Managing library contents
Library contents can be viewed, deleted, recompiled, edited and so on using either the graphic interface or command line.
The Library tab in the Main window workspace provides access to design units (configurations, modules, packages, entities, and architectures) in a library. Note the icons identify whether a unit is an entity (E), a module (M), and so forth.
The Library tab includes these options:
- Library
Select the library you wish to view from the drop-down list. Related command line command is vdir.
- DesignUnit/Description list
Select a plus (+) box to view the associated architecture, or select a minus (-) box to hide the architecture.
The Library tab also has two context menus that you access with your right mouse button (Windows-2nd button, UNIX-3rd button).One menu is accessed by right-clicking a design unit name; the second is accessed by right-clicking a blank area in the Library tab. The graphic below shows the two menus.
The context menu at the left includes the following commands:
- Load
Simulates the selected design unit and opens a structure tab in the workspace. Related command line command is vsim.
- Edit
Opens the selected design unit in the Source window.
- Refresh
Rebuilds the library image of the selected item(s) without using source code. Related command line command is vcom with the refresh argument.
- Recompile
Recompiles the selected design unit. Related command line command is vcom.
- Delete
Deletes the selected design unit. Related command line command is vdel.
Deleting a package, configuration, or entity will remove the design unit from the library. If you delete an entity that has one or more architectures, the entity and all its associated architectures will be deleted.
You can also delete an architecture without deleting its associated entity. Expand the entity, right-click the desired architecture name, and select Delete. You are prompted for confirmation before any design unit is actually deleted.
The second context menu has the following options:
- Load
Opens the Load Design dialog box. See "Simulating with the graphic interface" for details. Related command line command is vsim.
- Create Library
Opens the Create a New Library dialog box. See "Creating a library" earlier in this chapter for details. Related command line command is vlib.
- View
Provides various options for displaying design units.
- Update
Reloads the library in case any of the design units were modified outside of the current session (e.g., by a script or another user).
