add_files - 2021.2 English

Vivado Design Suite Tcl Command Reference Guide (UG835)
Document ID
UG835
Release Date
2021-10-22
Version
2021.2 English

Add sources to the active fileset

Syntax

add_files [‑fileset <arg>] [‑of_objects <args>] [‑norecurse]
    [‑copy_to <arg>] [‑force] [‑scan_for_includes] [‑quiet] [‑verbose]
    [<files>...]

Returns

List of file objects that were added.

Usage

Name Description
[-fileset] Fileset name
[-of_objects] Filesets or sub-designs or RMs to add the files to
[-norecurse] Do not recursively search in specified directories
[-copy_to] Copy the file to the specified directory before adding it to project
[-force] Overwrite the existing file when -copy_to is used
[-scan_for_includes] Scan and add any included files found in the fileset's RTL sources
[-quiet] Ignore command errors
[-verbose] Suspend message limits during command execution
[<files>] Name of the files and/or directories to add. Must be specified if -scan_for_includes is not used.

Categories

Project

Description

Adds one or more source files, or the source file contents of one or more directories, to the specified fileset in the current project. Valid source files include HDL sources (VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog, and related header files), netlist sources (DCP, EDIF, and NGC), and memory interface files (BMM, MIF, MEM, ELF).

IP and Block Design sources are not added through the add_files command. These are compound files that are supported by separate commands such as import_ip, read_bd, and read_ip.

For every file added to a project the Vivado Design Suite attempts to store and maintain both a relative path and an absolute path to the file or directory. When a project is opened, these paths are used to locate the files and directories. By default the Vivado Design Suite applies a Relative First approach to resolving paths, searching the relative path first, then the absolute path. You can use the PATH_MODE property to change how the Vivado tool resolves file paths or properties for specific objects. For more information, see the Vivado Design Suite Properties Reference Guide (UG912).
Important: Adding multiple files one at a time can cause noticeable performance degradation. It is more efficient to use a single add_files command to import a list of files: 
add_files {file1 file2 file3 ... fileN}
The Vivado tool does not read the contents of a file automatically when the file is added to the project with add_files, but rather reads the file contents when they are needed. For instance, a constraints file is not read when added to the design until needed by synthesis, timing, or implementation. To read the file at the time of adding it to the design, use the read_xxx command instead.
Tip: When running the Vivado tool in Non-Project mode, in which there is no project file to maintain and manage the various project source files, you should use the read_xxx commands to read the contents of source files into the in-memory design. Refer to the Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Design Flows Overview (UG892) for more information on Non-Project mode.

The add_files command adds them by reference to the specified fileset. This is different from the import_files command, which copies the file into the local project folders as well as adding them to the specified fileset.

This command returns the files that were added, or returns an error if it fails.

Arguments

-fileset <name> - (Optional) The fileset to which the specified source files should be added. An error is returned if the specified fileset does not exist. If no fileset is specified the files are added to the source fileset by default.

-norecurse - (Optional) Do not recurse through subdirectories of any specified directories. Without this argument, the tool searches through any subdirectories for additional source files that can be added to a project.

-copy_to <arg> - (Optional) Copy the selected files to the specified directory before adding the files to the project. This option lets you move files from their current location to a new folder to reference as part of the source structure for a project.

-force - (optional) Overwrite any existing files of the same name as the specified files, in the destination directory, when you use the -copy_to option.

-scan_for_includes - (Optional) Scan Verilog source files for any 'include statements and add these referenced files to the specified fileset. By default, 'include files are not added to the fileset.

-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.
<files> - (Optional) One or more file names or directory names to be added to the fileset. If a directory name is specified, all valid source files found in the directory, and in subdirectories of the directory, are added to the fileset.
Note: If the path is not specified as part of the file name, the tool will search for the specified file in the current working directory and then in the directory from which the tool was launched.

Examples

The following example adds a file called rtl.v to the current project: 
add_files rtl.v

In the preceding example the tool looks for the rtl.v file in the current working directory since no file path is specified, and the file is added to the source fileset as a default since no fileset is specified.

The following example adds a file called top.xdc to the constrs_1 constraint fileset, as well as any appropriate source files found in the project_1 directory, and its subdirectories: 
add_files -fileset constrs_1 -quiet c:/Design/top.xdc c:/Design/project_1

In addition, the tool ignores any command line errors because the -quiet argument was specified.

If the -norecurse option had been specified then only constraint files found in the project_1 directory would have been added, but subdirectories would not be searched.

The following example adds an existing IP core file to the current project: 
add_files -norecurse C:/Data/ip/c_addsub_v11_0_0.xci
Note: Use the import_ip command to import the IP file into the local project folders.
The following example reads a top-level design netlist, and the char_fifo IP in a Non-Project Mode design: 
# Read top-level EDIF and IP DCP
read_edif ./sources/wave_gen.edif
add_files ./my_IP/char_fifo/char_fifo.xci
Note: Either add_files or read_ip can be used reading in an IP core. All output products of the IP, including a design checkpoint ( DCP), will be read as needed.
The following example adds an existing DSP module, created in System Generator, into the current project: 
add_files C:/Data/model1.mdl
Note: Use the create_sysgen command to use System Generator to create a new DSP module.

See Also