Sigasi HDT automatically and transparently analyzes your VHDL code in the background while you are designing. Sigasi's objective is to do this as fast as possible to give you real-time feedback. Of course you also still have to simulate your code with a VHDL simulator such as ModelSim. Since a few months, Sigasi HDT can automatically create and update a Makefile to compile your project with ModelSim. And through the use of a builder it is also possible to automatically run this Makefile when you make changes to your design. In this blog post I will explain how.
First verify that vcom and vlib are on your path or add it (export PATH=/opt/altera9.0/modelsim_ase/bin/:$PATH on my machine).
Next make sure that Sigasi HDT creates the Makefile:
Click Window > Preferences > VHDL > Makefiles, enable Mentor Modelsim (vsim) and confirm with OK
The Makefile is generated when you perform a full (re)build of your project. Click Project > Rebuild project to force this build. The Makefile.vsim should appear in the Project Explorer now.
Next you have to add a builder to your project that will automatically execute the Makefile.
Right-click your project (the dlx-project in this example) and select Properties > Builders.
Click New...
Select Program as Configuration Type
Next, configure the builder:
- Give your builder a name: e.g. ModelSim.
- Enter "/usr/bin/make" as the location of the program to run.
- Click Select Workspace to set the Working Directory and select the root of your project (
${workspace_loc:/dlx} for my project)
- Next enter as arguments:
--makefile=Makefile.vsim all
With the default settings the ModelSim Makefile will only be run during a manual build or after a "Clean". To make sure Sigas HDT runs make every time you save a changed file, click the build options tab and enable the During auto builds checkbox.
When you close the builder configuration dialog windows, make will automatically be run, and Modelsim's messages will appear in the console view.
Note that warnings and errors in the console are clickable. If you click a message, the corresponding location will automatically be opened in the Editor view.
Hendrik
P.S.: You can add as many extra builders as you want this way. E.g. for extra linting, code generators,...
