ModelSim ®

SE
Tutorial
Version 5.6d

Published: 6/Aug/02

The world’s most popular HDL simulator

T-2

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ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-3

Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-5
Lesson 1 - Creating a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-11
Lesson 2 - Basic VHDL simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-17
Lesson 3 - Basic Verilog simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-25
Lesson 4 - Mixed VHDL/Verilog simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-37
Lesson 5 - Debugging a VHDL design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-45
Lesson 6 - Finding names and values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-53
Lesson 7 - Using the Wave window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-57
Lesson 8 - Simulating with the Performance Analyzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-65
Lesson 9 - Simulating with Code Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-75
Lesson 10 - Comparing waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-83
Lesson 11 - Debugging with the Dataflow window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-95
Lesson 12 - Running a batch-mode simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-111
Lesson 13 - Executing commands at load time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-115
Lesson 14 - Tcl/Tk and ModelSim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-117
License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-131
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-137

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-4

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-5

Introduction
Chapter contents
Software versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-6

ModelSim’s graphic interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-6

Standards supported . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-6

Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-7

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

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

Before you begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T-9

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-6 Introduction

Software versions
This documentation was written to support ModelSim SE 5.6d for UNIX and Microsoft
Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP. If the ModelSim software you are using is a later release,
check the README file that accompanied the software. Any supplemental information
will be there.
Although this document covers both VHDL and Verilog simulation, you will find it a
useful reference even if your design work is limited to a single HDL.

ModelSim’s graphic interface

While your operating system interface provides the window-management frame,
ModelSim controls all internal-window features including menus, buttons, and scroll bars.
The resulting simulator interface remains consistent within these operating systems:
• SPARCstation with OpenWindows, OSF/Motif, or CDE
• IBM RISC System/6000 with OSF/Motif
• Hewlett-Packard HP 9000 Series 700 with HP VUE, OSF/Motif, or CDE
• Linux (Red Hat v. 6, 7 or later) with KDE or GNOME
• Microsoft Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP
Because ModelSim’s graphic interface is based on Tcl/Tk, you also have the tools to build
your own simulation environment. Easily accessible preference variables and configuration
commands, simulator preference variables, and graphic interface commands give you
control over the use and placement of windows, menus, menu options and buttons.

Standards supported
ModelSim VHDL supports both the IEEE 1076-1987 and 1076-1993 VHDL, the
1164-1993 Standard Multivalue Logic System for VHDL Interoperability, and the
1076.2-1996 Standard VHDL Mathematical Packages standards. Any design developed
with ModelSim will be compatible with any other VHDL system that is compliant with
either IEEE Standard 1076-1987 or 1076-1993.
ModelSim Verilog is based on IEEE Std 1364-1995 and a partial implementation of
1364-2001 (see /<install_dir>/modeltech/docs/technotes/vlog_2000.note for
implementation details) Standard Hardware Description Language. The Open Verilog
International Verilog LRM version 2.0 is also applicable to a large extent. Both PLI
(Programming Language Interface) and VCD (Value Change Dump) are supported for
ModelSim PE and SE users.
In addition, all products support SDF 1.0 through 3.0, VITAL 2.2b, VITAL’95 – IEEE
1076.4-1995, and VITAL 2000 – IEEE 1076.4-2000.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Assumptions T-7

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 and Verilog. Although
ModelSim is an excellent tool to use while learning HDL concepts and practices, this
document is not written to support that goal.

Where to find our documentation

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

Document Format How to get it

Start Here for ModelSim SE paper shipped with ModelSim

(installation & support
reference) PDF select Main window > Help > SE Documentation; also available
from the Support page of our web site: www.model.com

ModelSim SE Quick Guide paper shipped with ModelSim

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

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

ModelSim SE User’s PDF, HTML select Main window > Help > SE Documentation
Manual

ModelSim SE Command PDF, HTML select Main window > Help > SE Documentation
Reference

ModelSim Foreign PDF, HTML select Main window > Help > SE Documentation
Language Interface
Reference

Std_DevelopersKit User’s PDF www.model.com/support/pdf/sdk_um.pdf

Manual
The Standard Developer’s Kit is for use with Mentor Graphics
QuickHDL.

ModelSim Command Help ASCII type help [command name] at the prompt in the Main window

Error message help ASCII type verror <msgNum> at the prompt in the Main window or at a
shell prompt

Tcl Man Pages (Tcl HTML select Main window > Help > Tcl Man Pages, or find
manual) contents.htm in \modeltech\docs\tcl_help_html

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-8

Document Format How to get it

application notes HTML www.model.com/resources/techdocs.asp

frequently asked questions HTML www.model.com/resources/faqs.asp

tech notes ASCII select Main window > Help > Technotes, or located in the
\modeltech\docs\technotes directory

Technical support and updates

The Model Technology web site includes links to support, software updates, and many
other information sources.

Support
www.model.com/support/default.asp
Customers in Europe should contact their distributor for support. See
www.model.com/contact_us.asp for distributor contact information.

Updates
www.model.com/products/release.asp

Latest version email

Place your name on our list for email notification of news and updates.
www.model.com/support/register_news_list.asp

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 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 ModelSim’s GUI, the interface is consistent
for all platforms.)
Additional details for VHDL, Verilog, and mixed VHDL/Verilog simulation can be found
in the ModelSim User’s Manual and Command Reference. (See "Where to find our
documentation" (T-7).)
Examples show Windows path separators - use separators appropriate for your operating
system when trying the examples.

Command, button, and menu equivalents

Many of the lesson steps are accomplished by a button or menu selection. When
appropriate, VSIM command line (PROMPT:) or menu (MENU:) equivalents for these
selections are shown in parentheses within the step. This example shows three options to
the run -all command, a button, prompt command, and a menu selection.

(PROMPT: run -all) (MENU: Simulate > Run > Run -All)

Drag and drop

Drag and drop allows you to copy and move signals among windows. If drag and drop
applies to a lesson step, it is noted in a fashion similar to MENUS and PROMPTS with:
DRAG&DROP.

Command history
As you work on the lessons, keep an eye on the Main transcript window. The commands
invoked by buttons and menu selections are echoed there. You can scroll through the
command history with the up and down arrow keys, or the command history may be
reviewed with several shortcuts at the ModelSim/VSIM prompt.

Shortcut Description

click on prompt left-click once on a previous ModelSim or VSIM prompt in

the transcript to copy the command typed at that prompt to
the active cursor
his or history shows the last few commands (up to 50 are kept)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-10 Introduction

Reusing commands from the Main transcript

ModelSim’s Main transcript can be saved, and the resulting file used as a DO (macro) file
to replay the transcribed commands. You can save the transcript at any time before or
during simulation. You have the option of clearing the transcript (File > Transcript > Clear
Transcript) if you don’t want to save the entire command history.
To save the contents of the transcript select File > Transcript > Save Transcript As from
the Main menu.
Replay the saved transcript with the do command:
do <do file name>

For example, if you saved a series of compiler commands as mycompile.do (the .do
extension is optional), you could recompile with one command:
do mycompile.do

Note: Neither the prompt nor the Return that ends a command line are shown in the
examples.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-11

Lesson 1 - Creating a Project

The goals for this lesson are:
• Create a project
A project is a collection entity for an HDL design under specification or test. Projects ease
interaction with the tool and are useful for organizing files and simulation settings. 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
For more information about using project files, see the ModelSim User’s Manual.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-12 Lesson 1 - Creating a Project

Creating a project
1 Start ModelSim with one of the following:
for UNIX at the shell prompt:
vsim

for Windows - your option - from a Windows shortcut icon, from the Start menu, or
from a DOS prompt:
modelsim.exe

Note: if you didn’t add ModelSim to your search path during installation, you will have
to include the full path when you type this command at a DOS prompt.

Upon opening ModelSim for the first time, you will see the Welcome to ModelSim
dialog. (If this screen is not available, you can display it by selecting Help > Welcome
Menu from the Main window.)

2 Select Create a Project from the Welcome dialog, or File > New > Project (Main
window). In the Create Project dialog box, enter "test" as the Project Name and select

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Creating a project T-13

a directory where the project file will be stored. Leave the Default Library Name set to
"work."

Upon selecting OK, you will see a blank Project tab in the workspace area of the Main
window and the Add Items to the Project dialog.

workspace

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-14 Lesson 1 - Creating a Project

3 The next step is to add the files that contain your design units. Click Add Existing File
in the Add Items to Project dialog. For this exercise, we’ll add two Verilog files.
Click the Browse button in the Add file to Project dialog box and open the examples
directory in your ModelSim installation. Select tcounter.v and counter.v. Select
Reference from current location and then click OK.

4 Click your right mouse button (2nd button in Windows; 3rd button in UNIX) in the
Project page and select Compile > Compile All.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Creating a project T-15

5 The two files are compiled. Click on the Library tab and expand the work library by
clicking the "+" icon. You’ll see the compiled design units listed.

6 The last step in this exercise is to load one of the design units. Double-click counter on
the Library page. You’ll see a new page appear in the Workspace that displays the
structure of the counter design unit.

At this point, you would generally run the simulation and analyze or debug your design.
We’ll do just that in the upcoming lessons. For now, let’s wrap up by ending the simulation
and closing the project. Select Simulate > End Simulation and confirm that you want to

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-16 Lesson 1 - Creating a Project

quit simulating. Next, select File > Close > Project, confirm that you want to close the
project, and select Yes to update your project file with the changes you made during this
session.
Note that a test.mpf file has been created in your working directory. This file contains
information about the project test that you just created. ModelSim will open this project
automatically the next time you invoke the tool.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-17

Lesson 2 - Basic VHDL simulation

The goals for this lesson are:
• Create a library and compile a VHDL file
• Load a design
• Learn about the basic ModelSim windows, mouse, and menu conventions
• Force the value of a signal
• Run ModelSim using the run command
• Set a breakpoint
• Single-step through a simulation run
The project feature covered in Lesson 1 executes several actions automatically such as
creating and mapping work libraries. In this lesson we will go through the entire process so
you get a feel for how ModelSim really works.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-18 Lesson 2 - Basic VHDL simulation

Compiling the design

1 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 of the VHDL (.vhd) files from
\<install_dir>\modeltech\examples to the new directory.
Make sure the new directory is the current directory. Do this by invoking ModelSim
from the new directory or by selecting File > Change Directory (Main window).

2 Start ModelSim with one of the following:

for UNIX at the shell prompt:
vsim

for Windows - your option - from a Windows shortcut icon, from the Start menu, or
from a DOS prompt:
modelsim.exe

Note: If you didn’t add ModelSim to your search path during installation, you will have
to include the full path when you type this command at a DOS prompt.

Select "Proceed to ModelSim" if the Welcome dialog appears.

3 Before you compile any HDL code, you’ll need a design library to hold the
compilation results. To create a new design library, make this menu selection in the
Main window: File > New > Library.
Make sure Create: a new
library and a logical
mapping to it is selected.
Type "work" in the
Library Name field and
then select OK.
This creates a
subdirectory named work
- your design library -
within the current
directory. ModelSim
saves a special file named
_info in the subdirectory.
(PROMPT: vlib work
vmap work work)

Note: Do not create a Library directory using UNIX or Windows commands, because
the _info file will not be created. Always use the File menu or the vlib command from
either the ModelSim or UNIX/DOS prompt.)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Compiling the design T-19

4 Compile the file counter.vhd into the new library by selecting Compile > Compile.

(PROMPT: vcom counter.vhd)

This opens the Compile HDL Source Files dialog box. (You won’t see this dialog box
if you invoke vcom from the command line.)

Complete the compilation by selecting counter.vhd from the file list and clicking
Compile. Select Done when you are finished.
You can compile multiple files in one session from the file list. Individually select and
compile the files in the order required by your design.
Note that you can have ModelSim determine the compile order. See "Auto-generating
compile order" in the Project chapter of the ModelSim User’s Manual for details.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-20 Lesson 2 - Basic VHDL simulation

Loading the design

1 Load the design unit by selecting Simulate > Simulate.

(PROMPT: vsim counter)

The Simulate dialog box appears. Click the "+" sign next to ’work’ to see the counter
design unit. (You won’t see this dialog box if you invoke vsim with counter from the
command line.)

If the Design Unit is an entity (like counter in this design), you can expand it to view
any associated architectures.

Select the entity counter and choose Load.

2 Next, select View > All Windows from the Main window menu to open all ModelSim
windows.
(PROMPT: view *)

For descriptions of the windows, consult the ModelSim User’s Manual.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Loading the design T-21

3 Next let’s add top-level signals to the Wave window by selecting Add > Wave >
Signals in Region from the Signals window menu.
(PROMPT: add wave /counter/*)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-22 Lesson 2 - Basic VHDL simulation

Running the simulation

We will start the simulation by applying stimulus to the clock input.

1 Click in the Main window and enter the following command at the VSIM prompt:
force clk 1 50, 0 100 -repeat 100

(Signals MENU: Edit > Clock)

ModelSim interprets this force command as follows:

• force clk to the value 1 at 50 ns after the current time
• then to 0 at 100 ns after the current time
• repeat this cycle every 100 ns

2 Now you will exercise two different Run functions from the toolbar buttons on either
the Main or Wave window. (The Run functions are identical in the Main and Wave
windows.) Select the Run button first. When the run is complete, select Run -All.
Run. This causes the simulation to run and then stop after 100 ns.

(PROMPT: run 100) (Main MENU: Simulate > Run > Run 100ns)

Run -All. This causes the simulator to run forever. To stop the run, go on to the next
step.

(PROMPT: run -all) (Main MENU: Simulate > Run > Run -All)

3 Select the Break button on either the Main or Wave toolbar to interrupt the run. The
simulator will stop running as soon as it gets to an acceptable stopping point.

(Main MENU: Simulate > Break)

The arrow in the Source window points to the next HDL statement to be executed. (If
the simulator is not evaluating a process at the time the Break occurs, no arrow will be
displayed in the Source window.)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Running the simulation T-23

4 Next, you will set a breakpoint in the function on line 18. Scroll the Source window
until line 18 is visible. Click on or near line number 18 to set the breakpoint.
You should see a red dot next to the line number where the breakpoint is set. The
breakpoint can be toggled between enabled and disabled by clicking it. When a
breakpoint is disabled, the dot appears open. To delete the breakpoint, click the line
number with your right mouse button and select Remove Breakpoint 18.
(PROMPT: bp counter.vhd 18)

Note: Breakpoints can be set only on executable lines, denoted by blue line numbers.

5 Select the Continue Run button to resume the run that you interrupted. ModelSim will
hit the breakpoint, as shown by an arrow in the Source window and by a Break message
in the Main window.

(PROMPT: run -continue) (MENU: Simulate > Run > Continue)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-24 Lesson 2 - Basic VHDL simulation

6 Click the Step button in the Main or Source window several times to single-step
through the simulation. Notice that the values change in the Variables window (you
may need to expand the Variables window).

(PROMPT: step) (MENU: Simulate > Run > Step)

7 This concludes the basic VHDL simulation tutorial. When you’re done, quit the
simulator by entering the command:
quit -force

This command exits ModelSim without asking for confirmation.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-25

Lesson 3 - Basic Verilog simulation

The goals for this lesson are:
• Compile a Verilog design
• List signals in the design
• Examine the hierarchy of the design
• Simulate the design
• Change the default run length
• Set a breakpoint

The project feature covered in Lesson 1 executes several actions automatically such as
creating and mapping work libraries. In this lesson we will go through the entire process so
you get a feel for how ModelSim really works.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-26 Lesson 3 - Basic Verilog simulation

Compiling the design

If you’ve completed any previous VHDL lesson, you’ll notice that Verilog and VHDL
simulation processes are almost identical.

1 Create and change to a new directory to make it the current directory.

You can make the directory current by invoking ModelSim from the new directory or
by using the File > Change Directory command from the ModelSim Main window.

2 Copy the Verilog files (files with ".v" extension) from the
\<install_dir>\modeltech\examples directory into the current directory.
Before you can compile a Verilog design, you need to create a design library in the new
directory. If you are familiar only with interpreted Verilog simulators such as Cadence
Verilog-XL, this will be a new idea for you. Since ModelSim is a compiled Verilog
simulator, it requires a target design library for the compilation. ModelSim can
compile both VHDL and Verilog code into the same library if desired.

3 Invoke ModelSim:
for UNIX at the shell prompt:
vsim

for Windows - your option - from a Windows shortcut icon, from the Start menu, or
from a DOS prompt:
modelsim.exe

Note: If you didn’t add ModelSim to your search path during installation, you will have
to include the full path when you type this command at a DOS prompt.

Click Close if the Welcome dialog appears.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Compiling the design T-27

4 Before you compile any HDL code, you’ll need a design library to hold the
compilation results. To create a new design library, make this menu selection in the
Main window: File > New > Library.
Make sure Create: a new
library and a logical
mapping to it is selected.
Type "work" in the
Library Name field and
then select OK.
This creates a
subdirectory named work
- your design library -
within the current
directory. ModelSim
saves a special file named
_info in the subdirectory.
(PROMPT: vlib work
vmap work work)

Note: Do not create a Library directory using UNIX or Windows commands, because
the _info file will not be created. Always use the File menu or the vlib command from
either the ModelSim or UNIX/DOS prompt.)

In the next step you’ll compile the Verilog design. The example design consists of two
Verilog source files, each containing a unique module. The file counter.v contains a
module called counter, which implements a simple 8-bit binary up-counter. The other
file, tcounter.v, is a testbench module (test_counter) used to verify counter.
Under simulation you will see that these two files are configured hierarchically with a
single instance (instance name dut) of module counter instantiated by the testbench.
You'll get a chance to look at the structure of this code later. For now, you need to
compile both files into the work design library.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-28 Lesson 3 - Basic Verilog simulation

5 Compile the counter.v, and tcounter.v files into the work library by selecting Compile
> Compile from the menu.

(PROMPT: vlog counter.v tcounter.v)

This opens the Compile HDL Source Files dialog box.

Select counter.v and tcounter.v (use Ctrl + click) and then choose Compile and then
Done.

Note: The order in which you compile the two Verilog modules is not important (other
than the source-code dependencies created by compiler directives). This may again seem
strange to Verilog-XL users who understand the possible problems of interface checking
between design units, or compiler directive inheritance. ModelSim defers such checks
until the design is loaded. So it doesn’t matter here if you choose to compile counter.v
before or after tcounter.v.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Loading the design T-29

Loading the design

1 Load the design by selecting Simulate > Simulate from the menu:

(PROMPT: vsim test_counter)

The Simulate dialog appears. Click the "+" sign next to ’work’ to see the counter and
test_counter design units. (You won’t see this dialog box if you invoke vsim with
test_counter from the command line.)

The Simulate dialog allows you to select a design unit to load from the specified
library. You can also select the resolution limit for the simulation. The default
resolution is 1 ns.
Select test_counter and click Load to accept these settings.

2 Bring up the Signals, Source, and Wave windows by entering the following command
at the VSIM prompt within the Main window:
view signals source wave

(Main MENU: View > <window name>)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-30 Lesson 3 - Basic Verilog simulation

3 Now let’s add signals to the Wave window with ModelSim’s drag and drop feature.
In the Signals window, select Edit > Select All to select the three signals. Drag the
signals to either the pathname or the values pane of the Wave window.

HDL items can also be copied from one window to another (or within the Wave and
List windows) with the Edit > Copy and Edit > Paste menu selections.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Loading the design T-31

4 You may have noticed when you loaded the design in Step 1 that a new tab appeared
in the workspace area of the Main window.

Structure pane

The Structure tab shows the hierarchical structure of the design. By default, only the
top level of the hierarchy is expanded. You can navigate within the hierarchy by
clicking on any line with a "+" (expand) or "-" (contract) symbol. The same navigation
technique works anywhere you find these symbols within ModelSim.
By clicking the "+" next to dut: counter you can see all three hierarchical levels:
test_counter, counter and a function called increment. (If test_counter is not
displayed you simulated counter instead of test_counter.)

5 Click on Function increment and notice how other ModelSim windows are
automatically updated as appropriate. Specifically, the Source window displays the
Verilog code at the hierarchical level you selected in the Structure window, and the
Signals window displays the appropriate signals. Using the Structure tab in this way is
analogous to scoping commands in interpreted Verilogs.
For now, make sure the test_counter module is showing in the Source window by
clicking on the top line in the Structure pane.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-32 Lesson 3 - Basic Verilog simulation

Running the simulation

Now you will exercise different Run functions from the toolbar.

1 Select the Run button on the Main window toolbar. This causes the simulation to run
and then stop after 100 ns (the default simulation length).

(PROMPT: run) (MENU: Simulate > Run > Run 100 ns)

2 Next change the run length to 500 on the Run Length selector and select the Run
button again.

Now the simulation has run for a total of 600ns (the default 100ns plus the 500 you just
asked for). The status bar at the bottom of the Main window displays this information.

3 The last command you executed (run 500) caused the simulation to advance for 500ns.
You can also advance simulation to a specific time. Type:
run @ 3000

This advances the simulation to time 3000ns. Note that the simulation actually ran for
an additional 2400ns (3000 - 600).

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Running the simulation T-33

4 Now select the Run -All button from the Main window toolbar. This causes the
simulator to run until the stop statement in tcounter.v.

(PROMPT: run -all) (MENU: Simulate > Run > Run -All)

You can also use the Break button to interrupt a run.

(MENU: Simulate > Break)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-34 Lesson 3 - Basic Verilog simulation

Debugging
Next we’ll take a brief look at an interactive debugging feature of the ModelSim
environment.

1 Let’s set a breakpoint at line 30 in the counter.v file (which contains a call to the
Verilog function increment). To do this, select dut: counter in the Structure pane of
the Workspace. Move the cursor to the Source window and scroll the window to
display line 30. Click on or near line number 30 to set a breakpoint. You should see a
red dot next to the line number where the breakpoint is set.
The breakpoint can be toggled between enabled and disabled by clicking it. When a
breakpoint is disabled, the dot appears open. To delete the breakpoint, click the line
number with your right mouse button and select Remove Breakpoint.

Note: Breakpoints can be set only on executable lines, denoted by blue line numbers.

2 Select the Restart button to reload the design elements and reset the simulation time
to zero.

(Main MENU: Simulate > Run > Restart) (PROMPT: restart)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Debugging T-35

Make sure all items in the Restart dialog box are selected, then click Restart.

3 Select the Run -All button to re-start the simulation run.

(PROMPT: run -all) (Main MENU: Simulate > Run > Run -All)

When the simulation hits the breakpoint, it stops running, highlights the line with an
arrow in the Source window, and issues a Break message in the Main window.

4 When a breakpoint is reached, typically you will want to know one or more signal
values. You have several options for checking values:
• look at the values shown in the Signals window
• hover your mouse pointer over the count variable in the Source window and a
"balloon" will pop up with the value
• select the count variable in the Source window, right-click it, and select Examine
from the context menu;
• use the examine command to output the value to the Main window transcript:
examine count

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-36 Lesson 3 - Basic Verilog simulation

5 Let’s move through the Verilog source functions with ModelSim’s Step command.
Click Step on the toolbar.

This command single-steps the debugger.

6 Experiment by yourself for awhile. Set and clear breakpoints and use the Step and Step
Over commands until you feel comfortable with their operation. When you’re done,
quit the simulator by entering the command:
quit -force

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-37

Lesson 4 - Mixed VHDL/Verilog simulation

The goals for this lesson are:
• Compile multiple VHDL and Verilog files
• Simulate a mixed VHDL and Verilog design
• View the design in the Structure window
• View the HDL source code in the Source window

Note: You must be using ModelSim SE/PLUS or ModelSim SE/MIXED to do this

lesson.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-38 Lesson 4 - Mixed VHDL/Verilog simulation

Compile the design

1 Start by creating a new directory for this exercise. Create the directory, then copy the
VHDL and Verilog example files to the directory:
<install_dir>\modeltech\examples\mixedHDL\*.vhd
<install_dir>\modeltech\examples\mixedHDL\*.v

Make sure the new directory is the current directory. Do this by invoking ModelSim
from the new directory or by using the File > Change Directory command from the
ModelSim Main window.

2 Start ModelSim with one of the following:

for UNIX at the shell prompt:
vsim

for Windows - your option - from a Windows shortcut icon, from the Start menu, or
from a DOS prompt:
modelsim.exe

Note: If you didn’t add ModelSim to your search path during installation, you will have
to include the full path when you type this command at a DOS prompt.

Select "Proceed to ModelSim" if the Welcome dialog appears.

3 Before you compile any HDL code, you’ll need a design library to hold the
compilation results. To create a new design library, make this menu selection in the
Main window: File > New > Library.
Make sure Create: a new
library and a logical
mapping to it is selected.
Type "work" in the
Library Name field and
then select OK.
This creates a
subdirectory named work
- your design library -
within the current
directory. ModelSim
saves a special file named
_info in the subdirectory.
(PROMPT: vlib work
vmap work work)

Note: Do not create a Library directory using UNIX or Windows commands, because
the _info file will not be created. Always use the File menu or the vlib command from
either the ModelSim or UNIX/DOS prompt.)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Compile the design T-39

4 Compile the HDL files by selecting Compile > Compile from the menu:
(PROMPT: vlog cache.v memory.v proc.v)

(PROMPT: vcom util.vhd set.vhd top.vhd)

This opens the Compile HDL Source Files dialog box.

A group of Verilog files may be compiled in any order. However, in a mixed

VHDL/Verilog design the Verilog files must be compiled before the VHDL files.
Compile the Verilog source by double-clicking each of these Verilog files in the file
list (this invokes the Verilog compiler, vlog):
• cache.v
• memory.v
• proc.v

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-40 Lesson 4 - Mixed VHDL/Verilog simulation

5 Depending on the design, the compile order of VHDL files can be very specific. In the
case of this lesson, the file top.vhd must be compiled last.
Stay in the Compile HDL Source Files dialog box and compile the VHDL files in this
order (this invokes the VHDL compiler, vcom):
• util.vhd
• set.vhd
• top.vhd

6 Click Done to dismiss the dialog box.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Loading the design T-41

Loading the design

1 Load the design by selecting Simulate > Simulate from the menu.

(PROMPT: vsim top)

The Simulate dialog appears. Click the "+" sign next to ’work’ to see the design units.
(You won’t see this dialog box if you invoke vsim with top from the command line.)
Select top and then click Load.

2 From the Main menu select View > All Windows to open all ModelSim windows.
(PROMPT: view *)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-42 Lesson 4 - Mixed VHDL/Verilog simulation

3 Take a look at the Structure pane in the workspace.

Notice the hierarchical mixture of VHDL and Verilog in the design. VHDL levels are
indicated by a square “prefix”, while Verilog levels are indicated by a circle “prefix.”
Try expanding (+) and contracting (-) the structure layers. You’ll find Verilog modules
that have been instantiated by VHDL architectures, and similar instantiations of
VHDL items by Verilog.

4 In the Structure pane, click on the Verilog module c: cache. The source code for the
Verilog module is now shown in the Source window.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Loading the design T-43

5 We’ll use ModelSim’s Find function to locate the declaration of cache_set within
cache.v.

From the Source window menu select: Edit > Find: or

The Find in dialog box is displayed.

In the Find: field, type cache_set and click Find Next. The cache_set instantiations
are now displayed in the Source window. (Click Close to dismiss the Find in: dialog
box.)
Note that cache_set is a VHDL entity instantiated within the Verilog file cache.v.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-44 Lesson 4 - Mixed VHDL/Verilog simulation

6 Go back to the Main window, expand the c:cache entry by clicking the "+" sign, and
scroll down and click on the line "s0: cache_set(only)". The Source window shows
the VHDL code for the cache_set entity.

Before you quit, try experimenting with some of the commands you’ve learned from
previous lessons – add signals to the Wave window, run the simulation, etc. Note that
in this design, “clk” is already driven, so you won’t need to use the force command.

7 When you’re ready to quit simulating, enter the command:

quit -force

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-45

Lesson 5 - Debugging a VHDL design

The goals for this lesson are:
• Map a logical library name to an actual library
• Change the default run length
• Recognize assertion messages in the Main window transcript
• Change the assertion break level
• Restart the simulation run using the restart command
• Examine composite types displayed in the Variables window
• Change the value of a variable
In this lesson we will debug an assertion message using the Source, Signals, and Variables
windows. For another debugging lesson, see Lesson 11 - Debugging with the Dataflow
window.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-46 Lesson 5 - Debugging a VHDL design

Compiling and loading the design

1 Create a new directory for this exercise and copy the following VHDL (.vhd) files from
\<install_dir>\modeltech\examples to the new directory.
• gates.vhd
• adder.vhd
• testadder.vhd

2 Make sure the new directory is the current directory. Do this by invoking ModelSim
from the new directory or by using the File > Change Directory command from the
ModelSim Main window.

3 Start ModelSim with one of the following:

for UNIX at the shell prompt:
vsim

for Windows - your option - from a Windows shortcut icon, from the Start menu, or
from a DOS prompt:
modelsim.exe

Note: If you didn’t add ModelSim to your search path during installation, you will have
to include the full path when you type this command at a DOS prompt.

4 Enter the following command at the ModelSim prompt in the Main window to create
a new library:
vlib library_2

5 Map the new library to the work library using the vmap command:
vmap work library_2

ModelSim adds this mapping to the modelsim.ini file.

6 Compile the source files into the new library by entering this command at the
ModelSim prompt:
vcom -work library_2 gates.vhd adder.vhd testadder.vhd

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Compiling and loading the design T-47

7 Open the Simulate dialog by selecting Simulate > Simulate. Expand the work library
and increase the width of the name column by clicking and dragging on the border
between the Name and Type columns.

8 Make sure Simulator Resolution is set to nanoseconds, select test_adder_structural,

and then click Load.
(PROMPT: vsim -t ns work.test_adder_structural)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-48 Lesson 5 - Debugging a VHDL design

Running the simulation

1 Start by opening the Process, Variables, and Signals windows using the command
below. Note that you can abbreviate window names.
view p si v

(Main MENU: View > <window name>)

2 Now run the simulation for 1000 ns:

run 1000

A message in the Main window will notify you that there was an assertion error.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Debugging the simulation T-49

Debugging the simulation

Let’s find out what’s wrong. Perform the following steps to track down the assertion
message.

1 First, change the simulation assertion options. Select Simulate > Simulation Options
from the Main window menu.

2 Select the Assertions tab. Change the selection for Break on Assertion to Error and
click OK. This will cause the simulator to stop at the HDL assertion statement.

3 Restart the simulation using the following command:

restart -f

The -f option causes ModelSim to restart without popping up the confirmation dialog.

4 Run the simulation again for 1000 ns.

run 1000

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T-50 Lesson 5 - Debugging a VHDL design

Notice that the arrow in the Source window is pointing to the assertion statement.

5 If you look at the Variables window now, you can see that i = 6. This indicates that the
simulation stopped in the sixth iteration of the test pattern’s loop.

6 Expand the variable named test_patterns by clicking the [+]. (You may need to resize
the window for a better view.)

7 Also expand the sixth record in the array test_patterns(6), by clicking the [+]. The
Variables window should be similar to the one below.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Debugging the simulation T-51

The assertion shows that the Signal sum does not equal the sum field in the Variables
window. Note that the sum of the inputs a, b, and cin should be equal to the output
sum. But there is an error in the test vectors. To correct this error, you need to restart
the simulation and modify the initial value of the test vectors.

8 Restart the simulation again:

restart -f

9 Update the Variables window by selecting the test process in the Process window.

10 In the Variables window, expand test_patterns and test_pattern(6) again. Then

highlight the .sum record by clicking on the variable name (not the box before the
name) and select Edit > Change from the menu.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-52 Lesson 5 - Debugging a VHDL design

11 Change the value to 00000111 and then click Change. (Note that this is a temporary
edit, you must use your text editor to permanently change the source code.)

12 Run the simulation again for 1000 ns.

run 1000

At this point, the simulation will run without errors.

This brings you to the end of this lesson, but feel free to explore the system further. When
you are ready to end the simulation session, quit ModelSim by entering the following
command at the VSIM prompt:
quit -f

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-53

Lesson 6 - Finding names and values

The goals for this lesson are:
• Find items by name in tree windows
• Search for item values in the List and Wave windows
Start any of the lesson simulations to try out the Find and Search functions illustrated
below.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-54 Lesson 6 - Finding names and values

Finding items by name in tree windows

You can find HDL item names with the Edit > Find menu selection in these windows:
Dataflow, List, Process, Signals, Source, Structure, Variables, and Wave windows.
Select Edit > Find to bring up the Find dialog box (List window version shown).

Enter an item label and Find it by searching Right or Left through the window display.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Searching for item values in the List and Wave windows T-55

Searching for item values in the List and Wave windows

You can search for HDL item values in the List and Wave windows. Select Edit > Search
from the window’s menu to bring up the Signal Search dialog box (List window version
shown).

You can locate values for the Signal Name(s) shown at the top of the dialog box. The
search is based on these options:
• Search Type: Any Transition
Searches for any transition in the selected signal(s).
• Search Type: Rising Edge
Searches for rising edges in the selected signal(s).
• Search Type: Falling Edge
Searches for falling edges in the selected signal(s).
• Search Type: Search for Signal Value
Searches for the value specified in the Value field; the value should be formatted using
VHDL or Verilog numbering conventions.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-56 Lesson 6 - Finding names and values

• Search Type: Search for Expression

Searches for the expression specified in the Expression field evaluating to a boolean
true. Activates the Builder button so you can use the Expression Builder if desired.
The expression may involve more than one signal but is limited to signals logged in
the List or Wave window. Expressions may include constants, variables, and Tcl
macros. If no expression is specified, the search will give an error. See the ModelSim
Command Reference for more information on expression syntax.
• Search Options: Match Count
You can search for the n-th transition or the n-th match on value; Match Count
indicates the number of transitions or matches to search.
• Search Options: Ignore Glitches
Ignore zero width glitches in VHDL signals and Verilog nets.
The result of your search is indicated at the bottom of the dialog box.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-57

Lesson 7 - Using the Wave window

The goals for this lesson are:
• Practice using the Wave window time cursors.
• Practice zooming the waveform display.
• Practice using Wave window keyboard shortcuts.
• Practice combining items into a virtual object.
• Practice creating and viewing datasets.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-58 Lesson 7 - Using the Wave window

Using time cursors in the Wave window

Any of the previous lesson simulations may be used with this part of the lesson, or use your
own simulation if you wish.

select value here to selected cursor is bold

jump to that cursor

interval measurement

When the Wave window is first drawn, there is one cursor located at time zero. Clicking
anywhere in the waveform display brings that cursor to the mouse location. You can add
cursors to the waveform pane by selecting Insert > Cursor (or the Add Cursor button
shown below). The selected cursor is drawn as a bold solid line; all other cursors are drawn
with thin dashed lines. Remove cursors by selecting them and selecting Edit > Delete
Cursor (or the Delete Cursor button shown below).

Add Cursor Delete Cursor

add a cursor to the Wave delete the selected cursor
window from the window

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Using time cursors in the Wave window T-59

Finding a cursor
The cursor value corresponds to the simulation time of that cursor. Choose a specific cursor
view by selecting View > Cursors (Wave window). You can also select and scroll to a
cursor by double-clicking its value in the cursor-value pane.

Alternatively, you can click a value with your second mouse button and type the value to
which you want to scroll.

Making cursor measurements

Each cursor is displayed with a time box showing the precise simulation time at the bottom.
When you have more than one cursor, each time box appears in a separate track at the
bottom of the display. ModelSim also adds a delta measurement showing the time
difference between two adjacent cursor positions.
If you click in the waveform display, the cursor closest to the mouse position is selected
and then moved to the mouse position. Another way to position multiple cursors is to use
the mouse in the time box tracks at the bottom of the display. Clicking anywhere in a track
selects that cursor and brings it to the mouse position.
Cursors will "snap" to a waveform edge if you click or drag a cursor to within ten pixels of
waveform edge. You can set the snap distance in the Window Preferences dialog (select
Tools > Window Preferences). You can position a cursor without snapping by dragging
in the area below the waveforms.
You can also move cursors to the next transition of a signal with these toolbar buttons:

Find Previous Find Next Transition

Transition locate the next signal
locate the previous signal value change for the
value change for the selected signal
selected signal

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-60 Lesson 7 - Using the Wave window

Zooming - changing the waveform display range

Zooming lets you change the simulation range in the waveform pane. You can zoom using
a context menu, toolbar buttons, mouse, keyboard, or commands.

Using the Zoom menu

You can access Zoom commands from the View menu on the toolbar or by clicking the
right mouse button in the waveform pane.
The Zoom menu options include:
• Zoom In
Zooms in by a factor of two, increasing the resolution and decreasing the visible range
horizontally. (command: .wave.treee zoomin)
• Zoom Out
Zooms out by a factor of two, decreasing the resolution and increasing the visible range
horizontally. (command: .wave.treee zoomout)
• Zoom Full
Redraws the display to show the entire simulation from time 0 to the current simulation
time. (command: .wave.treee zoomfull)
• Zoom Last
Restores the display to where it was before the last zoom operation.
(command: .wave.treee zoomlast)
• Zoom Range
Brings up a dialog box that allows you to enter the beginning and ending times for a range
of time units to be displayed. (command: .wave.treee zoomrange)

Zooming with toolbar buttons

These zoom buttons are available on the toolbar:

Zoom in 2x Zoom out 2x

zoom in by a factor of two zoom out by a factor of
from the current view two from current view

Zoom Full Zoom Mode

zoom out to view the full change mouse pointer to
range of the simulation zoom mode; see below
from time 0 to the current
time

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Zooming - changing the waveform display range T-61

Zooming with the mouse

To zoom with the mouse, first enter zoom mode by selecting View > Mouse Mode > Zoom
Mode (Wave window). The left mouse button (<Button-1>) then offers 3 zoom options by
clicking and dragging in different directions:
• Down-Right: Zoom Area (In)
• Up-Right: Zoom Out
• Up-Left: Zoom Fit
The zoom amount is displayed at the mouse cursor. A zoom operation must be more than
10 pixels to activate.

Keyboard shortcuts for zooming

Using the following keys when the mouse cursor is within the Wave window will cause the
indicated actions:

Key Action

i I or + zoom in

o O or - zoom out

f or F zoom full

l or L zoom last

r or R zoom range

<arrow up> scroll waveform display up

<arrow down> scroll waveform display down

<arrow left> scroll waveform display left

<arrow right> scroll waveform display right

<page up> scroll waveform display up by page

<page down> scroll waveform display down by page

<tab> searches forward (right) to the next transition on the

selected signal

<shift-tab> searches backward (left) to the previous transition on the

selected signal

<Control-f> (Windows) opens the find dialog box; searches within the specified
<Control-s> (UNIX) field in the pathname pane for text strings

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-62 Lesson 7 - Using the Wave window

Combining items in the Wave window

The Wave window
allows you to combine
signals into buses.
Select Tools >
Combine Signals to
open the Combine
Selected Signals dialog.
A bus is a collection of
signals concatenated in
a specific order to create
a new virtual signal
with a specific value.
In the illustration
below, four data signals
have been combined to
form a new bus called Bus1. Notice, the new bus has a value that is made up of the values
of its component signals arranged in a specific order. Virtual objects are indicated by an
orange diamond.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Creating and viewing datasets T-63

Creating and viewing datasets

Datasets allow you to view previous simulations or to compare simulations. To view a
dataset, you must first save a ModelSim simulation to a WLF file (using the vsim -wlf
command). Once you have saved a WLF file, you can open it as a view-mode dataset.
In this lesson you will compare two simple Verilog designs: a structural description and an
RTL description of a 4-bit, binary counter. To begin, you will simulate the structural
description and save it to a WLF file. Then you will simulate the RTL version. Finally, you
will open the WLF file as a dataset and compare the two simulations in the Wave window.

Simulating the structural version

1 Start by creating a new working directory, making it the current directory, and copying
the files from \modeltech\examples\datasets into it.

2 Use the vlib command to create a work library in the current directory.
vlib work

(MENU: File > New > Library)

3 Use the vmap command to map the work library to a physical directory. A
modelsim.ini file will be written into the current directory.
vmap work work

4 Compile the structural version of the counter.

vlog cntr_struct.v

(MENU: Compile > Compile)

5 Load the design and save the simulation to a WLF file named struct.wlf.
vsim -wlf struct.wlf work.cntr_struct

6 Now you will run a DO file that applies stimulus to the design, runs the simulation, and
adds waves to the Wave window. Feel free to open the DO file and look at its contents.
do stimulus.do

(MENU: Tools > Execute Macro)

The waves that appear in the Wave window are saved automatically into the struct.wlf
file.

7 Quit the simulation.

quit -sim

(MENU: Simulate > End Simulation)

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T-64 Lesson 7 - Using the Wave window

Simulating the RTL version

1 Compile the RTL version of the counter.

vlog cntr_rtl.v

2 Simulate the design.

vsim work.cntr_rtl

(MENU: Simulate > Simulate)

3 Run the DO file to apply stimulus to the design.

do stimulus.do

Comparing the two designs

To compare the two simulations, we will create a second pane in the Wave window, open
the struct.wlf file, and add the signals from the dataset to the new pane.

1 Add a second pane to the Wave window.

Wave MENU: Insert > Window Pane

Notice that a thick, white vertical bar at the left edge of the window indicates that the
new pane is active.

2 Open struct.wlf.
dataset open struct.wlf

(Wave MENU: File > Open Dataset)

3 Add signals for the "struct" dataset.

add wave *

Notice that the pathname prefix for the signals you just added is the dataset name
"struct". The pathname prefix for the active simulation is "sim".
The results for each simulation should be the same. You can continue experimenting
with the two simulations or quit the simulation.
quit -sim

(Main MENU: Simulate > End Simulation)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-65

Lesson 8 - Simulating with the Performance Analyzer

The goals for this lesson are:
• Run a simulation with Performance Analyzer turned on
• View the Hierarchical and Ranked Profile displays
• Use the Performance Analyzer statistics displayed in the Hierarchical Profile and the
Ranked Profile to speed up simulation
Performance Analyzer identifies the percentage of simulation time spent in each section of
your code. 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 Performance Analyzer.
This lesson introduces the Performance Analyzer and shows you how to use the main
Performance Analyzer commands.

Note: You must be using ModelSim SE to complete this lesson.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-66 Lesson 8 - Simulating with the Performance Analyzer

Compiling and loading the design

This lesson will use an example design that contains lower-level VHDL blocks in the files
control.vhd, retrieve.vhd, and store.vhd; and top-level block, test bench and configuration
files – ringrtl.vhd, testring.vhd, and config_rtl.vhd.

1 Start by creating a new working directory, making it the current directory, and copying
the files from \modeltech\examples\profiler into it.

2 Use the vlib command to create a work library in the current directory.
vlib work (MENU: File > New > Library)

3 Use the vmap command to map the work library to a physical directory. A
modelsim.ini file will be written into the current directory.
vmap work work

4 Compile the lower level blocks of the design.

vcom control.vhd retrieve.vhd store.vhd

(MENU: Compile > Compile)

5 Compile the top-level block, test bench and configuration files.

vcom ringrtl.vhd testring.vhd config_rtl.vhd

(MENU: Compile > Compile)

6 Use the vsim command to load the design configuration.

vsim work.test_bench_rtl

(MENU: Simulate > Simulate)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Running the simulation T-67

Running the simulation

1 Turn on profiling prior to running the simulation.
profile on

(MENU: Tools > Profile > Profile On)

2 We’re going to run the simulation using a DO file that reports how long the simulation
takes to run. Take a look at the commands in the timerun.do file. The seconds Tcl
command is used to time the simulation.
do timerun.do

Notice as the simulation runs that the status bar shows how many profile samples are
being taken.

Make a note of the run time reported in the Transcript window. We’ll use it later to
compare how much we’ve increased simulation speed. (Your times may differ from
those shown here due to differing system configurations.)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-68 Lesson 8 - Simulating with the Performance Analyzer

3 Display the Hierarchical Profile output.

view_profile

(MENU: Tools > Profile > View hierarchical profile)

Note that two lines – retrieve.vhd:35 and store.vhd:43 – are taking the majority of the
simulation time.
You can use the $PrefProfile(hierCutoff) Tcl control variable to filter out everything
below a certain percentage. hierCutoff is the minimum percent usage that will be
listed in the Hierarchical Profile display. The default value is 1%. Any usage less than
1% will not be displayed.
You can also filter the display with the Under % filter in the Hierarchical Profile
window.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Running the simulation T-69

Double-clicking on any line in the Hierarchical Profile window will open the Source
window and allow you to view the relevant source code for that line. The selected line
will be highlighted in the Source window as shown below. (Here, we’ve double-
clicked retrive.vhd:35.)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-70 Lesson 8 - Simulating with the Performance Analyzer

Speeding up the simulation

The information provided by the Performance Analyzer can be used to speed up the
simulation. Double click the pathname for store.vhd:43 and retrieve.vhd:35 and view the
source code. In both cases, the source includes a loop which could have an exit.

1 Modify the loops to include exits inside the IF statements, or compile the following
files included for that purpose – store_exit.vhd and retrieve_exit.vhd.
vcom retrieve_exit.vhd store_exit.vhd

(MENU: Compile > Compile)

2 Compile the top level blocks and configuration files again to account for the lower
level changes.
vcom ringrtl.vhd testring.vhd config_rtl.vhd

(MENU: Compile > Compile)

3 Reset the simulation to time zero and restart with the modified files.
restart -f

(MENU: Simulate > Run > Restart)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Speeding up the simulation T-71

4 Run timerun.do again and note the difference in run time.

do timerun.do

Run time has been cut almost in half by inserting exits in the loops.

5 Take another look at the Performance Analyzer data.

view_profile

(MENU: Tools > Profile > View hierarchical profile)

A lot of time is still being spent in the loops. To further reduce simulation time, these
loops can be replaced by indexing an array.

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T-72 Lesson 8 - Simulating with the Performance Analyzer

6 Remove the loops and add an array, or compile the following files which already
contain the modifications.
vcom retrieve_array.vhd store_array.vhd

(MENU: Compile > Compile)

7 Compile the top-level blocks and configuration files again.

vcom ringrtl.vhd testring.vhd config_rtl.vhd

(MENU: Compile > Compile)

8 Restart the simulation with the modified files.

restart -f

(MENU: Simulate > Run > Restart)

9 Run timerun.do again and note the difference in simulation run time. Your time may
differ from that shown here, but the new run should be very fast – roughly ten times
faster than the original simulation time.
do timerun.do

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 Speeding up the simulation T-73

10 Look again at the Hierarchical Profile and you will see more lines showing.
view_profile

(MENU: Tools > Profile > View hierarchical profile)

Update icon

%Under filter

Note: You results may look slightly different as a result of the computer you’re using
and different system calls that occur during the simulation.

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T-74 Lesson 8 - Simulating with the Performance Analyzer

11 Set the Under% filter to "2" and click the Update icon. This will filter out all usage
values below 2%.

12 Use the report command to output a file with the profile data.
profile report -hierarchical -file hier.rpt -cutoff 4

This command outputs a hierarchical profile of performance data with the file name
hier.rpt.

13 Quit the simulation.

quit -f

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-75

Lesson 9 - Simulating with Code Coverage

The goals for this lesson are:
• Run a simulation with Code Coverage ON and examine the coverage_summary
window
• Save line coverage information to a text file
• Exclude lines and files from the coverage statistics
• Append results from a previous simulation run onto the next one
ModelSim Code Coverage allows you to identify which lines in your code are being
covered by the testbench. You can merge the results of multiple tests, making it possible to
use multiple testbenches or multiple stimulus files. It is non-intrusive (instrumented code
is not required) and only minimally impacts simulation performance (<5%).

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-76 Lesson 9 - Simulating with Code Coverage

Running a simulation with Code Coverage

All commands are shown as entered on the ModelSim command line.
For this lesson, you’ll use the same working directory used for the Simulating with the
Performance Analyzer lesson. It is not necessary to recreate the work library if you
completed the last lesson. See Lesson 8 - Simulating with the Performance Analyzer (T-65)
if you need the details on these steps.

1 Prior to running the simulation, we need to check the which_test.txt file that was copied
from the modeltech\examples\profiler directory to ensure it reads
"false = data_switch_test". You can edit the file with notepad within ModelSim.

This switch configures the test bench – the testring.vhd file. We’ll change it later in the
lesson when we merge the coverage results of two simulations.

2 Compile the lower-level blocks of the design.

vcom control.vhd retrieve_array.vhd store_array.vhd

(MENU: Compile > Compile)

3 Compile the top-level block, test bench, and configuration files.

vcom ringrtl.vhd testring.vhd config_rtl.vhd

(MENU: Compile > Compile)

4 Use the vsim -coverage command to load the design configuration with Code
Coverage.
vsim -coverage work.test_bench_rtl

5 Run the simulator for 3 milliseconds.

run 3 ms

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 Running a simulation with Code Coverage T-77

6 Display the coverage_summary window.

view_coverage
(MENU: Tools > Source Coverage)

The top half of the window shows summary information on a per-file basis. If you
select a file in the list, the bottom part of the window gives details about the lines in
the file that have zero coverage.
Note that both testring.vhd and control.vhd are below 90% and, therefore, shown in red
in the Coverage bar graph. 90% is the default coverage threshold, and all coverage
values below 90% will be shown red. The default coverage threshold can be changed
with the Tcl control variable $PrefCoverage(cutoff).

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-78 Lesson 9 - Simulating with Code Coverage

7 Click on the control.vhd pathname to display the source code for control.vhd in the
Source window. With Code Coverage enabled, the Source window is displayed with
an extra column that details the number of times each line has been executed. The
green "Xs" in the graphic below denote lines that have been excluded. We’ll discuss
that later in the lesson.
Scroll the Source window to view the executable lines. As you can see some lines have
red zeros next to them. This indicates a line that was not executed.

8 Save the line coverage information to a text file.

coverage report -file cover.dat -lines
(coverage_summary MENU: Report > Save Line Coverage)

Open the file cover.dat to see how the data is stored. Notepad works well to check text
files such as this.
notepad cover.dat

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 Excluding lines and files T-79

Excluding lines and files

There may be a time when you want to exclude certain parts of your code from the analysis.
You can exclude both lines and files from either the source or the coverage_summary
windows.

1 Scroll to one of the executable lines in the Source window (noted with a blue line
number).

2 With your mouse pointer over the column that shows coverage results (the left-most
column), click your right-mouse button and select Exclude Coverage Line #.

3 The line will now be marked with a green "X" and the coverage statistics will be
updated to exclude that line.

4 View the coverage_summary window and click the Excluded tab. This tab shows all
the lines and files that are currently being excluded.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-80 Lesson 9 - Simulating with Code Coverage

5 Select the line in the Excluded tab, click your right mouse button, and select Include
Entire Selected Files. This removes the exclusion filter on any lines from the selected
file.
You can continue experimenting with the various exclusion commands at this point if
you want. However, before continuing with the tutorial, select Coverage > Clear Out
Current Filter to ensure all lines and files are included for the next exercise.

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 Merging coverage results from two simulations T-81

Merging coverage results from two simulations

You can merge code coverage results from multiple simulations, making it possible to run
multiple tests on a design and assess coverage across all tests. In this exercise, we’ll change
the test that is run by the testbench, resimulate, and then append the coverage statistics from
our previous analysis to the new analysis.

1 Note how many times the clocked processes have been executed.

2 Next we’ll edit the which_test.txt file. Changing this text file causes a different test to
be run from the same testbench.
Using ModelSim Notepad, edit the file so it reads "true = data_switch_test." Make sure
the Edit > read_only switch is not on.
notepad which_test.txt

3 Restart the simulation so the different test is run on the circuit.

restart -f

4 Restore the coverage data from the last simulation run so that its data can be appended
to the current simulation.
coverage reload cover.dat
(coverage_summary MENU: File > Open > Coverage > Merge Coverage)

5 Run the simulator for 3 milliseconds as before.

run 3 ms

Note that now both testring.vhd and control.vhd are above 90% and therefore shown
in green.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-82 Lesson 9 - Simulating with Code Coverage

6 Click on the control.vhd pathname to bring up the Source window. You can see from
the values in the first column that the line hits from this run have been added to the
ones from the last run. The number of times the clocked processes have been run has
doubled.

7 Quit the simulator.

quit -f

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-83

Lesson 10 - Comparing waveforms

The goals for this lesson are:
• Compare two simulations using the Comparison Wizard
• View comparison results and timing difference markers in the Wave window
• Use compare icons to jump to "previous" and "next" difference markers
• View comparison results in the List window
• Set an edge tolerance
Waveform Comparison computes timing differences between test signals and reference
signals. In this exercise we’re going to run and save the mixedHDL simulation, edit one of
the source files, run the simulation again, and finally compare the two runs.
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

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-84 Lesson 10 - Comparing waveforms

Creating the reference dataset

We’ll start by running a simulation and saving it to a dataset. This dataset will become the
reference dataset when we set up the comparison.

1 Start by creating a new directory for this exercise. Create the directory and copy all of
the files from \<install_dir>\modeltech\examples\mixedHDL to the new directory.
Make sure the new directory is the current directory. Do this by invoking ModelSim
from the new directory or by selecting the File > Change Directory command from
the ModelSim Main window.

2 At the ModelSim prompt in the Transcript pane, run the compare.do DO file.
do compare.do

This 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"
Feel free to open the DO file and take a look at its contents.

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 Editing a source file and re-running the simulation T-85

Editing a source file and re-running the simulation

In the last step, we ran the default mixed HDL simulation and saved it to the gold.wlf
dataset. Now we’ll edit one of the source files and re-run the simulation.

1 Edit the proc.v file by opening it in the Source window. Make sure the Edit > read
only flag isn’t selected.

2 Scroll down and un-comment the read cycle on line 78. Your source file should look
like the following:

3 Save the file in the Source window.

(MENU: File > Save)

4 Re-compile the proc.v file.

(PROMPT: vlog proc.v)

(Main MENU: Compile > Compile)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-86 Lesson 10 - Comparing waveforms

5 Load the top design unit.

(PROMPT: vsim work.top)

(MENU: Simulate > Simulate)

6 Add the waves to the Wave window and run the simulation.
add wave *
run -all

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Comparing the simulation runs T-87

Comparing the simulation runs

ModelSim includes a Comparison Wizard that walks you through the steps of setting up a
waveform comparison. You can also do it manually with menu or command line
commands.

1 Select Tools > Waveform Compare > Comparison Wizard from the Wave or Main
window.

2 Click the browse button and select gold.wlf as the Reference Dataset. Recall that this
dataset is from the first simulation run prior to adding the 10 time unit delay.

Leave the Test Dataset set to Use Current Simulation, and then click Next.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-88 Lesson 10 - Comparing waveforms

3 Select Compare All Signals in the second dialog, and then click Next.

4 In the next three dialogs, click Next, Compute Differences Now, and Finish,
respectively.

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 Viewing and saving the comparison data T-89

Viewing and saving the comparison data

ModelSim performs the comparison and displays the compared signals in the Wave
window.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-90 Lesson 10 - Comparing waveforms

The Compare tab in the Main window shows the region that was compared, and the
transcript area shows the number of differences found between the timing of the Reference
and Test datasets.

In the Wave window, a signal that contains timing differences between the two simulations
is denoted by a red X over its yellow triangle. Red difference markers in the waveform
display area show the location of the timing differences on the waveforms, as do the red
lines in the horizontal scrollbar at the bottom of the window.

difference markers

compare data

Hover your mouse pointer over a difference marker to display a popup containing data
about that timing difference. Also note that when you place a waveform cursor over a
difference, the values column displays the text "diff."

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 Viewing and saving the comparison data T-91

Compare icons
The Wave window includes six waveform
comparison icons that let you quickly jump between
differences. 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 next and previous buttons cycle through differences on all signals. To view differences
for just the selected signal, use <tab> and <shift> - <tab>.

Saving the comparison

You can save the comparison for later viewing, either in a text file or in files that can be
reloaded into ModelSim.
To save the difference information to a text file, select Tools > Waveform Compare >
Differences > Write Report.
To save the comparison so it can be reloaded into ModelSim, you must save two files.
Select Tools > Waveform Compare > Differences > Save to save the computed
differences. Next, select Tools > Waveform Compare > Rules > Save to save the
comparison configuration rules. To reload the comparison later, you would start a
comparison and then use the Tools > Waveform Compare > Reload command.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-92 Lesson 10 - Comparing waveforms

Viewing comparison results in the List window

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

1 Select View > List to open the List window.

2 Drag the region from the Compare tab in the Main window to the List window. This
will load the compared signals into the List window. Scroll down the window, and
you’ll see differences shown in yellow.

difference markers

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 Specifying tolerances T-93

Specifying tolerances
There may be times you want to allow for leading or trailing tolerances in the test dataset
signals. You can do this easily by modifying the signal properties of a comparison object
in the Wave window.

1 Click the Find Next Difference icon until you can see the differences at 2025 ns.

(KEYBOARD: Tab)

2 Select "compare:/top/\prw<>prw\" in the signals list and then right-click to open the
Signal Properties dialog. Select the Compare tab.
(MENU: View > Signal Properties)

Recall that we delayed the read cycle in proc.v by 10 time units. Therefore, if we
specify a trailing tolerance of 10 ns, the differences on the comparison object should
disappear.

3 Specify 10 ns for the Trailing Tolerance and then click OK.

4 Rerun the comparison.

(MENU: Tools > Waveform Compare > Run Comparison)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-94 Lesson 10 - Comparing waveforms

5 Notice that the difference markers have disappeared for the /top/prw comparison
object.

6 Quit the simulator.

quit -f

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-95

Lesson 11 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

The goals for this lesson are:
• Log signals so you have information necessary for debugging
• Explore the connectivity of your design
• Trace an event
• Trace an X (unknown) value
• Jump to the source of an unknown
• View hierarchy in the Dataflow window
• Zoom and pan the Dataflow window
The Dataflow window allows you trace VHDL signals or Verilog nets and registers
through your design. ModelSim versions 5.6 and later include enhanced Dataflow
functionality that expands your debugging options.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-96 Lesson 11 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

Compiling and loading the design

We’ll start by compiling and loading a mixed design that we’ll use for subsequent
examples.

1 Create a new working directory, make it the current directory, and then copy the files
from \modeltech\examples\mixedHDL into it.

2 Use the vlib command to create a work library in the current directory.
vlib work
(MENU: File > New > Library)

3 Use the vmap command to map the work library to a physical directory. A
modelsim.ini file will be written into the work directory.
vmap work work

4 Compile the Verilog files.

vlog cache.v memory.v proc.v

(MENU: Compile > Compile)

5 Compile the VHDL files.

vcom util.vhd set.vhd top.vhd

(MENU: Compile > Compile)

6 Load the top level of the design.

vsim top

(MENU: Simulate > Simulate)

7 Log all signals in the design so we have all information for debugging.
log -r /*

8 Run the design for 500 ns.

run 500 ns

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 Exploring connectivity T-97

Exploring connectivity
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 Select p: proc in the sim tab of the Main window.

2 Open the Signals and Dataflow windows.

view si d
(MENU: View > Signals, View > Dataflow)

3 Drag signal strb from the Signals window to the Dataflow window.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-98 Lesson 11 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

4 Double click the net that is highlighted in red. The view expands to display the
processes that are connected to strb.

5 Select signal test on process #AND#24 and expand the view to show its drivers.

(MENU: Navigate > Expand net to drivers)

Notice that after the display expands, the signal line for strb is highlighted in green.
This highlighting lets you know the path you have traversed in the design.

6 Select signal oen on process #ALWAYS#144, and expand the view to show its readers.

(MENU: Navigate > Expand net to readers)

7 Continue exploring if you wish. When you are done, clear the Dataflow window before
moving on to the next exercise.

(MENU: Edit > Erase all)

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 Tracing events T-99

Tracing events
Another useful debugging feature is tracing events that contribute to an unexpected output
value. Using the Dataflow window’s embedded wave viewer, you can trace backward from
a transition to see what process or signal is causing the unexpected output.

1 If you didn’t do so in the last exercise, clear the Dataflow window.

2 Select p: proc in the sim tab of the Main window, and then drag signal t_out from the
Signals window into the Dataflow window.

3 Open the embedded wave viewer and increase the size of the window.

(MENU: View > Show Wave)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-100 Lesson 11 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

4 Select process #NAND#24 in the dataflow pane. Notice that all input and output signals
of the process are displayed automatically in the wave viewer.

5 Set a time cursor in the wave viewer at the last transition of signal t_out (465 ns). See
"Making cursor measurements" (T-59) for more information on setting cursors.

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 Tracing events T-101

6 To trace to the first contributing event, select Trace > Trace next event.

A new cursor is added to the wave viewer marking the last event, the transition of the
strobe to 0, which caused the output of 0 on t_out.

7 Trace the next event two more times and then select Trace > Trace event set.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-102 Lesson 11 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

The dataflow pane sprouts to the preceding process and shows the input driver of
signal strb. 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.

8 Clear the Dataflow window before moving on to the next exercise. Also, close the
wave viewer pane.

(MENU: View > Show Wave)

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 Tracing an ’X’ (unknown) T-103

Tracing an ’X’ (unknown)

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 will
be added automatically to the Wave window.

1 Open the Wave window and add a signal.

view wave
add wave /top/p/t_out

(MENU: View > Wave)

(GUI: Open Signals window and drag signal to Wave window)

Note that t_out goes to an unknown state (StX) at time 0 and continues transitioning to
StX throughout the run. The red color of the waveform indicates an unknown value.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-104

2 Drag t_out from the Wave window to the Dataflow window.

You must click somewhere in the Dataflow window to get the yellow signal values to
appear.
As previously mentioned the Wave and Dataflow windows are designed to work
together. Try moving the cursor in the Wave window (see "Making cursor
measurements" (T-59) for details), and you’ll see that the value of t_out changes in the
Dataflow window. We’ll look at other links between the windows as we work through
the tutorial.

3 Move the Wave window cursor back to a time when t_out is unknown. Then, with
t_out selected in the Dataflow window, trace the unknown.

(MENU: Trace > TraceX)

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 Tracing an ’X’ (unknown) T-105

The input signal test is selected in the Dataflow window, and it is also added
automatically to the Wave window.

4 Continue tracing back to the source of the unknown. Select Trace > TraceX again.
This time signal test2 is highlighted in the Dataflow window, and it is also added to the
Wave window.

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T-106 Lesson 11 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

5 Select Trace > TraceX once more, and you’ll discover the source of the unknown. In
this case there is a HiZ on input signal test_in and a 1 on input signal _rw, so output
signal test2 resolves to an ’X’.

6 Clear the Dataflow window.

(MENU: Edit > Erase All)

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 Jumping to the source of an X T-107

Jumping to the source of an X

In the last exercise you traced an unknown, from process to process, until you identified the
source. You can speed this up by jumping directly to the source in one step.

1 Drag t_out from the Wave window to the Dataflow window as you did in the last
exercise.

2 Select Trace > ChaseX.

3 The design expands to show the source of the unknown.

4 Clear the Dataflow window.

(MENU: Edit > Erase All)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-108 Lesson 11 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

Displaying hierarchy in the Dataflow window

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

1 Select Tools > Options from the Dataflow window menu bar.

2 Check Show Hierarchy and then select OK.

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 Displaying hierarchy in the Dataflow window T-109

3 Add signal t_out to the Dataflow window.

add dataflow /top/p/t_out

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T-110 Lesson 11 - Debugging with the Dataflow window

Zooming and panning

The Dataflow window offers several tools for zooming and panning the display. After
reviewing the options below, try them out on the cache module design.

Zooming with toolbar buttons

These zoom buttons are available on the toolbar:

Zoom in 2x Zoom out 2x

zoom in by a factor zoom out by a
of two from the factor of two from
current view current view

Zoom Full
zoom out to view
the entire
schematic

Zooming with the mouse

To zoom with the mouse, you can either use the middle mouse button or enter Zoom Mode
by selecting View > Zoom and then use the left mouse button.

4 zoom options are possible by clicking and dragging in different directions:

• Down-Right: Zoom Area (In)
• Up-Right: Zoom Out (zoom amount is displayed at the mouse cursor)
• Down-Left: Zoom Selected
• Up-Left: Zoom Full
The zoom amount is displayed at the mouse cursor. A zoom operation must be more than
10 pixels to activate.

Panning with the mouse

To pan with the mouse you must enter Pan Mode by selecting View > Pan.

Now click and drag with the left mouse button to pan the design.

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 T-111

Lesson 12 - Running a batch-mode simulation

The goals for this lesson are:
• Run a batch-mode VHDL simulation
• Execute a macro (DO) file
• View a saved simulation
Batch-mode allows you to execute several commands that are written in a text file. You
create a text file with the list of commands you wish to run, and then specify that file when
you start ModelSim. This is particularly useful when you need to run a simulation or a set
of commands repeatedly.

Important: Batch-mode simulations must be run from a DOS or UNIX prompt. Unless
directed otherwise, enter all commands in this lesson at a DOS or UNIX prompt.
Additionally, this lesson assumes you have added ModelSim to your PATH. If you did
not, you’ll need to specify full paths to the tools (i.e., vlib, vmap, vcom, and vsim) that
are used in the lesson.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-112 Lesson 12 - Running a batch-mode simulation

1 To set up for this lesson, create a new directory and copy this file into it:
\<install_dir>\modeltech\examples\counter.vhd

2 Create a new design library (again, enter these commands at a DOS or UNIX prompt
in the new directory you created in step 1.):
vlib work

3 Map the library:

vmap work work

4 Then compile the source file:

<install_dir>/<platform>/vcom counter.vhd

5 You will use a macro file that provides stimulus for the counter. For your convenience,
a macro file has been provided with ModelSim. You need to copy this macro file from
the installation directory to the current directory:
<install_dir>\modeltech\examples\stim.do

6 Create a batch file using an editor; name it yourfile. With the editor, put the following
on separate lines in the file:
add list -decimal *
do stim.do
write list counter.lst
quit -f

and save to the current directory.

7 To run the batch-mode simulation, enter the following at the command prompt:
vsim -do yourfile -wlf saved.wlf counter -c

This is what you just did in Step 7:

• invoked the VSIM simulator on a design unit called "counter"
• instructed the simulator to save the simulation results in a log file named saved.wlf
by using the -wlf switch
• used the contents of yourfile to specify that values are to be listed in decimal, to
execute a stimulus file called stim.do, and to write the results to a file named
counter.lst, the default for a design named counter

8 Since you saved the simulation results in saved.wlf, you can view the simulation results
by starting up VSIM with its -view switch:
vsim -view saved.wlf

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 T-113

9 Open these windows with the View menu in the Main window, or the equivalent
command at the ModelSim prompt:
view signals list wave

Note: If you open the Process or Variables windows they will be empty. You are looking
at a saved simulation, not examining one interactively; the logfile saved in saved.wlf was
used to reconstruct the current windows.

10 Now that you have the windows open, put the signals in them:
add wave *
add list *

11 Use the available windows to experiment with the saved simulation results and quit
when you are ready:
quit -f

For additional information on the batch and command line modes, please refer to the
ModelSim User’s Manual.

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T-114

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-115

Lesson 13 - Executing commands at load time

The goals for this lesson are:
• Specify the design unit to be simulated on the command line
• Edit the modelsim.ini file
• Execute commands at load time with a DO file

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-116 Lesson 13 - Executing commands at load time

Important: Start this lesson from either the UNIX or DOS prompt in the same directory
in which you completed Chapter Lesson 12 - Running a batch-mode simulation.

1 For this lesson, you will use a macro (DO) file that executes whenever you load a
design. For convenience, a startup file has been provided with the ModelSim program.
You need to copy this DO file from the installation directory to your current directory:
\<install_dir>\modeltech\examples\startup.do

2 Next, you will edit the modelsim.ini file in the \modeltech directory (or the
modelsim.ini file in your current directory if one exists) to point at this file. To do this,
open <install_dir>\modeltech\modelsim.ini using a text editor and uncomment the
following line (by deleting the leading ;) in the [vsim] section of the file:
Startup = do startup.do

Then save modelsim.ini.

Note: The modelsim.ini file must be write-enabled for this change to take place. Using
MS Explorer, right-click on \<install_dir>\modeltech\modelsim.ini, then click
Properties. In the dialog box, uncheck the Read-only box and click OK. (You can also
copy the file to your current directory.)

3 Take a look at the DO file. It uses the predefined variable $entity to do different things
when loading different designs.

4 Start the simulator and specify the top-level design unit to be simulated by entering the
following command at the UNIX/DOS prompt:
vsim counter

Notice that the simulator loads the design unit without displaying the Load Design
dialog box. This is handy if you are simulating the same design unit over and over.
Also notice that all the windows are open. This is because the view * command is
included in the startup macro.

5 If you plan to continue with the following practice sessions, keep ModelSim running.
If you would like to quit the simulator, enter the following command at the VSIM
prompt:
quit -f

6 You won’t need the startup.do file for any other examples, so use your text editor to
comment out the "Startup" line in modelsim.ini.

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 T-117

Lesson 14 - Tcl/Tk and ModelSim

The goals for this lesson are:
• Create a "hello world" button widget
• Execute a procedure using a push button
• Simulate an intersection with traffic lights
• Draw a state machine that represents the simulation
This lesson is divided into several Tcl examples intended to give you a sense of Tcl/Tk’s
function within ModelSim. The examples include a custom simulation interface created
with Tcl/Tk (the code is already written).

Note: You must be using ModelSim SE-VHDL or ModelSim SE/MIXED to complete

these exercises.

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T-118 Lesson 14 - Tcl/Tk and ModelSim

More information on Tcl/Tk

Sources of information about Tcl include Tcl and the Tk Toolkit by John K. Ousterhout,
published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., and Practical Programming in
Tcl and Tk by Brent Welch published by Prentice Hall.
Or, consult one of the following online Tcl references:
• Select Help > Tcl Man Pages (Main window) within ModelSim.
• http://dev.scriptics.com has many useful references
• The Model Technology web site lists a variety of Tcl resources:
www.model.com/resources/tcltk.asp

How Tcl/Tk works with ModelSim

ModelSim incorporates Tcl as an embedded library package. The Tcl library consists of a
parser for the Tcl language, routines to implement the Tcl built-in commands, and
procedures that allow Tcl to be extended with additional commands specific to ModelSim.
ModelSim generates Tcl commands and passes them to the Tcl parser for execution.
Commands may be generated by reading characters from an input source, or by associating
command strings with ModelSim’s user interface features, such as menu entries, buttons,
or keystrokes.
When the Tcl interpreter receives commands it parses them into component fields and
executes built-in commands directly. For commands implemented by ModelSim, Tcl calls
back to the application to execute the commands. In many cases commands will invoke
recursive invocations of the Tcl interpreter by passing in additional strings to execute
(procedures, looping commands, and conditional commands all work in this way).
ModelSim gains a programming advantage by using Tcl for its command language.
ModelSim can focus on simulation-specific commands, while Tcl provides many utility
commands, graphic interface features, and a general programming interface for building up
complex command procedures.
By using Tcl, ModelSim need not re-implement these features, a benefit that allows its
graphic interface to remain consistent on all platforms. (The only vestige of the host
platform’s graphic interface is the window frame manager.)

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 The custom traffic-light interface T-119

The custom traffic-light interface

The subject of our main Tcl/Tk lesson is a simple traffic-light controller. The system is
comprised of three primary components: a state machine, a pair of traffic lights, and a pair
of traffic sensors. The components are described in three VHDL files: traffic.vhd (the state
machine), queue.vhd (the traffic arrival queue) and tb_traffic.vhd (the testbench).
You could, of course, simulate this system with ModelSim’s familiar interface, but Tcl/Tk
provides us the option to try something different. Since we’re simulating something most
of us have seen and experienced before, we can create an intuitive interface unique to the
simulation.

Overview
The table below summarizes the source files, procedures, and commands used to simulate
the traffic-light controller.

VHDL source files Tcl procedures create and ModelSim commands are run via
describe the system connect the interface, plus the the new interface using the Tcl
source files, to ModelSim procedures

draw_intersection

traffic.vhd connect_lights vsim -lib vhdl/work tb_traffic

queue.vhd examine -value <light_timing>
tb_traffic.vhd

draw_queues

draw_controls force -freeze $var $val ns

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-120 Lesson 14 - Tcl/Tk and ModelSim

The result is a traffic intersection interface similar to this illustration:

wm widget
Calls to the
operating
system window
manager to
create the
"traffic"
window.

frame and
scale widget

A scale widget
within a frame
widget creates
an analog entry
device for a
minimum to a
maximum value
and invokes the
force command

canvas widget button widgets

label widget
The background, lines Each button invokes the
A static label is added to the end of the and traffic lights are indicated run or break
connect_lights procedure to indicate created with the canvas command.
connection to the simulator. widget.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 The custom traffic-light interface T-121

Tk widgets
The intersection illustration points out several Tcl/Tk "widgets." A widget is simply a user
interface element, like a menu or scrolled list. Tk widgets are referenced within Tcl
procedures to create graphic interface objects. The Tk tool box comes with several widgets,
additional widgets can be created using these as a base.

Controlling the simulation

The components of the intersection interface have the following effect within ModelSim:

Intersection control Effect in ModelSim

used

Run 1000 button invokes the run command for 1000 ns

Run Forever button invokes the run -all command

Break button invokes the break command

light timing control invokes the force command with the arguments for the
indicated signal and time

arrival time control invokes the force command with the arguments for the
indicated direction and time

waiting queue any time you change a control the examine command is
invoked to display the value of the waiting queue

Saving time
Since several intersection controls invoke a command and arguments with a single action
(such as the movement of a slider), this custom interface saves time compared to invoking
the commands from the command line or ModelSim menus.

Copies of the original example files

Copies of the Tcl example files from these exercises are located in the
\<install_dir>\modeltech\examples\tcl_tutorial\originals directory.

Solutions to the examples

Throughout the traffic intersection examples you will be modifying Tcl files to complete
the final intersection. You will find a completed set of intersection examples ready-to-run
in the tcl_tutorial\solutions directory. Invoke these commands from the ModelSim prompt
to run the intersection:
cd solutions
do traffic.do

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T-122 Lesson 14 - Tcl/Tk and ModelSim

Viewing files
If you would like to view the source for any of the Tcl files in our examples, use the
notepad command at either the ModelSim or VSIM prompt.
notepad <filename>

Most files are opened in read-only mode by default; you can edit the file by deselecting
read only from the notepad Edit menu.

The Tcl source command

The Tcl source command reads the Tcl file into the Tcl interpreter, which parses the
procedures for use within the current environment. Once sourced, a Tcl procedure can be
called from the ModelSim prompt as shown in the syntax below. ModelSim executes the
instructions within the procedure.

Syntax
source <tcl filename>
<tcl procedure name>

Arguments
<tcl filename>

The Tcl file read into the ModelSim Tcl interpreter with the source command.
<tcl procedure name>

The Tcl procedure defined within <tcl filename>, called from the ModelSim prompt,
and executed by ModelSim.
The traffic.do file is a good example of the source command syntax (the file is a macro
that runs the traffic light simulation). View it with Notepad:
notepad traffic.do

Shortcuts
To save some typing, copy the commands from the PDF version of these instructions and
paste them at the ModelSim prompt. Paste with the right (2 button mouse), or middle (3
button mouse). You can also select a ModelSim or VSIM prompt from the Main transcript
to paste a previous command to the current command line.

Make a transcript DO file

You can rerun the commands executed during the current session with a DO file created
from the Main transcript. Make the DO file by saving the transcript with the File >
Transcript > Save Transcript As menu selection at any time during the exercises. Run
the DO file to repeat the commands (do <do filename>).

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Initial setup T-123

Initial setup

Important: These steps must be completed before running the Tcl examples.

1 Create, and change to a new working directory for the Tcl/Tk exercises. Copy the
lesson files in the following directory (include all subdirectories and files) to your new
directory:
<install_dir>\modeltech\examples\tcl_tutorial

2 Make the new directory the current directory, then invoke ModelSim:
for UNIX
vsim

for Windows (from a shortcut or Start > Run, etc.)

modelsim.exe

3 At the ModelSim prompt, create a work library in the /vhdl directory:

vlib vhdl/work

4 Map the work library.

vmap work vhdl/work

5 Compile the VHDL example files with these commands (or the Compile dialog box):
vcom vhdl/traffic.vhd
vcom vhdl/queue.vhd
vcom vhdl/tb_traffic.vhd

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T-124 Lesson 14 - Tcl/Tk and ModelSim

Example 1 - Create a "Hello World" button widget

Before you begin the examples make sure you have completed "Initial setup" (T-123).
In this example you will study a "hello world" button that prints a message when pressed.

1 Source the Tcl file from the ModelSim prompt:

source hello.tcl

then run the procedure defined within hello.tcl:

hello_example

The file hello.tcl was read into the ModelSim Tcl interpreter. The instructions in the
hello_example procedure were then executed by ModelSim, and "Hello World" was
printed to the Main transcript (or invoking shell on UNIX). Selecting the button will
print the message again.
You’ve just created your first top-level widget!

2 Invoke the hello_example procedure again and notice how the new button replaces the
original button. The procedure destroyed the first button and created the new one. Get
a closer look at the source Tcl file with the notepad:
notepad hello.tcl

Close the hello_example window when you’re done.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Example 2 - Execute a procedure using a push button T-125

Example 2 - Execute a procedure using a push button

Before you begin this example make sure you have completed "Initial setup" (T-123).
This example will display all of the gif images in the images directory. Each button has a
binding attached to it for "enter" events, and a binding for a mouse button press. When the
mouse enters the button graphic, the image file name is printed to the Main window (or
invoking shell on UNIX). When the mouse button is pushed, its "widget" name will be
printed to the Main window (or invoking shell on UNIX).

1 Build an image viewer by invoking this command, and calling this procedure:
source images.tcl
image_example

2 Drag the mouse across the buttons and notice what happens in the Main transcript (or
invoking shell on UNIX).
Push one of the buttons; you will see an error dialog box. You can solve this problem
by modifying the images.tcl file.

3 To view the source file press the See Source Code button at the bottom of the image
display or invoke notepad at the ModelSim prompt:
notepad images.tcl

You’ll find that the pushme procedure is missing; it’s commented out in images.tcl.

4 Search for "proc push" using the Edit > Find menu selection in the notepad.
Remove the comments (the "#" symbols) to return the function to your source, use File
> Save to save the changes, then close the image window with the Destroy button.

5 Once the pushme procedure is in place it will print its one parameter, the object name,
to the transcript.
After you have added the pushme procedure to your source, you need to resource and
rerun the Tcl procedure with these commands (use the up arrow to scroll through the
commands or do !source):
source images.tcl
image_example

Press all the buttons and notice the object names in the Main transcript. Close the
image example window when you’re done.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-126 Lesson 14 - Tcl/Tk and ModelSim

Example 3 - Simulate an intersection with traffic lights

In this example you’ll simulate an intersection with traffic lights. The simulation interface
you create allows you to run "what if" scenarios efficiently.

Introduction of the traffic intersection widget

This portion of our example introduces the traffic intersection widget. You’ll add other
widgets to the intersection to create a custom traffic simulation environment.
Once again, make sure you have completed "Initial setup" (T-123) before working this
example.

1 Draw the intersection by invoking this command and procedure at the ModelSim
prompt:
source intersection.tcl
draw_intersection

2 From the ModelSim prompt, use the procedure set_light_state to change the color of
the lights:
set_light_state green .traffic.i.ns_light

set_light_state green .traffic.i.ew_light

You can use the Copy and Paste buttons on the Main toolbar to help build instructions
from previous commands.

3 View the source code with this command at the ModelSim prompt:
notepad intersection.tcl

You can locate the set_light_state procedure with Edit > Find from the Notepad menu
(the procedure is located toward the middle of the file).

Connect traffic lights to the simulation

Using the intersection widget, you will add when statements to connect the lights to the real
simulation. Once the connection is made, you will simulate the traffic light controller and
watch the lights change.
We'll use ModelSim when statements to condition the simulation to call our Tcl program
when a desired simulation condition happens.
For our example, the desired condition is the state of the lights. Whenever the lights in the
simulation change states, we want to change the color of the lights on the screen.

4 Load the VHDL libraries you compiled in preparation for these examples using this
command at the ModelSim prompt:
vsim tb_traffic

Be sure you invoke this command before the start of the connect_lights procedure, if
you don't load the libraries, you won't have a design to simulate.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Example 3 - Simulate an intersection with traffic lights T-127

5 Connect the lights to the simulation with this command and procedure:
source lights.tcl
connect_lights

Try running the simulation now; select either run button on the intersection. Select
Break if you used the Run Forever button. Notice how the Source window opens and
indicates the next line to be executed. (If the simulator is not evaluating an executable
process when the break occurs, the Source window will not open.) Only the East/West
lights are working. You can make both lights work by editing the lights.tcl file.

6 Edit lights.tcl with the notepad to add a when statement for the North/South light.
notepad lights.tcl

You need to add this because the current statement is for the East/West light only.
You’ll find the solution commented. (Remember to change the read-only status of the
file so you can edit it.)
You’ll find the code commented-out toward the end of the file (use Edit >Find and
look for light_ns).

7 After you have made the changes, reload and run the simulation again.
source lights.tcl
connect_lights

Both lights are now working.

Note: Remember, if you need to return to the original Tcl files (maybe you’ve edited the
file and it doesn’t work right) you’ll find the files in the tcl_tutorial\originals directory.

Add widgets to display simulation information

Running the lights may be interesting, but not very useful - let’s add some displays that will
tell us what’s happening to the cars at the intersection.
Now you will add queue widgets to display the sum of the length of each pair of queues as
we simulate.

8 The East/West widget for displaying the total East/West queue length is already
provided. Let's edit the source to add a display for the North/South direction. Use the
notepad:
notepad queues.tcl

The solution is commented out in queues.tcl.

The Queue Display widget consists of an enclosing frame with two label widgets. The
first label is a simple text string. The second label is the value of the queue length. The
text in the second label will be updated whenever the queue lengths change.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-128 Lesson 14 - Tcl/Tk and ModelSim

9 After you have added your North/South widget, run your program by invoking this
command:
source queues.tcl
draw_queues

According to the traffic indicators, the cars are leaving the intersection at the same rate.
That seems fair, but if you are designing an intersection that responds to the traffic flow
into the intersection you might want to change the light cycles. Perhaps one of the
directions has more incoming traffic than the other.
Adding controls, in the form of scale widgets, allows you to quickly change the
assumptions about traffic flow into the intersection.

Add "scale" widgets to control the simulation

Next you will add Tk "scale" widgets that will control the arrival rates and the length of the
lights.

10 The East/West widget for controlling the East/West queue inter-arrival time is
provided. You’ll edit the source code to add controls for the North/South direction. Use
this command:
notepad controls.tcl

You can remove the comments in the code to make this change.
Similarly, add the North/South widget for controlling the length of the lights. The East/
West widget for light control is provided. (You can remove the comments in the code
to make this change as well.)
These control widgets are implemented using the Tk "scale" widgets, enclosed in a
frame.
When the value of the scale widget changes, it calls the command specified with the
-command option on each scale.

11 After you have added your North/South widgets, run your program with this
command:
source controls.tcl
draw_controls

Now you have a complete intersection interface. Try the run buttons and the slider
scales.
You can view the simulation with ModelSim’s GUI. Check the Source window to view
the VHDL files, and add signals to a Wave window (add wave *).
You can also change the run length in the Main window. Try using the Run buttons in
the Main window and the intersection window.
Keep the intersection simulation running to complete the next example. If you want to
recreate the final intersection environment quickly, invoke these commands from the
ModelSim prompt (after "Initial setup" (T-123)):
cd solutions
vmap work work
do traffic.do

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 Example 4 - Draw a state machine that represents the simulation T-129

Example 4 - Draw a state machine that represents the simu-

lation
In this final example you will draw a state machine representing the simulation, and
connect it to the state signal inside the traffic light controller. Each transition that the
controller makes is displayed as it happens.
The intersection environment from the previous example needs to be running for this
example. To get it running quickly, invoke these commands from the ModelSim prompt
(after "Initial setup" (T-123)).
cd solutions
do traffic.do

1 Run the state machine with these commands:

source state-machine.tcl
draw_state_machine

Click on one of the Run buttons.

2 Now we’ll make some changes to the light colors and transition arrows. Open the
source file with this command:
notepad state-machine.tcl

Note the "ModelSim EXAMPLE part 1" comments in the file. You can change
"both_red" state coordinates from x = 125 and y = 50 to any coordinates. (You may
need to uncheck the read only selection in the Edit menu before making changes.)

3 Note the "ModelSim EXAMPLE part 2" comments in the file. You can change the
transition arrow coordinates to correspond with the new "both_red" state coordinates.

4 Note the "ModelSim EXAMPLE part 3" comments in the file. Change the active color
from "black" to "purple".

5 Reuse the original commands when you're ready to run the state machine (remember,
to copy a previous command to the current command line, select the previous
ModelSim prompt):
source state-machine.tcl
draw_state_machine

Click on one of the Run buttons.

Notice the changes. Try some additional changes if you wish.
This is the end of the Tcl/Tk examples. Continue to modify and test the examples if
you wish; you can recover the original files at any time in the
tcl_tutorial\originals directory.

ModelSim SE Tutorial
T-130

ModelSim SE Tutorial
 T-131

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a U.S. Government subcontractor is subject to the restrictions set forth in the
license agreement under which Software was obtained pursuant to DFARS
227.7202-3(a) or as set forth in subparagraphs (c)(1) and (2) of the Commercial

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Computer Software - Restricted Rights clause at FAR 52.227-19, as applicable.

Contractor/manufacturer is Mentor Graphics Corporation, 8005 Boeckman Road,
Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777 USA.

12. THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARY. For any Software under this Agreement
licensed by Mentor Graphics from Microsoft or other licensors, Microsoft or the
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under the laws of Ireland if the Software is licensed for use in Israel, Egypt,
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reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses.

Rev. 03/00

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Index

Numerics using the transcript as a DO file T-10

documentation T-7
1076, IEEE Std T-6 drag and drop T-9
1364, IEEE Std T-6
E
A
Errors
application notes T-8 breaking on assertion T-49
Assertion errors T-48 finding in VHDL designs T-49
viewing in Source window T-50
examine command T-35
B examples
Tcl example solutions T-121
Batch-mode simulation T-111
Breakpoints T-23
continuing simulation after T-23 F
Find dialog box T-54
C Finding
a cursor in the Wave window T-59
Code Coverage T-75 Finding names, and searching for values T-53
coverage_summary window T-77 force command T-22
reload T-81 frequently asked questions T-8
report T-78
vsim -coverage command T-76
Command history T-9 H
compare
icons T-91 Hierarchical Profile T-68
Compile update icon T-74
compile order T-39 Hierarchy
compile order of Verilog modules T-28 of a mixed VHDL/Verilog design T-42
mixed HDL design T-39 of a Verilog design T-31
Verilog T-26
coverage_summary window T-77
I
D IEEE Std 1076 T-6
IEEE Std 1364 T-6
Dataflow window
pan T-110
zoom T-110
K
Debugging a VHDL design T-45 Keyboard shortcuts, Wave window T-61
Design library
creating T-18, T-27, T-38
do command T-10 L
DO files
executing a DO file in batch-mode T-112 Libraries
using a DO file at startup T-116 creation and mapping T-46

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LSF Simulation
app note on using with ModelSim T-8 batch-mode T-111
executing commands at startup T-115
mixed VHDL/Verilog T-37
M saving results in log file T-112
Simulate dialog box T-29, T-41
Macros T-10 single-stepping T-24
Verilog T-25
O -view switch T-112
-wlf switch T-112
Operating systems supported T-6 Software updates T-8
solutions to the examples T-121
Standard Developer’s Kit User Manual T-7
P standards supported T-6
Support T-8
Pan System initialization file T-116
Dataflow window T-110
Performance Analyzer T-65
hierarchical profile T-68 T
report command T-74
Tcl/Tk
how it works with ModelSim T-118
Q Tcl source command T-122
Tk widgets T-121
quit VSIM command T-24, T-36 Tech notes T-8
Technical support T-8
R test signals T-83
Transcript
reference signals T-83 save T-10
report command T-74 transcript DO file T-122
restart T-35
Reusing commands T-10 U
run VSIM command T-22
Updates T-8
S
V
Searching
for values and finding names in windows T-53 Vera, see Vera documentation
in tree windows T-54 Verilog
Shortcuts compile T-26
command history T-9 interface checking between design units T-28
Wave window T-61 standards T-6
Signal transitions viewing design in Structure and Source windows
searching for T-60 T-42
Signals Verilog 2001, current implementation T-6
applying stimulus to T-22 Verilog simulation T-25
display values with examine command T-35 VHDL
Simulating standards T-6
code coverage T-75 view_profile command T-68
with Performance Analyzer T-65 vsim -coverage command T-76

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W
Waveform Comparison
icons T-91
reference signals T-83
test signals T-83
Windows
finding HDL item names T-53
searching for HDL item values T-53
Dataflow window
zooming T-110
List window
locating time markers T-53
opening T-48
Wave window
changing display range (zoom) T-60
cursor measurements T-59
locating time cursors T-53
using time cursors T-58
zoom options T-60
zooming T-60
Work library mapping T-46

Z
Zoom
Dataflow window T-110
from Wave toolbar buttons T-60
from Zoom menu T-60
options T-60
with the mouse T-61

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ModelSim SE Tutorial