log_vcd - 2020.2 English

Log Value Change Dump (VCD) simulation output for specified wire, signal, or reg

Syntax

log_vcd [‑level <arg>] [‑quiet] [‑verbose] [<hdl_objects>...]

Returns

Does not return any object

Usage

Name	Description
`[-level]`	Number of levels to log (for HDL scopes) Default: 0
`[-quiet]`	Ignore command errors
`[-verbose]`	Suspend message limits during command execution
`[<hdl_objects>]`	Which HDL objects to log

Description

Indicates which HDL objects to write into the Value Change Dump (VCD) file. In some designs the simulation results can become quite large; the log_vcd command lets you define the specific content of interest. This command models the behavior of the Verilog $dumpvars system task.

HDL objects include HDL signals, variables, or constants as defined in the Verilog or VHDL test bench and source files. An HDL signal includes Verilog wire or reg entities, and VHDL signals. Examples of HDL variables include Verilog real, realtime, time, and event.

This command specifies which HDL objects and how many levels of design hierarchy to write into the VCD file. The actual values of the objects are written to the VCD file when you run the checkpoint_vcd or flush_vcd commands at a specific time during simulation.

Important: You must use the open_vcd command before using any other *_vcd commands.

Nothing is returned by this command.

Arguments

-level <arg> - (Optional) Specifies the number of levels of design hierarchy to traverse when locating HDL objects to write to the VCD file. The default value of 0 causes the tool to dump all values for the specified HDL objects at the level of hierarchy defined by <hdl_objects>, and all levels below that. A value of 1 indicates that only the level of hierarchy specified by <hdl_objects> should be written to the VCD file.

-quiet - (Optional) Execute the command quietly, returning no messages from the command. The command also returns TCL_OK regardless of any errors encountered during execution.

Note: Any errors encountered on the command-line, while launching the command, will be returned. Only errors occurring inside the command will be trapped.

-verbose - (Optional) Temporarily override any message limits and return all messages from this command.

Note: Message limits can be defined with the set_msg_config command.

<hdl_objects> - (Optional) Specifies the HDL objects to identify and write changing values into the VCD file. The level of hierarchy is also represented in the hdl_objects pattern. For instance /tb/UUT/* indicates all HDL objects within the /tb/UUT level of the design.

Examples

Log value changes for all the ports from the scope /tb/UUT:

log_vcd [get_objects -filter { type == port } /tb/UUT/* ]

Note: Since -levels is not specified, all levels below the specified scope will be searched for ports matching the specified pattern as well.

Log VCD for all the objects in the current_scope:

log_vcd *  
log_vcd [ get_objects *]

Log value changes for only internal signals with names starting with C, of the root scope /tb/UUT:

log_vcd [get_objects -filter { type == internal_signal }./C*]