The Flow Navigator provides access to commands and tools to take your design from design entry to bitstream creation. As you run these commands and tools, the design data, graphical windows, and results windows update. The different sections in the Flow Navigator enable you to do the following:
- Project Manager
- Change settings, add or create sources, view language templates, and open the Vivado IP catalog. For information on adding sources, see this link in the Vivado Design Suite User Guide: System-Level Design Entry (UG895). For information on language templates, see Using Language Templates. For information on the IP catalog, see this link in the Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Designing with IP (UG896).
- IP Integrator
- Create, open, or generate a block design. For information on the Vivado IP integrator, see the Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Designing IP Subsystems Using IP Integrator (UG994).
- Simulation
- Change simulation settings or simulate the active design. For information on simulation, see the Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Logic Simulation (UG900)
- RTL Analysis
- Open an elaborated design, run design rule checks (DRCs), and generate an RTL schematic. For information on the Schematic window, see Using the Schematic Window. For information on elaborating the RTL design, see this link in the Vivado Design Suite User Guide: System-Level Design Entry (UG895).
- Synthesis
- Change synthesis settings, synthesize the active design, or open the synthesized design. You can right-click Open Synthesized Design, and select New Synthesized Design to load a second design. You can also right-click and select Open Netlist in New Window to compare the designs side by side. For information on synthesis, see the Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Synthesis (UG901).
- Implementation
- Change implementation settings, implement the active design, or open the implemented design. For information on implementation, see Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Implementation (UG904).
- Program and Debug
- Change bitstream settings, generate a bitstream file, open a hardware session in the Vivado IDE, and launch the Vivado logic analyzer. For information on programming and debugging, see Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Programming and Debugging (UG908).
After opening a design, the section displays in bold to show that a design is loaded into memory. In addition, the Open command changes. For example, Open Synthesized Design changes to Synthesized Design. If you have multiple stages of the design loaded, you can click the sections in the Flow Navigator to switch between design stages (for example, RTL Analysis or Synthesis).
To make more screen space available for other windows during design analysis, you can hide the Flow Navigator as follows:
- Select .
- Use the Ctrl+Q keyboard shortcut.
- In the upper right corner of the Flow Navigator, click the
Hide Flow Navigator
button
.