Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition User Guide: Timing Analyzer

ID 683243
Date 1/31/2023
Public

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3.7.2.4. Using the get_pins Command

The get_pins command supports options that control the matching behavior of the wildcard character (*). Depending on the combination of options you use, you can make the wildcard character (*) respect or ignore individual levels of hierarchy. The pipe character (|) indicates levels of hierarchy. By default, the wildcard character (*) matches only a single level of hierarchy.

These examples filter the following node and pin names to illustrate function:

  • lvl (a hierarchy level with the name lvl)
  • lvl|dataa (an input pin in the instance lvl)
  • lvl|datab (an input pin in the instance lvl)
  • lvl|cnod (a combinational node with the name cnod in the lvl instance)
  • lvl|cnod|datac (an input pin to the combinational node with the name cnod)
  • lvl|cnod|datad (an input pin to the combinational node cnod)
Table 34.  Sample Search Strings and Search Results
Search String Search Result
get_pins *|dataa lvl|dataa
get_pins *|datac <empty> 6
get_pins *|*|datac lvl|cnod|datac
get_pins lvl*|* lvl|dataa, lvl|datab
get_pins -hierarchical *|*|datac <empty>6
get_pins -hierarchical lvl|* lvl|dataa, lvl|datab
get_pins -hierarchical *|datac lvl|cnod|datac
get_pins -hierarchical lvl|*|datac <empty>6
get_pins -compatibility_mode *|datac lvl|cnod|datac 7
get_pins -compatibility_mode *|*|datac lvl|cnod|datac

The default method separates hierarchy levels of instances from nodes and pins with the pipe character (|). A match occurs when the levels of hierarchy match, and the string values including wildcards match the instance or pin names. For example, the command get_pins <instance_name>|*|datac returns all the datac pins for registers in a given instance. However, the command get_pins *|datac returns an empty collection because the levels of hierarchy do not match.

Use the -hierarchical matching scheme to return a collection of cells or pins in all hierarchies of your design.

For example, the command get_pins -hierarchical *|datac returns all the datac pins for all registers in your design. However, the command get_pins -hierarchical *|*|datac returns an empty collection because more than one pipe character (|) is not supported.

The -compatibility_mode option returns collections matching wildcard strings through any number of hierarchy levels. For example, an asterisk can match a pipe character when using -compatibility_mode.

6 The search result is <empty> because the wildcard character (*) does not match more than one hierarchy level, that a pipe character (|) indicates, by default. This command matches any pin with the name datac in instances at the top level of the design.
7 When you use -compatibility_mode, the Timing Analyzer does not treat pipe characters (|) as special characters when you use the characters with wildcards.