15.2.6 Finding Objects

Use the Find command from any tool in MultiView Navigator to locate instances, nets, ports, and regions.

To find instances:

  1. From the Edit menu, choose Find. The Find dialog box appears.
    Figure 15-7. Find Instances Dialog Box
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  2. Make sure the Instances tab is selected.
  3. To search by name, type the name and Cell Type in the Name and Cell Type fields. Name is the name of the instance. Cell Type refers to the macro type. For example, you can search for all macros of type AND by typing

    *AND* in the Cell Type field. Likewise, you can search for *OR2A* to list all the ORs used in the design. Usually cell types are prefixed with "ADLIB." When searching for instances, Instance Name or Cell Type can be blank, but not both. These fields accept wildcards. Wildcard characters include:

    Table 15-2. Wildcard Characters
    WildcardWhat It Does
    ?Matches any single character
    *Matches any string
    /This is the level-bordering symbol. “A/B” designates “object B, which is part of instance A.”
  4. For Placement filters, select one of the following:

    All – Find all instances

    Assigned – Find only instances assigned to a location

    Locked – Find only locked instances

    Unassigned - Find only instances that are not assigned to a location

  5. To find only macros connected to ports, select Display Interface Instances only.
  6. To find only instances in the current module, select Find in current module. This option is only available when NetlistViewer is the active view and is displaying the pre-optimized netlist.
  7. To find only instances in a specific user block or in all user blocks, select Block search, and then select the block from the drop-down list.
  8. Select Wildcard matching to search using wildcards.
  9. Select Matchcase to make the search case sensitive.
  10. Select Select Results to select the results of your find.
  11. Click to specify how you want to display your results.
  12. Click Find. The located instances, if any, appear in the Find pane in the Log window.

Instances, ports, and nets found in the current module but which only exist in the pre-optimized netlist have a special icon next to them in the Find pane: ???. See the Find pane in the illustration below for an example:

Figure 15-8. Instances That Exist Only in the Pre-optimized Netlist
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To find a net:

  1. From the Edit menu, choose Find. The Find dialog box appears.
  2. Click the Nets tab.
    Figure 15-9. Find Nets Dialog Box
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  3. Type the name of the net. This field accepts .
  4. To find nets with a specific fanout value, click the up and down arrows next to Fanout to set the fanout value.
  5. For Routing filters, select one of the following:

    All – Find all nets

    Locked – Find only locked nets

    Unlocked – Find only unlocked nets

  6. To find only clock nets in your active list, select Display global nets only.
  7. To find only nets in the current module, select Find in current module. This option is only available when NetlistViewer is the active view and is displaying the pre-optimized netlist.
  8. To find only nets in a specific block, select Block search box, and then select the block from the drop-down list.
  9. Select Wildcard matching to search using wildcards.
  10. Select Matchcase to make the search case sensitive.
  11. Click Select Results to select the results of your find.
  12. Click to specify how you want to display your results.
  13. Click Find. The located nets, if any, appear in the Find pane in the Log window.

To find ports:

  1. From the Edit menu, choose Find. The Find dialog box appears.
  2. Click the Ports tab.
    Figure 15-10. Find Ports Dialog Box
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  3. To search by name, type the Name of the port to be located. This field accepts wildcards.
  4. To find a port by type, select All, In, Out, or In/Out.
  5. To find only ports in the current module, select Find in current module. This option is only available when NetlistViewer is the active view and is displaying the pre-optimized netlist.
  6. To find only ports in a specific block, select Block search box, and then select the block from the drop-down list.
  7. For Placement filters, select one of the following:

    All – Find all ports (input ports, outputs, and ports you can use for both input and output)

    Assigned – Find only assigned ports

    Locked – Find only locked ports

    Unassigned – Find only unassigned ports

  8. Select Wildcard matching to search using .
  9. Select Matchcase to limit the search to items with the exact characters specified.
  10. Click Select Results to select the results of your search.
  11. Click to specify how you want to display your results.
  12. Click Find. The located ports, if any, appear in the Find pane in the Log window.

To find regions:

  1. From the Edit menu, choose Find. The Find dialog box appears.
  2. Click Regions.
    Figure 15-11. Find Regions Dialog Box
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  3. To search by name, in the Name field, type the name of the region you want to find. This field accepts wildcards. Wildcard characters include:
    Table 15-3. Wildcard Characters
    WildcardWhat It Does
    ?Matches any single character
    *Matches any string
  4. To search by type of region, select All, Inclusive, Exclusive, or Empty.
  5. Click to specify how you want to display your results.
  6. Click Find. The located regions, if any, appear in the Find pane in the Log window.

To use the advanced features:

  • Click Advanced to specify where you want your results to appear. Your options appear below the Result area of the Find dialog box.