Quartus® Prime Pro Edition User Guide: Platform Designer
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7.1. Run the Platform Designer Editor with qsys-edit
You can use the following options with the qsys-edit utility:
Option | Usage | Description |
---|---|---|
1st arg file |
Optional | Specifies the name of the .qsys system or .qvar variation file to edit. |
--search-path[=<value>] |
Optional | If you omit this command, Platform Designer uses a standard default path. If you provide a search path, Platform Designer searches a comma-separated list of paths. To include the standard path in your replacement, use "$", for example: /extra/dir,$. |
--quartus-project[=<value>] |
Required | This option is mandatory if you are associating your Platform Designer system with an existing Quartus® Prime project. Specifies the name of the Quartus® Prime project file. If you do not provide the revision via --rev , Platform Designer uses the default revision as the Quartus® Prime project name. |
--new-quartus-project[=<value>] |
Required | This option is mandatory if you are associating your Platform Designer system with a new Quartus® Prime project. Specifies the name and path of the new Quartus® Prime project. Creates a new Quartus® Prime project at the specified path. You can also provide the revision name. |
--rev[=<value>] |
Optional | Specifies the name of the Quartus® Prime project revision. |
--family[=<value>] |
Optional | Sets the device family. |
--part[=<value>] |
Optional | Sets the device part number. If set, this option overrides the --family option. |
--new-component-type[=<value>] |
Optional | Specifies the instance type for parameterization in a variation. |
--require-generation |
Optional | Marks the loading system as requiring generation. |
--debug |
Optional | Enables debugging features and output. |
--jvm-max-heap-size=<value> |
Optional | The maximum memory size that Platform Designer uses when running qsys-edit. You specify this value as <size><unit>, where unit is m (or M) for multiples of megabytes, or g (or G) for multiples of gigabytes. The default value is 512m. |
--metrics-log-file=[path_to_log_file] |
Optional | This switch creates a new file containing a set of metrics, at the path you specify. This switch must be used alongside the --record-metrics switch, or the switch does not function. The path to the log file must exist, or the FileDoesNotExists error appears. Platform Designer does not create any new directories listed in the path. |
--record-metrics[=<foobar>] |
Optional | Enables metric logging. This feature logs the time Platform Designer takes to perform various operations. The other information includes:
|
--help |
Optional | Displays help for qsys-edit. |
Extended Features with the --debug Options
The --debug option provides powerful tools for debugging. When you launch Platform Designer with the --debug option enabled, you can:
- View debug messages when opening a system or generating HDL for that system.
- Add the --verbose argument when generating IP or a system using command-line utilities.
- Access internal library components in the IP Catalog, for example, modules used to create interconnect fabric.
- Access to debug tools and files from the Internal menu.

Menu Item | Description |
---|---|
Show hw.tcl Debugger | Displays a Tcl debugger. |
Show System File | Displays the current system XML in a text dialog box. |
Show SOPCINFO File | Shows the SOPCINFO report XML in a text dialog box. |
Show UI Properties | Displays the UI properties in a text dialog box. |
Show Command Line Arguments | Displays all command-line arguments and environment variables in a text dialog box. |
Show System Changes | Displays dynamic system changes in a text dialog box. |
Make Model Read-only | Makes the system you are working in read-only. |
Take Screenshots | Creates a .png file in the <project_directory> by default. You can navigate and save to a directory of your choice. |
Show Plug-In Catalog | Displays library details such as type, version, tags, etc. for all IPs in the IP Catalog. |
Show Adapter Reports | Displays adapter reports for any adapters added when transforming the system. |
- You can view detailed debugging messages in the Component Editor while building a custom IP component.
- You can view the generated Tcl script while editing in the Component Editor with the Advanced > Show Tcl for Component command.
- You can launch the System Console with debug logging.