Feature Differences - 2021.2 English

Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Design Flows Overview (UG892)

Document ID
UG892
Release Date
2021-11-17
Version
2021.2 English

In Project Mode, the Vivado IDE tracks the history of the design and stores pertinent design information. However, because many features are automated, you have less control in the default flow. For example, only a standard set of report files is generated with each run. However, through Tcl commands or scripting, you have access to customize the flow and features of the tool in Project Mode.

The following automated features are only available when using Project Mode:

  • Out-of-the-box design flow
  • Easy-to-use, push-button interface
  • Powerful Tcl scripting language for customization
  • Source file management and status
  • Automatically generated standard reports
  • Storage and reuse of tool settings and design configuration
  • Experimentation with multiple synthesis and implementation runs
  • Run results management and status

Non-Project Mode, is more of a compilation methodology where you have complete control over every action executed through a Tcl command. This is a fully customizable design flow suited to specific designers looking for control and batch processing. All of the processing is done in memory, so no files or reports are generated automatically. Each time you compile the design, you must define all of the sources, set all tool and design configuration parameters, launch all implementation commands, and generate report files. This can be accomplished using a Tcl run script, because a project is not created on disk, source files remain in their original locations and design output is only created when and where you specify. This method provides you with all of the power of Tcl commands and full control over the entire design process. Many users prefer this batch compilation style interaction with the tools and the design data.

The following table summarizes the feature differences between Project Mode and Non-Project Mode.

Table 1. Project Mode versus Non-Project Mode Features
Flow Element Project Mode Non-Project Mode
Design Source File Management Automatic Manual
Flow Navigation Guided Manual
Flow Customization Unlimited with Tcl commands Unlimited with Tcl commands
Reporting Automatic Manual
Analysis Stages Designs and design checkpoints Designs and design checkpoints