| So you've got a project. Now you need some files in your project. Go to '''Project > New Source'''. Select "VHDL Module", give your file a name (don't bother with the .vhd; ISE will add that for you) and a parent directory. Click next. Here's where you start to love ISE, as it will do some work for you. If you read the previous pages of the tutorial, you read about entities, architectures, and ports. ISE now gives you a GUI to define these; give your entity and architecture a name. If you know what your ports will be, go ahead and define them: a name, in/out/inout, line/bus, indices if you're using a bus. If you don't know what your ports will be (or want to change them later), you can just edit the code manually with no problems. Click next. You get a screen to verify all the details you just set up and if you're all set, click finish. The new file will be added to the Sources box to the top left and will open up in the main window. The file will have all sorts of predefined code for you; the library/use statements, some standard comments to describe the file, and the framework for your code. | | So you've got a project. Now you need some files in your project. Go to '''Project > New Source'''. Select "VHDL Module", give your file a name (don't bother with the .vhd; ISE will add that for you) and a parent directory. Click next. Here's where you start to love ISE, as it will do some work for you. If you read the previous pages of the tutorial, you read about entities, architectures, and ports. ISE now gives you a GUI to define these; give your entity and architecture a name. If you know what your ports will be, go ahead and define them: a name, in/out/inout, line/bus, indices if you're using a bus. If you don't know what your ports will be (or want to change them later), you can just edit the code manually with no problems. Click next. You get a screen to verify all the details you just set up and if you're all set, click finish. The new file will be added to the Sources box to the top left and will open up in the main window. The file will have all sorts of predefined code for you; the library/use statements, some standard comments to describe the file, and the framework for your code. |
| If you already had a file created and you just wanted to open it, take a look at the Sources box to the top left. Make sure the pull-down menu above it is set for "Synthesis/Implementation" and the "Sources" tab is selected below it. Double-click the file you want. Depending on your code, ISE will sort your files into hierarchies at times, so you may need to click the little plus signs to find the desired file. Take a look at the image to the left to see what the Sources box looks like. | | If you already had a file created and you just wanted to open it, take a look at the Sources box to the top left. Make sure the pull-down menu above it is set for "Synthesis/Implementation" and the "Sources" tab is selected below it. Double-click the file you want. Depending on your code, ISE will sort your files into hierarchies at times, so you may need to click the little plus signs to find the desired file. Take a look at the image to the left to see what the Sources box looks like. |
| + | Now let's explain what some of that box means. Find the line that has the device and package codes (in the picture it says "xc3s50a-4tq144"). Above that you really don't need to worry about too much. Below that is a list of all your files. The first file ("DAC_box") has a funny little icon next to it: three rectangles, the topmost of which is green. That icon means that the DAC_box file is the "top module". You can synthesize the top module, but the others cannot be synthesized. Since you'll want to synthesize different components at different times, just remember that before synthesis you have to reset your top module. This is done by right clicking on the file you want set as top and selecting '''Set as Top Module.''' |