Ashling* RiscFree* Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Altera® FPGAs User Guide

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ID 730783
Date 9/02/2025
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Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
1. About this Document 2. Ashling RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs 3. Ashling Visual Studio Code Extension for Altera FPGAs 4. Ashling RiscFree* Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Altera® FPGAs User Guide Archives 5. Document Revision History for the Ashling RiscFree* Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Altera® FPGAs User Guide A. Appendix
2. Ashling RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs x
2.1. About the RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs IDE 2.2. Getting Started with the Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs 2.3. Using Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs with Nios® V Processor System 2.4. Using Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs with Arm* Hard Processor System 2.5. Debugging Features with RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs
2.1. About the RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs IDE x
2.1.1. Supported Devices 2.1.2. Quartus® Prime Software Support 2.1.3. Intel® Simics® Simulator for Intel® FPGAs Support
2.2. Getting Started with the Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs x
2.2.1. Installing RiscFree* IDE for Altera FPGAs 2.2.2. Getting Started with RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs 2.2.3. Creating the Project 2.2.4. Building the Application 2.2.5. Run and Debug Configurations in the RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs 2.2.6. Debug Information in the RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs
2.2.1. Installing RiscFree* IDE for Altera FPGAs x
2.2.1.1. Bundled Installation with the Quartus® Prime Software 2.2.1.2. Standalone Installation
2.2.1.2. Standalone Installation x
2.2.1.2.1. Standalone Installation with Supported Quartus® Prime Software 2.2.1.2.2. Standalone Installation with the Quartus® Prime Programmer and Tools
2.2.2. Getting Started with RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs x
2.2.2.1. Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs Workbench
2.2.2.1. Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs Workbench x
2.2.2.1.1. Perspective, Editors, and Views 2.2.2.1.2. Starting a Project 2.2.2.1.3. Navigating the Project 2.2.2.1.4. Building the Project 2.2.2.1.5. Configuring the FPGA 2.2.2.1.6. Running the Project 2.2.2.1.7. Debugging the Project
2.2.3. Creating the Project x
2.2.3.1. Specifying the Project Location 2.2.3.2. Specifying the Project Name 2.2.3.3. Specifying the Project Type 2.2.3.4. Specifying the Configurations
2.2.5. Run and Debug Configurations in the RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs x
2.2.5.1. Opening the Run and Debug Configuration Dialog Boxes
2.2.6. Debug Information in the RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs x
2.2.6.1. Variables 2.2.6.2. Expressions 2.2.6.3. Registers 2.2.6.4. Memory 2.2.6.5. Disassembly
2.3. Using Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs with Nios® V Processor System x
2.3.1. Importing Nios® V Processor Project 2.3.2. Building Nios® V Processor Project 2.3.3. Running a Nios® V Processor Project 2.3.4. Debugging a Nios® V Processor Project 2.3.5. Debugging Tools
2.3.4. Debugging a Nios® V Processor Project x
2.3.4.1. Download and Debug Nios® V Processor Application 2.3.4.2. Connect to a Running Nios® V Processor Application 2.3.4.3. Considerations when Debugging ROM-based Designs
2.3.4.3. Considerations when Debugging ROM-based Designs x
2.3.4.3.1. Unable to download (Load Image) 2.3.4.3.2. Unable to Set Software Breakpoint
2.3.5. Debugging Tools x
2.3.5.1. View Variables 2.3.5.2. Adding Expressions 2.3.5.3. View Memory 2.3.5.4. Disassembly View with Registers View/ Stepping into assembler functions 2.3.5.5. Hardware Breakpoint 2.3.5.6. Configuring Program Counter Manually
2.4. Using Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs with Arm* Hard Processor System x
2.4.1. Pre-requisite for Debugging Arm* HPS Project 2.4.2. Importing Arm* HPS Project 2.4.3. Setting Debug Configurations and Downloading Arm* HPS Project Using RiscFree* IDE
2.5. Debugging Features with RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs x
2.5.1. Debug Features in RiscFree* IDE 2.5.2. Processor System Debug 2.5.3. Heterogeneous Multicore Debug 2.5.4. Debugging µC/OS-II Application 2.5.5. Debugging FreeRTOS Application 2.5.6. Debugging Zephyr Application 2.5.7. Arm* HPS On-Chip Trace 2.5.8. Debugging the Arm* Linux Kernel 2.5.9. Debugging Target Software in an Intel® Simics Simulator Session
2.5.1. Debug Features in RiscFree* IDE x
2.5.1.1. Viewing Global Variables 2.5.1.2. Launching Memory Browser 2.5.1.3. Debugger Console 2.5.1.4. Specifying the SVD File 2.5.1.5. Breakpoint Settings 2.5.1.6. JTAG UART Output Terminal
2.5.2. Processor System Debug x
2.5.2.1. GUI for Debugging
2.5.3. Heterogeneous Multicore Debug x
2.5.3.1. Importing Nios® V Processor and Arm* HPS Projects 2.5.3.2. Setting Core Configuration
2.5.7. Arm* HPS On-Chip Trace x
2.5.7.1. Trace Bar 2.5.7.2. Trace View
2.5.8. Debugging the Arm* Linux Kernel x
2.5.8.1. Preparing Linux for Kernel Debugging 2.5.8.2. Debugging the Arm* HPS Linux Kernel
3. Ashling Visual Studio Code Extension for Altera FPGAs x
3.1. About the Ashling Visual Studio Code Extension 3.2. Getting Started with Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension 3.3. Using Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension with Nios® V Processor System 3.4. Using Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension with Arm Hard Processor System 3.5. Debugging Features in Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension
3.1. About the Ashling Visual Studio Code Extension x
3.1.1. Supported Devices 3.1.2. Quartus® Prime Software Support
3.2. Getting Started with Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension x
3.2.1. Installing Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension 3.2.2. Getting Started with Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension 3.2.3. Debug Configurations using Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension for Altera FPGAS 3.2.4. Debug Information in the Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension for Altera FPGAs
3.2.1. Installing Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension x
3.2.1.1. Prerequisites 3.2.1.2. Installing Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension for Altera FPGAs
3.2.2. Getting Started with Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension x
3.2.2.1. Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension Workbench
3.2.2.1. Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension Workbench x
3.2.2.1.1. Perspective, Editors, and Views 3.2.2.1.2. Starting a Project 3.2.2.1.3. Navigating the Project 3.2.2.1.4. Building the Project 3.2.2.1.5. Configuring the FPGA 3.2.2.1.6. Debugging the Project
3.2.4. Debug Information in the Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension for Altera FPGAs x
3.2.4.1. Variables 3.2.4.2. Expressions 3.2.4.3. Registers 3.2.4.4. Memory 3.2.4.5. Disassembly
3.3. Using Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension with Nios® V Processor System x
3.3.1. Creating Nios® V Processor BSP using Nios® V Processor BSP Generator 3.3.2. Creating Nios® V Processor Application Project using Nios® V App Generator 3.3.3. Importing Nios® V Processor Project 3.3.4. Building Nios® V Processor Project 3.3.5. Debugging a Nios® V Processor Project 3.3.6. Debugging Tools
3.3.5. Debugging a Nios® V Processor Project x
3.3.5.1. Downloading and Debugging Nios® V Processor Application 3.3.5.2. Connecting to a Running Nios® V Processor Application 3.3.5.3. Considerations when Debugging ROM-based Designs
3.3.5.3. Considerations when Debugging ROM-based Designs x
3.3.5.3.1. Unable to download (Load Image) 3.3.5.3.2. Unable to Set Software Breakpoint
3.3.6. Debugging Tools x
3.3.6.1. View Variables 3.3.6.2. Adding Expressions 3.3.6.3. View Memory 3.3.6.4. Disassembly View with Registers View Stepping into Assembler Functions 3.3.6.5. Hardware Breakpoint 3.3.6.6. Configuring the Program Counter Manually
3.4. Using Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension with Arm Hard Processor System x
3.4.1. Pre-requisite for Debugging Arm HPS Project 3.4.2. Importing Arm* HPS Project 3.4.3. Setting Debug Configurations and Downloading Arm HPS Project Using Visual Studio Code
3.5. Debugging Features in Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension x
3.5.1. Debug Features in Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension 3.5.2. Nios® V Processor System Debug 3.5.3. Heterogeneous Multicore Debug
3.5.1. Debug Features in Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension x
3.5.1.1. Launching Memory Browser 3.5.1.2. Debugger Console 3.5.1.3. JTAG UART Output Terminal 3.5.1.4. Debugging RTOS
3.5.2. Nios® V Processor System Debug x
3.5.2.1. GUI for Debugging
3.5.3. Heterogeneous Multicore Debug x
3.5.3.1. Importing Projects 3.5.3.2. Debugging Multicore Projects (Multiple Nios® V Processor cores) 3.5.3.3. Debugging Multicore project ( Nios® V processor core and ARM HPS)
A. Appendix x
A.1. Optional Toolchain Configuration in Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs A.2. Performing External Tools Configuration in Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs A.3. Debugging with Command-Line Interface A.4. Help Content A.5. Open-Source Components in RiscFree* IDE
A.1. Optional Toolchain Configuration in Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs x
A.1.1. Toolchain for Application and BSP A.1.2. Toolchain for Arm* Processor A.1.3. Modifying Toolchain Configuration
A.3. Debugging with Command-Line Interface x
A.3.1. Running Ashling* GBD Server A.3.2. Running GDB A.3.3. Nios® V Processor Example A.3.4. ARM HPS Core Example
1. About this Document
2. Ashling RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs
3. Ashling Visual Studio Code Extension for Altera FPGAs
4. Ashling RiscFree* Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Altera® FPGAs User Guide Archives
5. Document Revision History for the Ashling RiscFree* Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Altera® FPGAs User Guide
A. Appendix

3.2.1.2. Installing Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension for Altera FPGAs

Note: To select a specific Quartus® Prime version, you can either modify the default Quartus® Prime environment variables or open Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension through the Nios® V Command Shell. Launching Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension via the Nios® V Command Shell ensures that the Ashling: InstallationPath is automatically configured to the desired Quartus® Prime version based on the environment settings defined in the Nios® V Command Shell.
  1. Open the Start Menu and search for Nios® V Command Shell. Then, launch it.
  2. Type the following code to launch Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension.
    $ code.
  3. Click Extensions icon in the Activity bar.
    Figure 90. Extensions Icon in Activity Bar
  4. Navigate to Views and More Actions > Primary Side Bar > Install from VSIX….
    Figure 91. Views and More Actions in Primary Side Bar
    Figure 92. Install from VSIX
  5. Browse to <Quartus Prime Installation directory>/riscfree/vscode/<Ashling VSCode For Altera FPGA.vsix extension and click Install.
  6. Once the extension is installed, the Ashling icon appears in the Activity bar.
    Note: After the installation process, ensure that the C/C++, CMake, CMake Tools, debug-tracker-vscode, Embedded Tools, Peripheral Viewer, and Memory View extensions are also installed.
    Figure 93. Installed Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension for Altera FPGAs
  7. Click the Ashling icon under QUICK SETTINGS and click Verify and Configure Dependencies to set the debug environment. Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension verifies the presence of Quartus® Prime and Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs in the machine and configures the path for build tools (Make, CMake, etc.), compiler (Nios V GNU GCC toolchain), and debugger (GDB, Ashling GDB Server, Intel JTAG Server, etc.).
Figure 94. Verify and Configure Dependencies
If the extension found the Quartus® Prime and Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs path successfully, the Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension reports successful verification in the OUTPUT view.
Note: Ensure that all dependencies have passed the verification process. If any dependency fails, please consult with support.
Figure 95. Output of Verify and Configure Dependencies 
[3:57:46 PM] Starting Quartus installation search...
[3:57:48 PM] Checking environment variables:
[3:57:48 PM]   QUARTUS_ROOTDIR: C:\altera_pro\25.1\quartus
[3:57:48 PM]   QUARTUS_ROOT: not set
[3:57:48 PM]   ALTERA_ROOT: not set
[3:57:48 PM] ✅ Found Quartus installation(s) at: C:\altera_pro\25.1\quartus
[3:57:48 PM] Searching for RiscFree installation...
[3:57:50 PM] Checking for RiscFree at: C:\altera_pro\25.1\riscfree
[3:57:50 PM] ✅ Valid RiscFree installation found at: C:\altera_pro\25.1\riscfree
[3:57:50 PM] Verifying RiscFree toolchain...
[3:57:52 PM] Setting up VS Code configuration...
[3:57:53 PM] ✅ Setup completed successfully!
[3:57:53 PM] 
Checking toolchain components...

[3:57:53 PM] Checking Ashling SDK Installation
================================
[3:57:53 PM] Verifying Build Tools
-------------------------------
   Checking CMake........ ✅
      Location: C:\altera_pro\25.1\riscfree\build_tools\cmake\bin\cmake.exe
      Getting version........ 3.30.2
   Checking Make........ ✅
      Location: C:\altera_pro\25.1\riscfree\build_tools\bin\make.exe
   Checking Ashling CLI........ ✅
      Location: C:\altera_pro\25.1\riscfree\cli\ashling-cli.exe

[3:57:55 PM] Verifying Debug Tools
-------------------------------
   Checking ARM GDB Server........ ✅
      Location: C:\altera_pro\25.1\riscfree\debugger\gdbserver-arm\ash-arm-gdb-server.exe
   Checking RISC-V GDB Server........ ✅
      Location: C:\altera_pro\25.1\riscfree\debugger\gdbserver-riscv\ash-riscv-gdb-server.exe
   Checking QEMU RISC-V........ ✅
      Location: C:\altera_pro\25.1\riscfree\qemu\qemu-system-riscv32.exe
      Getting version........ 9.0.2
[3:57:56 PM] Verifying RISC-V Toolchain
------------------------------------
   Checking RISC-V GCC (32-bit)........ ✅
      Location: C:\altera_pro\25.1\riscfree\toolchain\riscv32-unknown-elf\bin\riscv32-unknown-elf-gcc.exe
      Getting version........ 13.2.0
   Checking RISC-V G++ (32-bit)........ ✅
      Location: C:\altera_pro\25.1\riscfree\toolchain\riscv32-unknown-elf\bin\riscv32-unknown-elf-g++.exe
   Checking RISC-V GDB (32-bit)........ ✅
      Location: C:\altera_pro\25.1\riscfree\toolchain\riscv32-unknown-elf\bin\riscv32-unknown-elf-gdb.exe
      Getting version........ Version unknown

[3:57:58 PM] Verifying ARM Toolchain
---------------------------------
   Checking ARM GDB (AArch64 ELF)........ ✅
      Location: C:\altera_pro\25.1\riscfree\toolchain\Arm\aarch64-none-elf\bin\aarch64-none-elf-gdb.exe
      Getting version........ Version unknown

[3:57:58 PM] Summary
=======
Components Found: 10/10
 
✅ All components verified successfully

If the extension couldn’t locate the Quartus® Prime and Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs path automatically, the Ashling* Visual Studio Code Extension extension prompts the Browse Now dialogue box. You are required to browse and select the location of the missing component(s).

For example, the Ashling* RiscFree* IDE for Altera® FPGAs folder can be found within the Quartus® Prime installation folder. (<Quartus Installation Directory>\altera_pro\XX.Y\riscfree).
Figure 96. RiscFree Setup
The following messages appear when the missing component is found and configured successful by the extension.
Figure 97. Verify and Configure Dependencies Successful
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