
b Select File > Change Directory and change to the directory you created
in step 1.

3 Create the work library.

a Type vlib work at the ModelSim> prompt.

4 Compile the design files.

a Verilog: Type vlog test_sm.v sm_seq.v sm.v beh_sram.v at the
ModelSim> prompt.
VHDL: Type vcom -93 sm.vhd sm_seq.vhd sm_sram.vhd
test_sm.vhd at the ModelSim> prompt.

5 Load the design unit with memory allocation profiling enabled.

a Type vsim test_sm at the ModelSim> prompt.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-116 Lesson 10 - Analyzing performance with the Profiler

Running the simulation Figure 97: Note the run time reported in the Transcript

Throughout this lesson you will run the simulation via a DO file. DO files are
macros you create that automatically run several ModelSim commands. The DO
file in this lesson uses the seconds Tcl command to time each simulation run. Feel
free to open the DO file and look at its contents.

1 Enable the statistical sampling profiler.

a Select Tools > Profile > Performance or simply click the
Performance Profiling icon in the toolbar.
This must be done prior to running the simulation. ModelSim is now
ready to collect performance data and memory allocation data when the
simulation is run.

2 Run the simulation via the DO file.

Figure 98: The Profile window
a Type do profile_run.do at the VSIM> prompt.
The status bar at the bottom of the Main window reports the number of
Profile Samples collected.
Make note of the run time reported in the Transcript (Figure 97). You
will use it later to compare how much you have increased simulation
speed by tweaking the design. (Your times may differ from those shown
here due to differing system configurations.)

3 Display the statistical performance data in the Profile pane.

a Select View > Profile > View
The Profile pane displays three tab-selectable views of the profile data:
Ranked, Call Tree, and Structural (Figure 98). Data in the Ranked view
is sorted (by default) from highest to lowest percentage in the In(%)
column. In the Call Tree and Structural views, data is sorted (by default) Click here to hide or
according to the Under(%) column. You can click the heading of any display columns.
column to sort data by that column.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Running the simulation T-117

b Click the Call Tree tab to view the profile data in a hierarchical, Figure 99: Expand the hierarchical function call tree.
function-call tree display.
The results differ between the Verilog and VHDL versions of the design.
In Verilog, line 105 (test_sm.v:105) is taking the majority of simulation
time. In VHDL, test_sm.vhd:203 and sm.vhd:93 are taking the majority
of the time.

Note: Your results may look slightly different as a result of the

computer youre using and different system calls that occur during the
simulation. Also, the line number reported may be one or two lines off
the actual source file. This happens due to how the stacktrace is
decoded on different platforms.

c Verilog: Right-click test_sm.v:105 and select Expand All from the

popup menu. This expands the hierarchy of test_sm.v:105 and allows you
to see the functions that call it (Figure 99).
VHDL: Right-click test_sm.vhd:203 and select Expand All from the
Figure 100: The Source window showing a line from the profile data
popup menu. This expands the hierarchy of test_sm.vhd:203 and allows
you to see the functions that call it.

4 View the source code of a line that is using a lot of simulation time.
a Verilog: Double-click test_sm.v:105. The Source window opens in the
MDI frame with line 105 displayed (Figure 100).
VHDL: Double-click test_sm.vhd:203. The Source window opens in the
MDI frame with line 203 displayed.

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T-118 Lesson 10 - Analyzing performance with the Profiler

View Profile Details Figure 101: Profile Details of function Tcl_Close.

The Profile Details pane increases visibility into simulation performance and
memory usage. Right-clicking any function in the Ranked or Call Tree views
opens a popup menu that includes a Function Usage selection. When Function
Usage is selected, the Profile Details pane opens in the Main window and displays
all instances using the selected function.

1 View the Profile Details of a function in the Call Tree view.

Figure 102: Profile Details of instance sm_0.
a Right-click the Tcl_Close function and select Function Usage from the
popup menu.
The Profile Details pane displays all instances using function Tcl_Close
(Figure 101). The statistical performance and memory allocation data
shows how much simulation time and memory is used by Tcl_Close in
each instance.
When you right-click a selected function or instance in the Structural pane, the
popup menu displays either a Function Usage selection or an Instance Usage
selection, depending on the object selected.

2 View the Profile Details of an instance in the Structural view.

a Select the Structural tab to change to the Structural view.
b Right-click test_sm and select Expand All from the popup menu.
c Verilog: Right click the sm_0 instance and select Instance Usage from
the popup menu. The Profile Details shows all instances with the same
definition as /test_sm/sm_seq0/sm_0 (Figure 102).
VHDL: Right click the dut instance and select Instance Usage from the
popup menu. The Profile Details shows all instances with the same
definition as /test_sm/dut.

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 Using the data to improve performance T-119

Using the data to improve performance Figure 103: Simulation time reduced by almost 50%

Information provided by the statistical sampling profiler can be used to speed up

the simulation. In this example, the repeated printing of data values to the screen
is a significant burden to simulation. A more efficient approach would be to print
only fail messages when they occur and a single pass message at the end of a data
block or the entire simulation run.

1 Edit the source code to remove the repeated screen printing.

a Right-click the source code and uncheck the Read Only selection in the
popup menu.
b "Comment out" the repeated screen printing.
Verilog: Change lines 105-106 so they look like this:
//always @ (outof) // any change of outof
// $display ($time,,"outof = %h",outof);

VHDL: Change lines 198-201 so they look like this: Figure 104: Source edit removes the performance bottleneck
-- write(msg_line,NOW,field=>10);
-- write(msg_line,msg1);
-- hwrite(msg_line,rd_data);
-- writeline(OUTPUT,msg_line);

2 Save the file and re-compile.

a Select File > Save.
b Verilog: Type vlog test_sm.v at the VSIM> prompt.
VHDL: Type vcom test_sm.vhd at the VSIM> prompt.

3 Re-start and re-run the design.

a Type restart -f at the VSIM prompt.
b Type do profile_run.do at the VSIM> prompt.
The simulation time is reduced by almost 50% (Figure 103).

4 Look at the performance data again.

a If necessary select Tools > Profile > View then the Call Tree tab.
The problem with repeated screen printing has been removed (Figure
104).

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T-120 Lesson 10 - Analyzing performance with the Profiler

Filtering and saving the data Figure 105: The Profiler toolbar.

As a last step, you will filter out lines that take less than 2% of the simulation time
using the Profiler toolbar, and then save the report data to a text file.
1a 1b 2a
1 Filter lines that take less than 2% of the simulation time. Figure 106: The filtered profile data
a Make sure the Profile pane is selected.
b Change the Under(%) field to 2 (Figure 105).
c Click the Refresh Profile Data button.
ModelSim filters the list to show only those lines that take 2% or more
of the simulation time (Figure 106).

2 Save the report.

a Click the save icon in the Profiler toolbar.
b In the Profile Report dialog (Figure 107), select the Call Tree
Type. Figure 107: The Profile Report dialog
c In the Performance/Memory data section select Default (data
collected).
d Specify the Cutoff percent as 2%. 2b
2c
e Select Write to file and type calltree.rpt in the file name field.
f View file is selected by default when you select Write to file. Leave it
selected.
g Click OK.
The calltree.rpt report file will open automatically in Notepad (Figure 2d
108).
You can also output this report from the command line using the profile
report command. See the ModelSim Command Reference for details.

2e

2e
2f

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Lesson wrap-up T-121

Lesson wrap-up Figure 108: The calltree.rpt report

This concludes this lesson. Before continuing we need to end the current
simulation.

1 Select Simulate > End Simulation. Click Yes.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-122 Lesson 10 - Analyzing performance with the Profiler

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-123

Lesson 11 - Simulating with Code Coverage

Topics
The following topics are covered in this lesson:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-124
Design files for this lesson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-124
Related reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-124

Compiling the design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-125

Loading and running the design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-126

Viewing statistics in the Main window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-127

Viewing statistics in the Source window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-129

Viewing toggle statistics in the Objects pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-131

Excluding lines and files from coverage statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-132

Creating Code Coverage reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-132

Lesson wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-134

Note: The functionality described in this tutorial requires a coverage license feature in
your ModelSim license file. Please contact your Mentor Graphics sales representative if
you currently do not have such a feature.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-124 Lesson 11 - Simulating with Code Coverage

Introduction
ModelSim Code Coverage gives you graphical and report file feedback on which
executable statements, branches, conditions, and expressions in your source code
have been executed. It also measures bits of logic that have been toggled during
execution.

Design files for this lesson

The sample design for this lesson consists of a finite state machine which controls
a behavioral memory. The testbench test_sm provides stimulus.
The ModelSim installation comes with Verilog and VHDL versions of this design.
The files are located in the following directories:
Verilog <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/coverage/verilog
VHDL <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/coverage/vhdl
This lesson uses the Verilog version in the examples. If you have a VHDL license,
use the VHDL version instead. When necessary, we distinguish between the
Verilog and VHDL versions of the design.

Related reading
ModelSim Users Manual Chapter 13 - Measuring code coverage (UM-333)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Compiling the design T-125

Compiling the design

Enabling Code Coverage is a two step processfirst, you compile the files and
identify which coverage statistics you want; second, you load the design and tell
ModelSim to produce those statistics.

1 Create a new directory and copy the tutorial files into it.
Start by creating a new directory for this exercise (in case other users will be
working with these lessons). Create the directory and copy all files from
<install_dir>/modeltech/examples/coverage/verilog to the new directory.
If you have a VHDL license, copy the files in <install_dir>/modeltech/
examples/coverage/vhdl instead.

2 Start ModelSim and change to the exercise directory.

If you just finished the previous lesson, ModelSim should already be running.
If not, start ModelSim.
a Type vsim at a UNIX shell prompt or use the ModelSim icon in
Windows.
If the Welcome to ModelSim dialog appears, click Close.
b Select File > Change Directory and change to the directory you created
in step 1.

3 Create the working library.

a Type vlib work at the ModelSim> prompt.

4 Compile the design files.

a For Verilog Type vlog -cover bct sm.v sm_seq.v beh_sram.v
test_sm.v at the ModelSim> prompt.
For VHDL Type vcom -cover bct sm.vhd sm_seq.vhd sm_sram.vhd
test_sm.vhd at the ModelSim> prompt.
The -cover bct argument instructs ModelSim that you want branch,
condition, and toggle coverage statistics (statement coverage is included
by default). See "Enabling code coverage" (UM-337) for more information
on the available coverage types.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-126 Lesson 11 - Simulating with Code Coverage

Loading and running the design Figure 109: Coverage columns in the Main window Workspace

1 Load the design.

a Type vsim -coverage test_sm at the ModelSim> prompt.

2 Run the simulation

b Type run 1 ms at the VSIM> prompt.
When you load a design with Code Coverage enabled, ModelSim adds several
columns to the Files and sim tabs in the Workspace (Figure 109). ModelSim also
displays three Code Coverage panes in the Main window (Figure 110):
Missed Coverage Figure 110: Coverage panes
Displays the selected files un-executed statements, branches, conditions, and
expressions and signals that have not toggled.
Instance Coverage
Displays statement, branch, condition, expression and toggle coverage
statistics for each instance in a flat, non-hierarchical view.
Details
Shows details of missed coverage such as truth tables or toggle details.
Another coverage-related pane is the Current Exclusions pane. Select View >
Code Coverage > Current Exclusions to display that pane.
Current Exclusions
Lists all files and lines that are excluded from coverage statistics (see
"Excluding lines and files from coverage statistics" (T-132) for more
information).
These panes can be re-sized, rearranged, and "undocked" to make the data more
easily viewable. To resize a pane, click-and-drag on the top or bottom border. To
move a pane, click-and-drag on the double-line to the right of the pane name. To
undock a pane you can select it then drag it out of the Main window, or you can
click the Dock/Undock Pane button in the header bar (top right). To redock the
pane, click the Dock/Undock Pane button again.
We will look at these panes more closely in the next exercise. For complete details
on each pane, see "Code coverage panes" (GR-116).

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Viewing statistics in the Main window T-127

Viewing statistics in the Main window Figure 111: Right click a column heading to hide or show columns

Lets take a look at the data in these various panes.

1 View statistics in the Workspace pane.

a Select the sim tab in the Workspace and scroll to the right.
Coverage statistics are shown for each object in the design.
b Select the Files tab in the Workspace and scroll to the right.
Each file in the design shows summary statistics for statements,
branches, conditions, and expressions.
c Click the right-mouse button on any column name and select an object
from the list (Figure 111).
Whichever column you selected is hidden. To redisplay the column,
right-click again and select that column name. The status of which
columns are displayed or hidden is persistent between invocations of
ModelSim.

2 View statistics in the Missed Coverage pane. Figure 112: Statement statistics in the Missed Coverage pane
a Select different files from the Files tab of the Workspace.
The Missed Coverage pane updates to show statistics for the selected file
(Figure 112).
b Select any entry in the Statement tab to display that line in the Source
window.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-128 Lesson 11 - Simulating with Code Coverage

3 View statistics in the Details pane. Figure 113: Details pane showing toggle coverage statistics
a Select the Toggle tab in the Missed Coverage pane.
If the Toggle tab isnt visible, you can do one of two things: 1) widen the
pane by clicking-and-dragging on the pane border; 2) if your mouse has
a middle button, click-and-drag the tabs with the middle mouse button.
b Select any object in the Toggle tab to see details in the Details pane
(Figure 113).

4 View instance coverage statistics.

The Instance Coverage pane displays coverage statistics for each instance in
a flat, non-hierarchical view (Figure 114). Select any instance in the Instance
Coverage pane to see its source code displayed in the Source window.

Figure 114: The Instance Coverage pane

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Viewing statistics in the Source window T-129

Viewing statistics in the Source window Figure 115: Selecting a line in the Missed Coverage pane

In the previous section you saw that the Source window and the Main window
coverage panes are linked. You can select objects in the Main window panes to
view the underlying source code in the Source window. Furthermore, the Source
window contains statistics of its own.

1 View coverage statistics for test_sm in the Source window.

a Make sure test_sm is selected in the sim tab of the Workspace.
b In the Statement tab of the Missed Coverage pane, expand test_sm.v if
necessary and select any line (Figure 115).
The Source window opens in the MDI frame with the line you selected 1b
highlighted (Figure 116).
c Switch to the Source window.
The table below describes the various icons.

Icon Description

green checkmark indicates a statement that has been executed Figure 116: Coverage statistics in the Source window

red X indicates that a statement in that line has not been

executed (zero hits)
green E indicates a line that has been excluded from code
coverage statistics

red XT or XF indicates that a true or false branch (respectively) of

a conditional statement has not been executed

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-130 Lesson 11 - Simulating with Code Coverage

d Hover your mouse pointer over a line of code with a green checkmark. Figure 117: Coverage numbers shown by hovering the mouse pointer
The icons change to numbers that indicate how many times the
statements and branches in that line were executed (Figure 117). In this
case line 24 was executed 1562 times.
e Select Tools > Code Coverage > Show coverage numbers.
The icons are replaced by execution counts on every line. An ellipsis (...)
is displayed whenever there are multiple statements on the line. Hover
the mouse pointer over a statement to see the count for that statement.
f Select Tools > Code Coverage > Hide coverage numbers to return to
icon display.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Viewing toggle statistics in the Objects pane T-131

Viewing toggle statistics in the Objects Figure 118: Toggle coverage columns in the Source window

pane
Toggle coverage counts each time a logic node transitions from one state to
another. Earlier in the lesson you enabled two-state toggle coverage (0 -> 1 and 1-
> 0) with the -cover t argument. Alternatively, you can enable six-state toggle
coverage using the -cover x argument. See "Toggle coverage" (UM-343) for more
information.

1 View toggle data in the Objects pane of the Main window.

a Select test_sm in the sim tab of the Main window.
b If the Objects pane isnt open already, select View > Debug Windows >
Objects.
c Scroll to the right and you will see the various toggle coverage columns
(Figure 118).
The blank columns show data when you have extended toggle coverage
enabled.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-132 Lesson 11 - Simulating with Code Coverage

Excluding lines and files from coverage Figure 119: Excluding an entire file via the GUI

statistics
ModelSim allows you to exclude lines and files from code coverage statistics. You
can set exclusions with the GUI, with a text file called an "exclusion filter file", or
with "pragmas" in your source code. Pragmas are statements that instruct
ModelSim to not collect statistics for the bracketed code. See "Excluding objects
from coverage" (UM-347) for more details on exclusion filter files and pragmas.

1 Exclude a line via the Missed Coverage pane.

a Right click a line in the Missed Coverage pane and select Exclude
Selection. (You can also exclude the selection for the current instance
only by selecting Exclude Selection For Instance <inst_name>.)

2 Exclude an entire file.

a In the Files tab of the Workspace, locate sm.v (or sm.vhd if you are using
the VHDL example).
b Right-click the file name and select Coverage > Exclude Selected File
(Figure 119).
The file is added to the Current Exclusions pane.

3 Cancel the exclusion of sm.v.

a Right-click sm.v in the Current Exclusions pane and select Cancel
Selected Exclusions.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Creating Code Coverage reports T-133

Creating Code Coverage reports Figure 120: The Coverage Report dialog

You can create reports on the coverage statistics using either the menus or by
entering commands in the Transcript pane. The reports are output to a text file
regardless of which method you use.
To create coverage reports via the menus, do one of the following:
select Tools > Code Coverage > Reports from the Main window menu
right-click any object in the sim or Files tab of the Workspace and select Code
Coverage > Coverage Reports
right-click any object in the Instance Coverage pane and select Code coverage
reports from the context menu

1 Create a report on all instances.

a Select Tools > Coverage > Reports from the Main window toolbar.
This opens the Coverage Report dialog (Figure 120).
b Make sure Report on all instances and No Filtering are selected and
then click OK.
ModelSim creates a file report.txt in the current directory and displays
the report in Notepad.
c Close Notepad when you are done looking at the report.

2 Create a summary report on all design files from the Transcript pane.
a Type coverage report -file cover.txt at the VSIM> prompt.
b Type notepad cover.txt at the VSIM> prompt to view the report.
c Close Notepad when you are done reviewing the report.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-134 Lesson 11 - Simulating with Code Coverage

Lesson wrap-up
This concludes this lesson. Before continuing we need to end the current
simulation.

1 Type quit -sim at the VSIM> prompt.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-135

Lesson 12 - Debugging with PSL assertions

Topics
The following topics are covered in this lesson:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-136
Design files for this lesson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-136
Related reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-136

Compile the example design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-137

Load and run without assertions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-138

Using assertions to speed debugging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-139

Debugging the assertion failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-141

Display cover directives in count mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-143

Reporting functional coverage statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-144

Lesson wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-145

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-136 Lesson 12 - Debugging with PSL assertions

Introduction
Using assertions in your HDL code increases visibility into your design and
improves verification productivity. ModelSim supports Property Specification
Language (PSL) assertions for use in dynamic simulation verification. These
assertions are simple statements of design intent that declare design or interface
assumptions.
This lesson will familiarize you with the use of PSL assertions in ModelSim. You
will run a simulation with and without assertions enabled so you can see how
much easier it is to debug with assertions. After running the simulation with
assertions, you will use the ModelSim debugging environment to locate a problem
with the design.

Design files for this lesson

The sample design for this lesson uses a DRAM behavioral model and a self-
checking testbench. The DRAM controller interfaces between the system
processor and the DRAM and must be periodically refreshed in order to provide
read, write, and refresh memory operations. Refresh operations have priority over
other operations, but a refresh will not preempt an in-process operation.
The ModelSim installation comes with Verilog and VHDL versions of this design.
The files are located in the following directories:
Verilog <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/psl/verilog
VHDL <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/psl/vhdl
This lesson uses the Verilog version for the exercises. If you have a VHDL
license, use the VHDL version instead.
You can embed assertions within your code or supply them in a separate file. This
example design uses an external file.

Related reading
ModelSim Users Manual Chapter 14 - PSL Assertions, Chapter 15 - Functional
coverage with PSL and ModelSim

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Compile the example design T-137

Compile the example design

In this exercise you will use a DO file to compile the design.

1 Create a new directory and copy the lesson files into it.
Start by creating a new directory for this exercise (in case other users will be
working with these lessons). Create the directory and copy all files from
<install_dir>/examples/psl/verilog to the new directory.
If you have a VHDL license, copy the files in <install_dir>/examples/psl/
vhdl instead.

2 Start ModelSim and change to the exercise directory you created.

If you just finished the previous lesson, ModelSim should already be running.
If not, start ModelSim.
a To start ModelSim, type vsim at a UNIX shell prompt or use the
ModelSim icon in Windows.
If the Welcome to ModelSim dialog appears, click Close.
b Select File > Change Directory and change to the directory you created
in step 1.

3 Execute the lesson DO file.

a Type do compile.do at the ModelSim> prompt.
The DO file does the following:
Creates the working library
Compiles the design files, assertions and cover directives
Feel free to open the DO file and look at its contents.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-138 Lesson 12 - Debugging with PSL assertions

Load and run without assertions Figure 121: Transcript after running the simulation without assertions

1 Load the design without assertions.

a Type vsim tb -nopsl at the VSIM> prompt.
The -nopsl argument instructs the compiler to ignore PSL assertions.

2 Run the simulation.

a Type run -all at the VSIM> prompt or click the Run -All icon.
Verilog: The simulation reports an error at 267400 ns and stops on line
266 of the dramcon_sim.v module.
VHDL: The simulation reports an error at 246800 ns and stops on line
135 of the dramcon_sim.vhd entity.
The ERROR message indicates that the controller is not working because
a value read from memory does not match the expected value (Figure
121).
To debug the error, you might first examine the simulation waveforms
and look for all writes to the memory location. You might also check the
data on the bus and the actual memory contents at the location after each
write. If that didnt identify the problem, you might then check all refresh
cycles to determine if a refresh corrupted the memory location.
Quite possibly, all of these debugging activities would be required,
depending on ones skill (or luck) in determining the most likely cause
of the error. Any way you look at it, its a tedious exercise.

3 End the simulation.

a Type quit -sim at the VSIM> prompt to end this simulation.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Using assertions to speed debugging T-139

Using assertions to speed debugging Figure 122: Change assertions dialog

To show how assertions help with debugging, well reload the design with
assertions.

1 Reload the design.

a Type vsim tb at the ModelSim > prompt.

2 Execute the lesson DO file.

a Type do sim.do at the ModelSim> prompt.
The DO file does the following:
Opens the Assertions pane and displays all assertions
Opens a Source window
Adds signals to the Wave window
Feel free to open the DO file and look at its contents.

3 Set all assertions to Break on Failures.

a Make sure the Assertions pane is selected.
a Select Edit > Advanced > Change (Main window). This opens the
Change assertions dialog (Figure 122).
b In the Change on section, select All assertions.
c In the Failures Assertions section, select Enable if necessary.
d In the Failures Action section, select Break.
This causes the simulation to break (stop) on any failed assertion.
e Click the OK button to accept your selections and close the dialog.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-140 Lesson 12 - Debugging with PSL assertions

4 Add assertions and cover directives to the Wave window Figure 123: Assertion failure indicated in the Wave window
a Select the Assertions pane if necessary.
b Select Add > Wave > Assertions in Design.
Scroll to the bottom of the Wave window and you will see the assertions
(denoted by magenta triangles).
c Select View > Debug Windows > Functional Coverage (Main
window) to see cover directives in the Functional Coverage window.
d Select the Functional Coverage pane.
e Select Add > Wave > Functional Coverages in Design.
Scroll to the bottom of the Wave window and you will see the cover
directives (denoted by magenta arrowheads).

5 Run the simulation.

a Type run -all at the VSIM> prompt.
Verilog: The Main window transcript shows that the
assert_check_refresh assertion in the dram_cntrl.psl file failed at 3100
ns. The simulation is stopped at that time. Note that with no assertions,
the testbench did not report a failure until 267,400 ns, over 80x the Figure 124: Failure in the Assertions pane
simulation time required for a failure to be reported with assertions.
VHDL: The Main window transcript shows that the
assert_check_refresh assertion in the dram_cntrl.psl file failed at 3800
ns. The simulation is stopped at that time. Note that with no assertions,
the testbench did not report a failure until 246,800 ns, over 60x the
simulation time required for a failure to be reported with assertions.
The Wave window displays a red triangle at the point of the simulation
break and shows "FAIL" in the values column of the
assert_check_refresh assertion (Figure 123). The blue sections of the
assertion waveforms indicate inactive assertions; green indicates active
assertions.
The Assertions pane also indicates a failure of assert_check_refresh in
the Failure Count column (Figure 124).
Youll notice in the Functional Coverage window that the cover
directives have not been executed.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Debugging the assertion failure T-141

Debugging the assertion failure Figure 125: Source code for failed assertion

1 View the source code of the failed assertion.

Verilog: The current line arrow points to the failed assertion on line 24
of the dram_cntrl.psl file (Figure 125). This assertion consists of
checking the check_refresh property, which is defined on lines 20-22.
The property states that when the refresh signal is active, then we will
wait until the memory controller state goes to IDLE. The longest a read
or write should take is 14 cycles. If the controller is already IDLE, then
the wait is 0 cycles. Once the controller is in IDLE state, then the refresh
sequence should start in the next cycle.
The refresh_sequence (second line of the property) is defined on line 18.
The key part of the refresh protocol is that we_n must be held high (write
enable not active) for the entire refresh cycle.
VHDL: The current line arrow points to the failed assertion on line 24 of
the dram_cntrl.psl file. The refresh_sequence (second line of the
property) is defined on line 20.

2 Check the Wave window to see if we_n was held high through both REF1 and
REF2 states. Figure 126: Examining we_n with respect to mem_state

a Expand assert_check_refresh to reveal all signals referenced by the

assertion.
b Resize and scroll the Wave window so you can see we_n under the
Assertions divider and the mem_state signal in the Memory Controller
section above the assertions (Figure 126).
c Zoom in on the last 600 ns of the simulation using the Zoom in 2x icon
or the View > Zoom menu selections.
It is easy to see that we_n is high only during the REF1 state. It is low
during REF2.
Lets examine we_n further.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-142 Lesson 12 - Debugging with PSL assertions

3 Examine we_n in the Dataflow and Source windows. Figure 127: Viewing we_n in the Dataflow window
a Open the Dataflow window by selecting View > Debug Windows >
Dataflow (Main window).
b Drag we_n from the Wave window to the Dataflow window.
Verilog: The Dataflow window shows that we_n is driven by the
#ASSIGN#106 process, with inputs rw and mem_state (Figure 127). The
values shown in yellow are the values for each signal at the point at
which the simulation stopped - 3100 ns. We see that we_n is St0 when
mem_state is REF2. As noted above, we_n should be St1. This is the
reason for the assertion failure.
VHDL: The Dataflow window shows that we_n is driven by the process
at line 61, which has inputs rw and mem_state. The values shown in
yellow are the values for each signal at the point at which the simulation
stopped - 3800 ns. We see that we_n is St0 when mem_state is REF2. As
noted above, we_n should be St1. This is the reason for the assertion
failure.
Figure 128: Finding the bug in the source code
c Select the process that drives we_n in order to display its source code in
the Source window.
Verilog: Looking at the Source window youll see that the current line
arrow points to line 104 of the dramcon_rtl.sv file (Figure 128). In this
line you can see that the logic assigning we_n is wrong - it does not
account for the REF2 state.
The code shows that the incorrect assignment is used for the example
with the correct assignment immediately below (lines 106-107) that will
hold we_n high through both states of the refresh cycle.
VHDL: Looking at the Source window you can see that the current line
arrow points to line 61 of the dramcon_rtl.vhd file. In this line you can
see that the logic assigning we_n is wrong - it does not account for the
REF2 state.
The code shows that the incorrect assignment is used for the example
with the correct assignment immediately below (line 65) that will hold
we_n high through both states of the refresh cycle.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Display cover directives in count mode T-143

Display cover directives in count mode Figure 129: Display a cover directive in count mode

You can change the functional coverage waveform so it displays in a decimal

integer format - the count mode.

1 Right-click a functional coverage waveform and select Cover Directive

View > Count Mode (Figure 129).
The cover directives count mode can be useful for gauging the effectiveness
of stimulus over time. If all cover directive counts are static for a long period
of time, it may be that the stimulus is acting in a wasteful manner and can be
improved.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-144 Lesson 12 - Debugging with PSL assertions

Reporting functional coverage statistics Figure 130: Create a text file of the functional coverage

Save an ASCII file of the functional coverage statistics.

1 Select Tools > Functional Coverage > Reports (Main window) to open the
Functional coverage report dialog (Figure 130).

2 Select the All cover directives radio button.

3 Select None in the Filtering options.

4 Select Include aggregated results and Include detailed results from the
Contents options.

5 Select Write to File from the Other Options. You can use the default
filename fcover_report.txt or rename the file.

6 Click OK to create the report.

The new report will appear automatically in the Notepad viewer. You can
view the report at any time by entering notepad fcover_report.txt at the
command line.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Lesson wrap-up T-145

Lesson wrap-up
This concludes this lesson. Before continuing we need to end the current
simulation.

1 Select Simulate > End Simulation. Click Yes.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-146 Lesson 12 - Debugging with PSL assertions

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-147

Lesson 13 - Waveform Compare

Topics
The following topics are covered in this lesson:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-148
Design files for this lesson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-148
Related reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-148

Creating the test dataset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-150

Verilog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-150
VHDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-151

Comparing the simulation runs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-152

Viewing comparison data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-153
Viewing comparison data in the Main window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-153
Viewing comparison data in the Wave window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-153
Viewing comparison data in the List window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-154

Saving and reloading comparison data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-155

Lesson wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-157

Note: The functionality described in this tutorial requires a compare license feature in
your ModelSim license file. Please contact your Mentor Graphics sales representative if
you currently do not have such a feature.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-148 Lesson 13 - Waveform Compare

Introduction
Waveform Compare computes timing differences between test signals and
reference signals. The general procedure for comparing waveforms has four main
steps:

1 Selecting the simulations or datasets to compare

2 Specifying the signals or regions to compare

3 Running the comparison

4 Viewing the comparison results

In this exercise you will run and save a simulation, edit one of the source files, run
the simulation again, and finally compare the two runs.

Design files for this lesson

The sample design for this lesson consists of a finite state machine which controls
a behavioral memory. The testbench test_sm provides stimulus.
The ModelSim installation comes with Verilog and VHDL versions of this design.
The files are located in the following directories:
Verilog <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/compare/verilog
VHDL <install_dir>/modeltech/examples/compare/vhdl
This lesson uses the Verilog version in the examples. If you have a VHDL license,
use the VHDL version instead. When necessary, we distinguish between the
Verilog and VHDL versions of the design.

Related reading
"Waveform Compare" (UM-270), Chapter 8 - WLF files (datasets) and virtuals
(UM-225)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Creating the reference dataset T-149

Creating the reference dataset

The reference dataset is the .wlf file that the test dataset will be compared against.
It can be a saved dataset, the current simulation dataset, or any part of the current
simulation dataset.
In this exercise you will use a DO file to create the reference dataset.

1 Create a new directory and copy the tutorial files into it.
Start by creating a new directory for this exercise (in case other users will be
working with these lessons). Create the directory and copy all files from
<install_dir>/modeltech/examples/compare/verilog to the new directory.
If you have a VHDL license, copy the files in <install_dir>/modeltech/
examples/compare/vhdl instead.

2 Start ModelSim and change to the exercise directory.

If you just finished the previous lesson, ModelSim should already be running.
If not, start ModelSim.
a Type vsim at a UNIX shell prompt or use the ModelSim icon in
Windows.
If the Welcome to ModelSim dialog appears, click Close.
b Select File > Change Directory and change to the directory you created
in step 1.

3 Execute the lesson DO file.

a Type do gold_sim.do at the ModelSim> prompt.
The DO file does the following:
Creates and maps the work library
Compiles the Verilog and VHDL files
Runs the simulation and saves the results to a dataset named gold.wlf
Quits the simulation
Feel free to open the DO file and look at its contents.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-150 Lesson 13 - Waveform Compare

Creating the test dataset

The test dataset is the .wlf file that will be compared against the reference dataset.
Like the reference dataset, the test dataset can be a saved dataset, the current
simulation dataset, or any part of the current simulation dataset.
To simplify matters, you will create the test dataset from the simulation you just
ran. However, you will edit the testbench to create differences between the two
runs.

Verilog

1 Edit the testbench.

a Select File > Open and open test_sm.v.
b Scroll to line 122, which looks like this:
@ (posedge clk) wt_wd('h10,'haa);

c Change the data pattern aa to ab:

@ (posedge clk) wt_wd('h10,'hab);

d Select File > Save to save the file.

2 Compile the revised file and rerun the simulation.

a Type do sec_sim.do at the ModelSim> prompt.
The DO file does the following:
Re-compiles the testbench
Adds waves to the Wave window
Runs the simulation

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Creating the test dataset T-151

VHDL

1 Edit the testbench.

a Select File > Open and open test_sm.vhd.
b Scroll to line 151, which looks like this:
wt_wd ( 16#10#, 16#aa#, clk, into );

c Change the data pattern aa to ab:

wt_wd ( 16#10#, 16#ab#, clk, into );

d Select File > Save to save the file.

2 Compile the revised file and rerun the simulation.

a Type do sec_sim.do at the ModelSim> prompt.
The DO file does the following:
Re-compiles the testbench
Adds waves to the Wave window
Runs the simulation

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-152 Lesson 13 - Waveform Compare

Comparing the simulation runs Figure 131: First dialog of the Comparison Wizard

ModelSim includes a Comparison Wizard that walks you through the process.
You can also configure the comparison manually with menu or command line
commands. 1b

1 Create a comparison using the Comparison Wizard.

a Select Tools > Waveform Compare > Comparison Wizard. 1c

b Click the Browse button and select gold.wlf as the reference dataset
(Figure 131).
Recall that gold.wlf is from the first simulation run.
c Leaving the test dataset set to Use Current Simulation, click Next.
d Select Compare All Signals in the second dialog and click Next (Figure
132).
e In the next three dialogs, click Next, Compute Differences Now, and
Finish, respectively.
ModelSim performs the comparison and displays the compared signals Figure 132: Second dialog of the Comparison Wizard
in the Wave window.

1d

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Viewing comparison data T-153

Viewing comparison data Figure 133: Comparison information in the Main window

Comparison data displays in three places within the ModelSim GUI: the
Workspace pane of the Main window, the Wave window, and the List window.

Viewing comparison data in the Main window

Comparison information displays in three places in the Main window: the
Compare tab in the Workspace pane shows the region that was compared; the
Transcript shows the number of differences found between the reference and test
datasets; and the Objects pane shows comparison differences if you select the
object on the Compare tab (Figure 133).

Viewing comparison data in the Wave window

In the pathnames pane of the Wave window, a timing difference is denoted by a
red X (Figure 134). Red areas in the waveform pane show the location of the Figure 134: Comparison objects in the Wave window
timing differences, as do the red lines in the scrollbars. Annotated differences are
highlighted in blue.
The Wave window includes six compare icons that let you quickly jump between
differences (Figure 135). From left to right, the icons do the following: find first
difference, find previous annotated difference, find previous difference, find next
difference, find next annotated difference, find last difference. Use these icons to
move the selected cursor.
The compare icons cycle through differences on all signals. To view differences
for just the selected signal, use <tab> and <shift> - <tab>.

Figure 135: The compare icons

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-154 Lesson 13 - Waveform Compare

Viewing comparison data in the List window Figure 136: Compare differences in the List window

You can also view the results of your waveform comparison in the List window.

1 Add comparison data to the List window.

a Select View > Debug Windows > List from the Main window menu bar.
b Drag the test_sm comparison object from the compare tab of the Main
window to the List window.
c Scroll down the window.
Differences are noted with yellow highlighting (Figure 136). Differences
that have been annotated have red highlighting.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Saving and reloading comparison data T-155

Saving and reloading comparison data Figure 137: Coverage data saved to a text file

You can save comparison data for later viewing, either in a text file or in files that
can be reloaded into ModelSim.
To save comparison data so it can be reloaded into ModelSim, you must save two
files. First, you save the computed differences to one file; next, you save the
comparison configuration rules to a separate file. When you reload the data, you
must have the reference dataset open.

1 Save the comparison data to a text file.

a Select Tools > Waveform Compare > Differences > Write Report.
b Click Save.
This saved compare.txt to the current directory (Figure 137).
c Type notepad compare.txt at the VSIM> prompt.
d Close Notepad when you are done reviewing the report.

2 Save the comparison data in files that can be reloaded into ModelSim.
a Select Tools > Waveform Compare > Differences > Save.
b Click Save.
This saved compare.dif to the current directory.
c Select Tools > Waveform Compare > Rules > Save.
d Click Save.
This saved compare.rul to the current directory.
e Select Tools > Waveform Compare > End Comparison.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-156 Lesson 13 - Waveform Compare

3 Reload the comparison data. Figure 138: Displaying log files in the Open dialog
a Select File > Open and open.
b Change the Files of Type to Log Files (*.wlf).
c Double-click gold.wlf to open the dataset.
d Select Tools > Waveform Compare > Reload.
Since you saved the data using default file names, the dialog should
already have the correct files specified (Figure 139).
e Click OK.
The comparison reloads.

3b

Figure 139: Reloading saved comparison data

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Lesson wrap-up T-157

Lesson wrap-up
This concludes this lesson. Before continuing we need to end the current
simulation and close the gold.wlf dataset.

1 Type quit -sim at the VSIM> prompt.

2 Type dataset close gold at the ModelSim> prompt.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-158 Lesson 13 - Waveform Compare

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-159

Lesson 14 - Automating ModelSim

Topics
The following topics are covered in this lesson:

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-160
Related reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-160

Creating a simple DO file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-161

Running ModelSim in command-line mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-163

Using Tcl with ModelSim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-166

Lesson Wrap-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-168

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-160 Lesson 14 - Automating ModelSim

Introduction
Aside from executing a couple of pre-existing DO files, the previous lessons
focused on using ModelSim in interactive mode: executing single commands, one
after another, via the GUI menus or Main window command line. In situations
where you have repetitive tasks to complete, you can increase your productivity
with DO files.
DO files are scripts that allow you to execute many commands at once. The scripts
can be as simple as a series of ModelSim commands with associated arguments,
or they can be full-blown Tcl programs with variables, conditional execution, and
so forth. You can execute DO files from within the GUI or you can run them from
the system command prompt without ever invoking the GUI.

Important: This lesson assumes that you have added the

<install_dir>/modeltech/<platform> directory to your PATH. If you did not,
you will need to specify full paths to the tools (i.e., vlib, vmap, vlog, vcom, and
vsim) that are used in the lesson.

Related reading
ModelSim Users Manual 20 - Tcl and macros (DO files) (UM-225)

Practical Programming in Tcl and Tk, Brent B. Welch, Copyright 1997

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Creating a simple DO file T-161

Creating a simple DO file

Creating DO files is as simple as typing the commands in a text file. Alternatively,
you can save the Main window transcript as a DO file. In this exercise, you will
use the transcript to create a DO file that adds signals to the Wave window,
provides stimulus to those signals, and then advances the simulation.

1 Load the test_counter design unit.

a If necessary, start ModelSim.
b Change to the directory you created in Lesson 2 - Basic simulation.
c In the Library tab of the Workspace pane, double-click the test_counter
design unit to load it.

2 Enter commands to add signals to the Wave window, force signals, and run
the simulation.
a Select File > New > Source > Do to create a new DO file.
a Enter the following commands into the source window:
add wave count
add wave clk
add wave reset
force -freeze clk 0 0, 1 {50 ns} -r 100
force reset 1
run 100
force reset 0
run 300
force reset 1
run 400
force reset 0
run 200

3 Save the file.

a Select File > Save As.
b Type sim.do in the File name: field and save it to the current directory.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-162 Lesson 14 - Automating ModelSim

4 Load the simulation again and use the DO file.

a Type quit -sim at the VSIM> prompt.
b Type vsim test_counter at the ModelSim> prompt.
c Type do sim.do at the VSIM> prompt.
ModelSim executes the saved commands and draws the waves in the
Wave window.

5 When you are done with this exercise, select File > Quit to quit ModelSim.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Running ModelSim in command-line mode T-163

Running ModelSim in command-line mode

We use the term "command-line mode" to refer to simulations that are run from a
DOS/ UNIX prompt without invoking the GUI. Several ModelSim commands
(e.g., vsim, vlib, vlog, etc.) are actually stand-alone executables that can be
invoked at the system command prompt. Additionally, you can create a DO file
that contains other ModelSim commands and specify that file when you invoke
the simulator.

1 Create a new directory and copy the tutorial files into it.
Start by creating a new directory for this exercise. Create the directory and
copy these files into it:
\<install_dir>\modeltech\examples\counter.v
\<install_dir>\modeltech\examples\stim.do
We have used the Verilog file counter.v in this example. If you have a VHDL
license, use counter.vhd instead.

2 Create a new design library and compile the source file.

Again, enter these commands at a DOS/ UNIX prompt in the new directory
you created in step 1.
a Type vlib work at the DOS/ UNIX prompt.
b For Verilog, type vlog counter.v at the DOS/ UNIX prompt. For VHDL,
type vcom counter.vhd.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-164 Lesson 14 - Automating ModelSim

3 Create a DO file.
a Open a text editor.
b Type the following lines into a new file:
# list all signals in decimal format
add list -decimal *

# read in stimulus
do stim.do

# output results
write list counter.lst

# quit the simulation

quit -f

c Save the file with the name sim.do and place it in the current directory.

4 Run the batch-mode simulation.

a Type vsim -c -do sim.do counter -wlf counter.wlf at the DOS/ UNIX
prompt.
The -c argument instructs ModelSim not to invoke the GUI. The -wlf
argument saves the simulation results in a WLF file. This allows you to
view the simulation results in the GUI for debugging purposes.

5 View the list output.

a Open counter.lst and view the simulation results.
ns /counter/count
delta /counter/clk
/counter/reset
0 +0 x z *
1 +0 0 z *
50 +0 0 * *
100 +0 0 0 *
100 +1 0 0 0
150 +0 0 * 0
151 +0 1 * 0
200 +0 1 0 0
250 +0 1 * 0
.
.
.

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 Running ModelSim in command-line mode T-165

This is the output produced by the Verilog version of the design. It may Figure 140: A dataset in the Main window Workspace
appear slightly different if you used the VHDL version.

6 View the results in the GUI.

Since you saved the simulation results in counter.wlf, you can view them in
the GUI by invoking VSIM with the -view argument.
a Type vsim -view counter.wlf at the DOS/ UNIX prompt.
The GUI opens and a dataset tab named "counter" is displayed in the
Workspace (Figure 140).
b Right-click the counter instance and select Add > Add to Wave.
The waveforms display in the Wave window.

7 When you finish viewing the results, select File > Quit to close ModelSim.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-166 Lesson 14 - Automating ModelSim

Using Tcl with ModelSim

The DO files used in previous exercises contained only ModelSim commands.
However, DO files are really just Tcl scripts. This means you can include a whole
variety of Tcl constructs such as procedures, conditional operators, math and trig
functions, regular expressions, and so forth.
In this exercise youll create a simple Tcl script that tests for certain values on a
signal and then adds bookmarks that zoom the Wave window when that value
exists. Bookmarks allow you to save a particular zoom range and scroll position
in the Wave window. The Tcl script also creates buttons in the Main window that
call these bookmarks.

1 Create the script.

a In a text editor, open a new file and enter the following lines:
proc add_wave_zoom {stime num} {
echo "Bookmarking wave $num"
bookmark add wave "bk$num" "[expr $stime - 50] [expr $stime +
100]" 0
add button "$num" [list bookmark goto wave bk$num]
}

These commands do the following:

Create a new procedure called "add_wave_zoom" that has two
arguments, stime and num.
Create a bookmark with a zoom range from the current simulation
time minus 50 time units to the current simulation time plus 100 time
units.
Add a button to the Main window that calls the bookmark.
b Now add these lines to the bottom of the script:
add wave -r /*
when {clk'event and clk="1"} {
echo "Count is [exa count]"
if {[exa count]== "00100111"} {
add_wave_zoom $now 1
} elseif {[exa count]== "01000111"} {
add_wave_zoom $now 2
}
}

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Using Tcl with ModelSim T-167

These commands do the following:

Add all signals to the Wave window.
Use a when statement to identify when clk transitions to 1.
Examine the value of count at those transitions and add a bookmark
if it is a certain value.
c Save the script with the name "add_bkmrk.do."
Save it into the directory you created in Lesson 2 - Basic simulation.

2 Load the test_counter design unit.

a Start ModelSim.
b Select File > Change Directory and change to the directory you saved
the DO file to in step 1c above.
c In the Library tab of the Main window, expand the work library and
double-click the test_counter design unit.

3 Execute the DO file and run the design.

a Type do add_bkmrk.do at the VSIM> prompt.
b Type run 1500 ns at the VSIM> prompt.
The simulation runs and the DO file creates two bookmarks. It also
creates buttons (labeled "1" and "2") on the Main window toolbar that
jump to the bookmarks (Figure 141).
c Click the buttons and watch the Wave window zoom on and scroll to the
time when count is the value specified in the DO file.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-168 Lesson 14 - Automating ModelSim

Lesson Wrap-up Figure 141: Buttons added to the Main window toolbar

This concludes this lesson.

1 Select File > Quit to close ModelSim.

3c

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-169

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 T-173

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T-174 License Agreement

ModelSim SE Tutorial
Index
A coverage report command T-133
cursors, Wave window T-70, T-85
aCC T-53
add dataflow command T-96
add wave command T-68
D
Assertions
Dataflow window T-89
add to dataflow T-142
displaying hierarchy T-96
debugging failures T-141
expanding to drivers/readers T-92
ignore assertions during simulation T-138
options T-96
-nopsl argument to vsim T-138
tracing events T-93
speeding debugging T-139
tracing unknowns T-95
using assertions for debugging T-135
dataset close command T-157
design library
B working type T-16
DO files T-159
break icon T-26 documentation T-7
breakpoints drivers, expanding to T-92
in SystemC modules T-61
setting T-27
stepping T-28
E
error messages, more information T-46
C external libraries, linking to T-46

C Debug T-61
Code Coverage
F
excluding lines and files T-132
folders, in projects T-37
reports T-133
format, saving for Wave window T-73
Source window T-129
command-line mode T-163
comparisons, Waveform Compare T-147 G
compile order, changing T-35
compiling your design T-13, T-23 gcc T-53
-cover argument T-125
-coverage argument T-126

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-176 Index

H P
hierarchy, displaying in Dataflow window T-96 Performance Analyzer T-113
filtering data T-120
physical connectivity T-92
L Profiler
profile details T-118
libraries view profile data T-119
design library types T-16 viewing profile details T-118
linking to external libraries T-46 projects T-31
mapping to permanently T-49 adding items to T-34
resource libraries T-16 creating T-33
working libraries T-16 flow overview T-15
working, creating T-21 organizing with folders T-37
linking to external libraries T-46 simulation configurations T-39

M Q
macros T-159
quit command T-46
manuals T-7
mapping libraries permanently T-49
memories R
changing values T-109
initializing T-107 radix command T-102
viewing T-99 reference dataset, Waveform Compare T-149
memory contents, saving to a file T-106 reference signals T-148
Memory window T-99 run -all T-26
run command T-25
N
S
notepad command T-155
saving simulation options T-39
simulation
O basic flow overview T-13
comparing runs T-147
options, simulation T-39
restarting T-27
running T-25
simulation configurations T-39

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 T-177

Standard Developers Kit User Manual T-7 measuring time with cursors T-70, T-85
stepping after a breakpoint T-28 saving format T-73
Support T-8 zooming T-69, T-80
SystemC T-51 Waveform Compare T-147
setting up the environment T-53 reference signals T-148
supported platforms T-53 saving and reloading T-155
viewing in the GUI T-60 test signals T-148
working library, creating T-13, T-21
T
X
Tcl, using in ModelSim T-166
Technical support and updates T-8 X values, tracing T-95
test dataset, Waveform Compare T-150
test signals T-148
time, measuring in Wave window T-70, T-85 Z
toggle statistics, Signals window T-131
zooming, Wave window T-69, T-80
tracing events T-93
tracing unknowns T-95

U
unknowns, tracing T-95

V
vcom command T-101
verror command T-46
vlib command T-101
vlog command T-101
vsim command T-21

W
Wave window T-65, T-75
adding items to T-68, T-78
cursors T-70, T-85

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-178 Index

ModelSim SE Tutorial